What’s in My Accessible Hotel Room at Walt Disney World?

In recent years I’ve been placed into two ADA-accessible hotel rooms at Walt Disney World, one at Art of Animation and one at BoardWalk Inn. Here’s a tour of the features you can expect to find in a Disney World accessible room.

A disclaimer before I get going: I do not have a mobility disability. I did not request these rooms, I was assigned to them by the resorts and did not know they were accessible rooms until I walked into them. Do not make a request for an accessible room unless you need one.

Accessible Room at BoardWalk Inn

The Boardwalk Inn is a Deluxe-level resort with amenities such as Table Service and Quick Service restaurants, recreation options, and a convenient location near both EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Most BoardWalk Inn rooms sleep up to five guests, on two queen-sized beds and a couch/daybed.

This is Room 3297. Here are some overview photos of the main room (click on photos to enlarge):

You’ll notice the wide, uncarpeted entry; the lack of carpet is standard for Boardwalk Inn rooms but it makes access easier with a mobility device. Now to note some of the specific features that make the room more accessibility-friendly. Many of these features involve lowering furniture or fixtures to make them easier to reach for a person in a wheelchair or mobility device.

A big example of this is the beds in the Boardwalk Inn’s accessible rooms, which are noticeably lower than those in the non-accessible rooms. In the comparison photos below, you can use the chair in the corner and the chair rail on the wall to see that both the beds and the bedside table between them are at a lower height.

Sometimes the low height is standard. Look at the bottom edge of the artwork to see that the thermostat has been lowered in the accessible room, but the low height of the light switch is just the regular height. This may be to make the light switch easier for kids to reach.

The bathroom is where you’ll find some of the biggest differences. In a non-accessible room, the bathroom area is divided in two, with a double-sink vanity in the outer area and the tub/shower and toilet in a separate closed room. In the accessible room, the entire bathroom area is one space that increases the turning space accessible to a mobility device. The area under the bathroom sink is open, allowing close access for a guest in a wheelchair.  The bathroom features grab bars around the toilet and in the shower. This room does not have a roll-in shower; however, the tub depth is lower than standard.

Accessible Room at Art of Animation

The Art of Animation Resort is a Value-level hotel. There is only Quick Service dining at this location. My room was in the Little Mermaid section, where rooms typically sleep four guests, but I was assigned a king-sized bed in a room that sleeps only two.

This is Art of Animation room 9571. As with the Boardwalk room, the peephole and security lock are lowered. Additionally, the in-room hanging rack (this type of room has no traditional closet) is positioned at a low level.

The bathroom features are similar. Here too, there is no obstruction under the sink and there are grab bars around the toilet and in the tub/shower.

In addition to these rooms with tubs, there are some accessible rooms at Walt Disney World that have roll-in showers. You can use the Touring Plans Room Finder Tool to locate that feature.

What have your experiences been in WDW accessible rooms? Let us know in the comments.