Plebe parent weekend-handicap/elderly transportation

trainerj2855

5-Year Member
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does anyone know if there is transportation around yard on parents weekend for elderly? Grandparents want to come but I remember on I Day, that there was no transportation once the bus dropped us off at Alumni Hall. The walking is too much for my parents without some type of transportation around the campus.
 
does anyone know if there is transportation around yard on parents weekend for elderly? Grandparents want to come but I remember on I Day, that there was no transportation once the bus dropped us off at Alumni Hall. The walking is too much for my parents without some type of transportation around the campus.

No transportation around campus. At least there wasn't last summer and I don't expect that they would change it.
 
From the USNA website:

Q: I am handicapped and have a handicapped placard. Is there any way I can drive onto the Yard?

A: Yes, you may drive on the Academy during normal visiting hours if the handicap placard is in your name.


It's unclear to me from the above whether handicapped person must actually drive the vehicle or simply be in the vehicle and possess a handicapped placard. I suggest you contact USNA for clarification if this is an option for you.

This would allow you to have some flexibility in terms of getting them closer to the events. However, parking is always at a premium in the Yard and many venues such as T-Court are only accessible by foot -- i.e., cars can only get within a certain distance.
 
There has never been any types of shuttle buses around the Yard. It is not nearly as large as most college campuses.

I agree as mentioned above that handicapped parking can allow you additional Yard accessibility. Many locations that honor handicapped parking now require the individual to actually be in the vehicle. Apparently, some would abuse these privileges and simply borrow the placard from a handicapped relative (who was not traveling with them) just to get a better parking spot. Many facilities are now wise to that practice and rightfully so, putting a stop to it.
 
There is no transportation around the Yard for handicapped but there is parking access and reserved spaces. Try the lot by the admissions office, that is pretty central. I never had a problem using my parent's access ID and tried for parking at the miid store or out at the point.
 
Amazing experience at I-day!

I basically forced my elderly mother to come to I-day as I knew it would be a once-in-a-lifetime event. My mother is quite unable to walk any distance at all - especially in the heat. She made it from the visitor center half way to the sailboats. A passing car picked her up and took her to the boathouse. There, the staff was incredibly kind and gave her ice and water. Then, I believe his name was Craig, took her in his golf cart and gave her a tour of the Yard. It must have been quite a tour because later she was even telling us what state the marble of one of the buildings was from! He took her to the restaurant and spoke to the manager and got her set up in there. A big thank you to an incredibly kind man.
She just walked out to Bancroft for the ceremony and then we managed to get her back to the gate via another generous ride.
I know it isn't something to be able to plan - but I would say that based on our experience, if you have someone who is struggling, there are numerous kind folks who help out. (Why do I think that poor Craig might be getting an influx of folks inquiring about his special tour now?)
 
Another thing to keep in mind is that there probably won't be near as much walking around the yard during PPW as there was on I-Day. I remember last summer when my grandparents came I wanted to spend as little time on the yard as possible, and your Plebe will probably feel the same way.

My experience was this. My grandmother was in a wheel chair so getting her around was just a matter of me pushing her and being able to locate ramps and elevators to get her around. My grandfather can't do a lot of walking, so when we went from Alumni to Bancroft to see my room (our noon meal formation was in Alumni), we had to stop so he could rest once, but he made it okay. That was the extent of the walking we did. After that I wanted to get off the yard and eat real food.

Long story short, even with elderly grandparents who can't walk much (or even at all as was my grandmother's case) the walking involved was manageable. They also did park on the yard with my grandfather's handicap placard.

Hope some of this helped.
 
My mother in law was in the same boat last year at PPW, which mercifully was not all that hot. (But I-day? Wow.) She was recovering from a total knee replacement and while she could walk, she couldn't walk very far. So we brought a transport chair on the plane. This is basically a light chair with four small wheels that folds up and easily fits in a car trunk. Worked great. We stayed in DTA, wheeled her on and around the yard, and she managed just enough stairs to get to everywhere she needed to go. Alumni Hall, Bancroft, King for lunch, etc.

Warning: Neither the Yard nor DTA is ADA compliant for the most part. Annapolis' brick and cobblestone sidewalks are pretty authentic for a City that dates back to the 17th century, but I lost track of the number of times a wheel got caught in a chuckhole and I almost dumped her. A real wheelchair would have been easier.
 
Resurrecting an old thread here,
It appears handicapped civilians can drive in yard based on USNA site. That hasnt been trumped by any new covid etc changes, has it?

Also, anyone have a good cheatsheet for handicapped parking for dta? Especially with Noah Hillman closed? Not in wheelchair, but slow and painful walking. Shuttle should be option.

Thanks
 
Resurrecting an old thread here,
It appears handicapped civilians can drive in yard based on USNA site. That hasnt been trumped by any new covid etc changes, has it?

Also, anyone have a good cheatsheet for handicapped parking for dta? Especially with Noah Hillman closed? Not in wheelchair, but slow and painful walking. Shuttle should be option.

Thanks
There is usually free (I think) parking at the Navy Stadium and shuttle buses right to Alumni Hall throughout the day. That might be easiest. The Yard is jammed from oh-dark-thirty in the AM.

