Category: travel
Delta Airlines and Powerchairs
I haven’t flown Delta in decades. Does Delta really not let you gatecheck a powerchair or scooter?
From Delta’s website:
We need 48 hours advance notice and at least one hour advance check-in on the day of departure if you:
* Require the packaging of a wheelchair battery for shipment as checked luggage (one [...]
Why it takes so long to plan a trip
Last time it was Hawaii, this time it’s Italy.
The hotel claims 2 accessible rooms.
My inquiry:
Please send me information on your rooms that are suitable for the disabled:
Room number?
Rate in late October, 2008?
Steps at hotel entrance?
How many?
How high?
Width of entrance door?
Elevator?
Width of elevator door?
Length of elevator?
Width of room door?
Distance between bed and wall?
Height of bed?
Width of [...]
India - Guide Dogs Allowed to Fly
The aviation ministry has approved the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) new rules allowing dogs to fly. But don’t worry about dogfights in the air. The new rule applies only to those canines guiding humans “with disability and/or reduced mobility”.
I like the “don’t worry” part (yes, that’s sarcasm). Full story at Guide Dogs Allowed [...]
Air New Zealand Says “No”
A Christchurch tetraplegic is being forced to pay thousands of dollars for an in-flight carer because Air New Zealand staff cannot help him into his seat.
Make that “will not” instead of “cannot”; other airlines seem to manage it somehow.
Full article: Airline says ‘no’ to help
Copenhagen Airport accessibility improvements
Airport Accessibility in Copenhagen
So far, the airlines flying out of Copenhagen Airport have provided services to disabled persons through their handling companies, which meant that what these travellers were offered varied greatly from one airline to the next. The new service for disabled persons that Copenhagen Airport will be offering in cooperation with an external [...]
Sorting People into Bins
Airport to try tailored security
Federal aviation officials this week plan to start a test program at Denver International Airport’s north terminal checkpoint steering “expert” travelers — those who travel frequently and with little luggage — to a screening line marked by a black diamond sign.
Following the ski-slope theme, “casual” travelers with multiple carry-on bags will [...]
Memo to a Flight Attendant
To: Flight Attendent
Re: Aisle Chair
Shortly before landing, I reminded you that I would need an aisle chair at our destination. We landed, and then we waited. And waited. And waited. At some point your colleague said, “I’m sure her wheelchair would fit through here, and then we could skip the aisle chair.” You said, “I [...]
Kauai - National Car Rental
We rented from National, a full-size sedan with hand controls.
I’m guessing they installed the controls specifically for this rental (Hertz keeps a certain number of cars permanently equipped with hand controls). The controls were pretty much fine, except that they tended to run into the steering wheel when accelerating or turning. If it had really [...]
Kauai - Opaeka’a Falls and Kamokila Hawaiian Village
The Opaeka’a Falls overlook is on Kuamo’o Road (580) about a mile and a half west of Highway 56. It’s a beautiful vista. The sidewalk at the overlook has no curbcut. If you can get onto the sidewalk, you can also follow a path to the other side of the highway overlooking the Wailua River [...]
Kauai - East Coast Bike Path
This is a find! Starting at the north end of Kapa’a, park at the end of Moanakai Road (Waipouli Beach Park). A 10 foot wide, 2.5 mile long paved trail begins here and ends at Kealia Beach. It’s slightly uphill going north. It’s all beach, beach, beach, ocean, ocean as far as the eye can [...]
Kauai - Kauai Coffee Company
The Kauai Coffee Company, down at the end of Route 540 near Ele’ele, has a nice little visitor center/gift shop, tiny museum and all varieties of coffee available to taste. They’ve set up a short self-guided orchard tour that is completely accessible. Great restrooms, too.
I am a customer
We had a three hour layover at LAX. The weather was bad at O’Hare, flights were being grounded. We listened to what sounded like an increasingly crazed gate agent: “Do not stand in line to ask about your flight. I will let you know when I have more information.”
At first I felt sympathetic towards her, [...]
