Amusement and Theme Parks: The Disney Cinderella Carriage, an Ascension Wheelchair Lift Case Study
Project Summary
- Challenge: Provide portable ADA-compliant vertical access to a mobile Cinderella carriage.
- Solution: Customized Ascension Protégé portable wheelchair lift with a custom-engineered stair bridge and aesthetics that blend into the Disney experience.
- Result: On-demand accessibility that matches the park’s look and enables a magical experience for all visitors.
Company Overview
Disneyland Park is a globally renowned theme park in Anaheim, California. It is known for its immersive experiences and attention to storytelling, theming, and guest satisfaction. The park continually innovates to provide joyful, magical moments for visitors of all abilities, which includes ensuring that iconic attractions are accessible and welcoming to everyone.
Challenge
Disneyland introduced a Cinderella carriage capable of accommodating guests who use wheelchairs, but faced a critical accessibility barrier: how to lift a wheelchair user onto the carriage platform. The challenge included several unique conditions:
- Vertical travel: The carriage platform is approximately 40 inches off the ground, requiring a lift that can accommodate that height.
- Horizontal transition: Once lifted to the correct height, a wheelchair user needs to safely travel over the carriage steps to enter the carriage, a distance of about 20 inches.
- Attraction mobility: Unlike a fixed stage or platform, the Cinderella carriage can be anywhere in the park, which means that a permanent installation would not work. The solution needed to be portable and usable at multiple locations.
- Theme and aesthetic: Disney and Cinderella have very strong branding and a very recognizable theme. The accessibility solution would need to be functional but not detract from the storytelling or visual atmosphere.
Solution
The solution Disney chose is a customized Ascension Protégé 5442P portable wheelchair lift. Ascension engineers worked closely with Disneyland to develop a tailored solution based on the Protégé wheelchair lift that met their very specific needs:
- Portable design: The lift can be moved throughout the park as needed, allowing on-demand access to the Cinderella carriage wherever it’s located.
- Dual-purpose stair bridge: The lift incorporates a bridge that serves as a safety barrier during vertical travel and then folds down to create a bridge to the carriage platform.
- Custom color: Since Disneyland places high value on theming, the lift was custom paint-matched to an RAL color specified by the park.
- Custom window etching: The lift windows were etched with decorative scroll work that complements the carriage design and maintains visual cohesion with the park’s immersive environment.
- On-demand accessibility: When positioned beside the carriage, the lift provides dignified access to guests in wheelchairs without disrupting the attraction’s look or guest experience.
This solution successfully delivered both functionality and theme park-appropriate design, enabling Disneyland to honor its commitment to inclusive guest experiences.
Results
The customized Protégé wheelchair lift provides portable vertical access for wheelchair users to board the Cinderella carriage at Disneyland Park. It enables every guest to participate fully in this attraction.
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