You may want to call USNA Security and get the latest info for on-Yard parking.

 
You can go in early PPW to get your DBIDS (Midshipmen parents' Yard access) pass you will be able to drive onto the yard. If your parents have a handicap placard, you can park in the handicap spaces.

You will get DBIDS instructions on I-day or in the info packets that come before I-day.
 
So sorry - i
There is usually free (I think) parking at the Navy Stadium and shuttle buses right to Alumni Hall throughout the day. That might be easiest. The Yard is jammed from oh-dark-thirty in the AM.

You may want to call USNA Security and get the latest info for on-Yard parking.

So sorry, i had Induction Day on the brain.
 
LOL, sorry... I hijacked a random thread because it asked about the specific question (handicapped access, etc). This is for elderly family members who wanted to stop by and see their favorite MIDN in action on a random weekday. Not connected to an I, PW, CW, WTF or any other organized event.
 
From the FAQ linked as 'security/access' on the Visit USNA page:

Q: I am handicapped and have a handicapped placard. Is there any way I can drive onto the Yard?

A:
Yes, you may drive on the Academy during normal visiting hours if the handicap placard is in your name.

In general, it's hard to drive around when it's a special day (I-Day, Commissioning Week, etc) because there are a lot of visitors and people just tend to wander into the streets constantly. So you have to be very, very careful and go extra slow on special days. Also always go slowly around corners. Many Midshipmen run in the street around the perimeter of the yard and there are several corners where it's hard to see who might be in the street, especially when it's dark. Parking is also very limited on special days.

On a general day (especially on weekends or other days when classes aren't in session), parking is generally more available. Some of the faculty/staff lots become general parking in the evening or on weekends as well. That said, there still isn't super close parking to many things on the yard. Some buildings also do not have elevators. If you want to visit Dry Dock restaurant in Dahlgren Hall for example and can't do stairs, you have to go in the side entrance or the back entrance because the front opens to a stair case.

The visitor's map (available in print at the visitor's center or online from the directions page) has many of the accessible entrances marked on it.

Lastly, there is a page of COVID related modifications to access. Not as applicable right now as in the past year or two, but just incase anything changes, it's good to check it before planning a visit.
 
LOL, sorry... I hijacked a random thread because it asked about the specific question (handicapped access, etc). This is for elderly family members who wanted to stop by and see their favorite MIDN in action on a random weekday. Not connected to an I, PW, CW, WTF or any other organized event.
I
LOL, sorry... I hijacked a random thread because it asked about the specific question (handicapped access, etc). This is for elderly family members who wanted to stop by and see their favorite MIDN in action on a random weekday. Not connected to an I, PW, CW, WTF or any other organized event.
I recently took my parents (who have very limited mobility but don’t use wheelchairs) to visit my Mid on a “normal” Saturday. It was a great experience. A few notes:
- I drove on with my DBIDS card, with them, in their car, with handicapped placard. No problem.
- We did the GEM driving tour (basically fancy, enclosed golf carts), booked ahead through the visitors center. I highly recommend this! They got to see a lot of the Yard, and learn a lot about USNA, without walking much at all.
- The tour was outside only, but I wanted them to see the chapel and museum, so we drove both places. There is a hidden handicapped parking space to the back right of the chapel, which gives the easiest access to the handicapped entrance (which goes in the crypt level and you can take an elevator up). Likewise, we parked next to the museum (on the side, not the front) to get in the handicapped entrance and take an elevator up. Afterward we drove, of course, to the mid store! By driving around and parking in handicapped spots, they were able to see almost everything, though T Court and Bancroft were just too far for them to walk. They saw them from a bit of a distance on the tour.

While it might be very difficult on PPW or other special days, it was very doable on a regular weekend, with a bit of planning ahead! (I hope this helps. Please feel free to PM me if you have questions about our experience.)
 
I

I recently took my parents (who have very limited mobility but don’t use wheelchairs) to visit my Mid on a “normal” Saturday. It was a great experience. A few notes:
- I drove on with my DBIDS card, with them, in their car, with handicapped placard. No problem.
- We did the GEM driving tour (basically fancy, enclosed golf carts), booked ahead through the visitors center. I highly recommend this! They got to see a lot of the Yard, and learn a lot about USNA, without walking much at all.
- The tour was outside only, but I wanted them to see the chapel and museum, so we drove both places. There is a hidden handicapped parking space to the back right of the chapel, which gives the easiest access to the handicapped entrance (which goes in the crypt level and you can take an elevator up). Likewise, we parked next to the museum (on the side, not the front) to get in the handicapped entrance and take an elevator up. Afterward we drove, of course, to the mid store! By driving around and parking in handicapped spots, they were able to see almost everything, though T Court and Bancroft were just too far for them to walk. They saw them from a bit of a distance on the tour.

While it might be very difficult on PPW or other special days, it was very doable on a regular weekend, with a bit of planning ahead! (I hope this helps. Please feel free to PM me if you have questions about our experience.)
Thanks...that sounds exactly what I imagine they need.
 
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