Kauai - Salt Pond Beach Park
Beach number two with wheelchair accessibility - Salt Pond Beach Park is near Hanapepe, and also has a Landeeze beach wheelchair. The lifeguards here are less familiar with the chair and had to dig it out from under a bunch of stuff, so I guess it’s not used very often. It’s kind of busted up [...]
Kauai - Koloa
Koloa, just north of Poipu, is pretty much just a couple of blocks of shops. There’s a grocery store, a bank, a post office, and a good pharmacy (not drug store) in addition to more boutique-y/tourist places. Wheelchair access is very iffy. Ramps lead up and around buildings to stairs. Short stretches of sidewalk lead [...]
Kauai - Poipu Beach Park
Beach number one with wheelchair accessibility: Poipu Beach Park has a Landeeze all-terrain wheelchair.
Park across the street - there are two permit spots. There’s a paved walk up to the beach (but not to the lifeguard station). There are accessible restrooms. Get your buddy to go to the lifeguard station and ask for the beach [...]
Kauai - the condo
Mele Kalikimaka from Kauai! We are spending two weeks on Garden Island.
We’re staying in a condo at Kuhio Shores, overlooking the beach. I conducted a fairly extensive email communication with the owner over several months prior to our trip. My regular chair is 24 inches wide without any camber, so I told him I needed [...]
Accessible subway stations
So you’re in a world-class cosmopolitan city with a fantastic subway transit system. You get your handy-dandy subway map, and you start trying to decipher the tiny little symbols that mean that a particular station is wheelchair-accessible, if the elevator isn’t broken.
Wouldn’t it be easier if someone just erased the inaccessible stations, so you could [...]
Film trains screeners on assisting disabled
For the past two weeks, a film crew has been making a training video at DIA to teach TSA employees nationwide the proper techniques for screening disabled travelers and their medical equipment.
The video crew filmed about 40 “scenarios” covering all categories of disabilities — mobility, hearing, visual and “hidden,” which includes travelers’ heart disease and [...]
Air travel easier ‘except for disabled’
From Australia’s The Age:
Personal accounts from disabled travellers contained in the report include a quadriplegic man who was incorrectly told an airline was “breaking the law” by having him onboard.
Airlines warned not to bar disabled
LOW-COST carriers have been warned not to attempt to cut costs by discriminating against the disabled after two airlines recently sought exemptions from laws designed to grant handicapped travellers equal access to transport.
Full story: The Australian
Indian government may allow guide dogs to fly
Notice the “may”. So far to go.
Following a number of incidents that showed how uncaring some domestic airlines are towards the physically challenged, the directorate general of civil aviation (DGCA) is working on new rules to facilitate travel of such passengers that may come into effect from as early as January 1, 2008.
If airlines [...]
Airline’s refusal to let disabled passenger board ‘not discrimination,’ court rules
Thanks to Elizabeth in her post at Ouch! for finding this one. This is a horrifying step in the wrong direction.
Friday, August 10, 2007 at 05:00 EDT
AMAGASAKI — The Kobe District Court dismissed on Thursday a damages suit filed by a 37-year-old man seeking compensation from Singapore Airlines, claiming the airline’s refusal to let him [...]
Camping Pictures
I added pictures to the camping posts.
Camping Trip, Part 2
The next day we decided to stay a little closer to home. Bellaire Lake didn’t look too far away on the map, so we set off. In fact, it was up the mountain and down the mountain and up the mountain again, on a hard packed (watered) dirt road. We found Bellaire Lake easily enough, [...]
Camping Trip, Part 1
First, I have to confess that it wasn’t really camping - friends lent us their little (no plumbing, no water) cabin on the Cache la Poudre river. The cabin, along with four others, is on National Forest Service land in the Roosevelt National Forest.
Second, I have to confess that I forgot to take a camera. [...]
