After my car accident and spinal cord injury, my healthcare workers told me there was a great future out there if I wanted it. A family trip to Disneyland showed me they were right. You hear a lot about people who were told life was over after an accident. That was never my story.
After my car accident, my healthcare workers poured into me in those early days. They told me there was a great future out there if I wanted it. I wanted it. Eighteen years later, I looked at my family at Disneyland and thought about that nurse. You were right.
I Have a Spinal Cord Injury. It Changed How I Move, Not How I Live.
I have a spinal cord injury. It changed how I move, not how I live. That distinction matters, because people often assume a wheelchair means a smaller life. My life is not smaller. It looks different, and different is not less.
I am a wife. I am a mom of two. I travel, I create, I build traditions with my family. My kids do not see a wheelchair first. At Disneyland, they saw magic.
Disneyland Accessibility: More Than I Could Ask For
Here is the honest review as a wheelchair user and a mom: the accessibility at Disneyland is more than I could ask for.
There were ramps, rides, and room to roll everywhere we wanted to go. Nobody stared. Nobody rushed us. We just got to be a family. That is what accessibility is supposed to feel like, not a special accommodation you have to fight for, just room to exist and enjoy the day together.
An accessible world makes the journey smoother, and Disney checked the boxes.
Rides You Can Stay in Your Wheelchair For
These are the rides and attractions at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure where you can roll on and stay in your wheelchair, no transfer needed. Availability can vary by day, so ask a cast member or check the Disneyland app before you go.
Disneyland Park
- Jungle Cruise (accessible boats, ask a cast member)
- It's a small world (accessible boats)
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (wheelchair accessible vehicle) - King Arthur Carrousel (wheelchair accessible chariot)
- Mark Twain Riverboat
- Disneyland Railroad (wheelchair accessible cars; accessible stops are Mickey's Toontown, New Orleans Square, and Tomorrowland)
- Disneyland Monorail
- Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room
- The Disneyland Story presenting Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln
- Main Street Cinema
- The Disney Gallery
- Frontierland Shootin' Exposition
- Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
- Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (wheelchair accessible alternate experience room) - Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough (wheelchair accessible alternate experience)
Disney California Adventure
- The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Undersea Adventure (roll on clamshell vehicle) - Toy Story Midway Mania! (roll on carnival tram)
- WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure (roll on vehicle)
- Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! (roll on taxi vehicle) - Jessie's Critter Carousel (roll on bench and carriage platform)
- Pixar Pal-A-Round, non-swinging gondolas only
- Animation Academy
- Sorcerer's Workshop
- Turtle Talk with Crush
- Mickey's PhilharMagic
- The Bakery Tour
- Disney Junior Dance Party!
- Redwood Creek Challenge Trail (accessible paths; some areas are not wheelchair accessible)
And If You Transfer, There Is Even More
Staying in your chair is not the only option. Plenty of other rides are easy to transfer to, and the transfer vehicles are designed to make it simple. Cast members cannot physically lift guests, so you transfer yourself or with help from someone in your party, which is how I do it.
At Disneyland Park, that includes favorites like Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Peter Pan's Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, and Star Tours.
At Disney California Adventure, it includes Incredicoaster, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission: BREAKOUT!, Radiator Springs Racers, Soarin' Around the World, Grizzly River Run, Goofy's Sky School, Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters, Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, Silly Symphony Swings, Golden Zephyr, and Jumpin' Jellyfish. California Adventure was built with wide walkways and queues, so you will often wait in the regular line with your group.
Bottom line: between the roll on rides and the easy transfers, there is very little at Disneyland Resort you have to sit out.
Why an Accessible World Benefits Everyone
The disability community is one anyone can join at any time. That is why I advocate for accessibility, not just for myself, but because an accessible world benefits everyone.
Ramps help parents with strollers. Clear paths help grandparents. Room to move helps everyone. When places make room for all of us, nobody has to sit out the family photo.
Thank You to the Healthcare Workers Who Saw My Future Before I Could
This post is a thank you note. Thank you to the healthcare workers making a real difference, who pour into people in their hardest days and tell them the truth: there is still a great future out there if you want it.
And thank you to the places like Disneyland that make moving around accessible for everyone. This is what a full life looks like.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Disneyland wheelchair accessible?
Yes. In my experience as a wheelchair user visiting with my family, there were ramps, accessible rides, and room to roll throughout the parks. It was more than I could ask for.
What happened to cause your spinal cord injury?
I was in a car accident at 18, in 2008. The car flipped, and I sustained a spinal cord injury. My early healthcare workers told me there was a great future out there if I wanted it, and that belief shaped everything after.
How do you travel to Disneyland as a wheelchair user with kids? With planning, patience, and places that make room for you. Accessible paths, rides, and a family that moves together make it possible, and magical.
What does a full life with a disability look like?
It looks like mine: a husband, two kids, work I love, travel, and days at Disneyland where my kids see magic, not a wheelchair.
Follow along at @thelizzyo for more on motherhood, lifestyle, and accessible travel.
