Disney Cast Members are well-trained to work with guests who have disabilities, particularly those who are in wheelchairs or scooters. However, it’s still quite a process to transfer those guests from their mobility devices to a ride, although there are systems in place to make that transition as smooth as possible.
Wheelchair entrance at Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
However, what if it were even easier to get guests in wheelchairs and scooters on rides? Well, Disney recently filed a new patent that could allow wheelchairs and scooters to load onto rides without needing to transfer the guest, and this could be a big game-changer for guests with mobility challenges.
The patent, which was filed in 2025, is for a “Rider Inclusive Transport Aide” that would add a platform to a boat ride vehicle configured to receive wheelchairs and scooters. The platform would stay flat and level to the ground or water beneath it as the vehicle tilts. This would keep the wheelchair or scooter…or even a stroller…from tipping when the ride vehicle rocks during loading.
©U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Disney’s boat ride vehicles tend to have higher sides than other ride vehicles without doors, so it’s hard to load guests with wheelchairs and scooters from the side. This means that guests must be loaded from the upper edge of the boat, which can be challenging.
Frozen Ever After boat
However, this technology would have a platform attached to each boat that would remain level with the water even when the boat tilts up for loading. Then a guest could just move their wheelchair or scooter directly onto the platform and into the boat. Easy-peasy, right? Here are some figures that show how that would work:
©U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
The boat would then have something like locks or straps to hold the wheelchair or scooter in place. There are also grooves that would help Cast Members position the mobility device on the boat.
Now, the thing to remember is that patents get filed ALL the time, and the technology described in them may or may not get used. However, Disney is in the process of building several new boat rides, including a new Coco ride in Disneyland. This new ride, and others to follow it, could potentially put this technology in place to make loading guests with disabilities even easier for everyone involved.
©Disney
We’ll keep an eye out for more Disney news, so stay tuned to DFB for more.
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