Off-Road Wheelchair
We’re going camping next week and decided to do something about creating an off-road wheelchair. Here’s the result:
This is my backup chair, a Quickie GPV. I replaced the existing 37-540 tires with Kenda 2″ knobbies (50-540). I figured out that it would be ok to mount them on the existing wheels by reading Sheldon Brown’s [...]
Access in paradise
I’m planning a Christmas trip to Hawaii. It is, of course, very late to be planning a Christmas trip to Hawaii. Here’s one set of email exchanges:
Date: Fri, June 15, 2007 5:48 PM
From: “Katja Stokley”
To: “Serene”
Subject: wheelchair accessible condos?
Aloha,
I notice on your website you mention wheelchair accessible grounds (http://www.xxxxxxxx.com/view.htm); are any of your condos accessible [...]
Stand-by, just like a regular person!
I had an exciting experience this week at ABQ (why yes, I do lead an otherwise a boring life …).
After a long, difficult 2 week business trip I was scheduled to take the United 7:06 flight from ABQ to DEN. I had slept very little the previous 2 days, and wound up at the airport [...]
So demanding,or, what I want in a hotel
I had gotten bored with the Courtyard. Only about 6 channels, of which 4 are some variation of ESPN. (I don’t have cable at home, so I get a kick out of watching the Sci-Fi channel when traveling.) Heavy doors. No fridge or microwave (although you can sometimes get a fridge if you ask nicely). [...]
Clueless in Newark
Continuing our New Jersey theme, here’s Damon’s account of Newark airport’s version of assistance for the visually impaired:
Interestingly my girlfriend, who is also visually impaired, was allowed to follow the man while he took me first to a toilet (where I jumped out of the chair and left him) then to the baggage collection area [...]
Finding a Way to Stay on the Go
Finding a Way to Stay on the Go
For employees facing a condition that affects their ability to travel, Professor Hoffman suggests approaching a manager or company representative with suggestions on how the injury or illness could be accommodated, like rescheduling a trip or booking a direct flight instead of one with a connection.
“The first step [...]
No aisle chair at the inn
Last month, I arrived in Denver on a flight and no aisle chair appeared. We waited. No aisle chair. The crew left, and the new crew came on. At first the new crew thought I was a pre-board who was going to be departing with them, and offered to make sure my wheelchair (”Is that [...]
New Jersey Citizen Action
Is anyone familiar with a lawsuit that NJ Citizen Action has filed against NJ Transit?
An able-bodied acquaintance of mine has recently had her eyes opened to the poor state of access in public transit. She is interested both in learnnig more and in helping improve things. Since she is specifically interested in how NJ Transit [...]
Musical hotel rooms
In Albuquerque, for a 10 day stay, I got a fairly decent accessible hotel room (212) that was unfortunately on the second floor. Unfortunate because the second floor had numerous meeting and banquet rooms as well as guest rooms. I was (theoretically) working the swing shift (2:00 pm to 10:00 pm), and after being woken [...]
Hooray for the Albuquerque Sunport
This is a shout out to whoever runs the Albuquerque Sunport (their cute name for the airport) rental car center shuttle bus services.
First, the buses run constantly. I’ve never had to wait for a bus.
Second, the entire fleet was recently replaced with kneeling buses with flip out ramps. (I thought the previous vehicles, which had [...]
TSA: Consistently inconsistent
The only thing consistent about the TSA is their inconsistency.
Toothpaste? I have (had) a 5.2 ounce tube of toothpaste with approximately 1 oz remaining - made it through 8 screenings, was confiscated last week.
Bags? I have a small purse-sized bag that clips under the wheelchair. Twice in the last couple of months I forgot to [...]
“The Wheelchair” and “The Uniform”
Christiane is in the process of moving to London, so she’s racking up lots of airtime. Here’s a translation of her post “Der Rollstuhl†und “die Uniformâ€:
Today at the gate in Hamburg.
Employee behind the counter to the contract helpers: “The wheelchair can board first.”
What I thought: “And the uniform stays in Hamburg.”
What I said (with [...]
Airport and rental car tips
We had family visit for Thanksgiving, including my mother-in-law, who uses a walker after several hip fractures. Her airport adventures with her daughters and their luggage prompt me to jot down a few thoughts.
Even if you don’t drive, if you are disabled, you should get a handicapped parking permit. Most jurisdictions allow you to have [...]
Random travel thoughts
Sorry I’ve been MIA for so long - lots of business travel, plus some personal side trips.
As those of you who travel by air now, the TSA circus is getting really ridiculous whether you’re able-bodied or not. Shoes off, computer out, liquid/gel baggie out, coat off. I also carry my wheelchair tools in a ziplock [...]
WCD vs TSA
Germany - Schloss Nymphenburg
Schloss Nymphenburg, built in the late 17th century, was the summer palace of the kings of Bavaria. It includes castles, pavilions, stables, and a huge 200 acre Baroque/English park. .
My aunt works for the Bayerische Schlösserverwaltung (elegantly in English the Bavarian Administration of State-owned Palaces, Gardens and Lakes) in the Restoration Center. Her workshop [...]
Germany - Planes, trains and automobiles
I’m back from a 10 day trip to Germany. No pictures yet, but I should have them in a couple of days.
I’ll start with transportation.
I flew United from Denver, via Dulles (once a totally fun airport, now a sad remnant of its former glorious self). I upgraded to Business class and thoroughly enjoyed it.
As is [...]
Return trip
Christiane has kindly allowed me to translate her blog entries about her recent trip to India.
Der Rückflug (Original German text)
Return trip
Before leaving, we tried to find out what additional security restrictions were in place due to the London incident. On the flight here, I took only carryon luggage (a backpack, a purse). I packed very [...]
Delhi
Christiane has kindly allowed me to translate her blog entries about her recent trip to India.
Delhi (Original German text) - be sure and check the original for the photos.
I didn’t have the time or the opportunity to blog from Delhi. The internet connection was bad and kept dropping. I’ve been back in Germany since this [...]
Hell Airways
Christiane has kindly allowed me to translate her blog entries about her recent trip to India.
Hell Airways (Original German text)
Hell Airways
What a day! What can you expect, when you’ve only had a few hours sleep and the day started at 5 am? But in the end everything was fine. My stomach may be telling me [...]
TSA Update for Travelers with Disabilities
TSA: Travelers with Disabilities and Medical Conditions
Due to enhanced security measures liquids, gels, lotions and other items of similar consistency will not be permitted in carry-on baggage. These types of items must be packed in your checked baggage.
To ensure the health and welfare of our air travelers with disabilities and medical conditions the following items [...]
No shoes
I’ve had a blinding flash of inspiration!
Like a lot of people, I switch shoes for thick socks on the airplane because my feet swell. It’s difficult to get my shoes on and off, both at the checkpoint and on the plane.
So why wear shoes at all? Propriety, I guess - well, and protecting my feet [...]
Bangalore
Christiane has kindly allowed me to translate her blog entries about her recent trip to India.
Bangalore (Original German text)
Bangalore
I don’t even know where to start. I’m overwhelmed by all the impressions I’ve had. Perhaps I’ll start chronologically. After the short night we went to the Microsoft Research Center, a very modern building with decorated in [...]
Welcome to India
Christiane has kindly allowed me to translate her blog entries about her recent trip to India.
Willkommen in India (Original German text)
Welcome to India
Okay, I’ve arrived. I’m in my hotel room and don’t know when I’ll be able to get this blog entry online. Everything here is terribly circuitous. Transportation. porters, checking in at the hotel, [...]
Miscellaneous
I haven’t been keeping up with all the good stuff out there recently.
Here’s an article from the LA Times about landscape architects learning to think about access:
Stopping at a recently built third-story bridge between two buildings, O’Brien pointed out that most of the structure incorporated wide, flat steps. The wheelchair ramp was off to the [...]
Christiane in India/Blogging meme
Christiane is writing some terrific dispatches from her India trip (in German) - if you read German, definitely check them out!
She has also tagged me with a meme.
Warum bloggst Du?/Why do you blog?
Probably first and foremost as a venting mechanism - it’s hard to find people who are willing to sit around and listen to [...]
German travel resources
I’m planning a trip to Germany in September - here are a few helpful websites I’ve come across recently:
ÖPNV-Info: Mobilitätsportal für behinderte Reisende
(German)
Deutsche Bahn - Mobility for the Disabled: Services for mobility-impaired customers. (English)
Hotel Reservation Service (English - choose Extended Search and then Facilities at hotel and in room, and you can specify a [...]
Employees, veterans laud Alaska Airlines’ support of Wheelchair Games
Employees, veterans laud Alaska Airlines’ support of Wheelchair Games
The Pentagon could learn a thing or two about transporting troops from the men and women of Alaska Airlines.
Last week, an army of employees across the system teamed up with the airline’s ground handling vendors to successfully move more than 260 veterans with disabilities—the equivalent of an [...]
Qantas’ turn
They’re getting riled up and uppity down under!
This is discrimination, Qantas told
THE champion wheelchair racer Louise Sauvage, once the smiling face in Qantas promotions, has turned bitter about what she says is the airline’s “discriminatory” approach to disabled passengers.
Qantas’s confirmation that it limits the number of wheelchairs on each flight comes only days after Virgin [...]
Virgin backs down on wheelchair policy
Excellent! I love a happy ending, don’t you?
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) says it is pleased that Virgin Blue has backed down on a policy change affecting disabled passengers.
The airline says wheelchair passengers will no longer have to travel with a carer at their own expense.
The commissioner responsible for disability discrimination, Graeme [...]
Paralympian takes legal action against Virgin Blue
A wheelchair-bound Paralympian is taking legal action against Virgin Blue over its policy on carrying disabled people.
Paul Nunnari says he was told by Virgin Blue staff that he would need to be accompanied by a carer at his own expense the next time he flies with the airline.
Virgin Blue says people who are not able [...]
Virgin Blue responds
Virgin Blue defends wheelchair policy:
Virgin Blue chief executive Brett Godfrey said the airline was not implementing a new policy for disabled passengers.
But he reaffirmed the airline’s policy that passengers unable to fit themselves with an oxygen mask or look after themselves on board should travel with carers.
…
Mr Godfrey said his staff would continue to assist [...]
More on Virgin Blue
Airline to wheelchair users: pay a carer
Paralympics medalist Paul Munnari, who has propelled himself thousands of kilometres, said airline staff had told him he would have to be accompanied by a carer.
The airline’s spokeswoman, Heather Jeffery, last night said the airline had produced a more detailed policy on special needs passengers or “guests”, to take [...]
More hotels
Christiane is also posting about hotel accessibility:
How Accessible is our Hotel?
I travel a great deal, and so I’ve been to a lot of hotels, all over the world. I know that “accessible hotel room” doesn’t necessarily mean accessible hotel room. Even though there’s a DIN for accessible construction, the devil is in the details.
At Podcastday [...]
Virgin Blue staff will not push wheelchairs
Virgin stands by wheelchair decision
Virgin Blue is defending its new policy on wheelchair passengers, saying it is necessary to protect airline staff from injuries.
From June 1, Virgin Blue staff will not be allowed to push wheelchairs, leaving passengers to operate mandatory airline wheelchairs themselves.
David Craig from Disability Rights Victoria says the policy is part of [...]
EU Policy: Rights of Disabled Persons … When Travelling by Air
Via Rolling Rains, the full English text of the newly ratified EU regulation.
Ratified but not yet published below is the English version of the EU regulations on travel and people with disabilities. The text will be signed June 14 and two weeks later.
The regulation will take effect two years after the publication in the official [...]
Hotels, et al
A lot of posting about hotels and what not going on:
Agent Fang on service versus access
Reality Check Woman on Coffee for Crips (I have to say that one of the great things about Albuquerque is the Starbucks drive-in on Gibson, just east of San Mateo - why don’t we have a Starbucks drive-in anywhere? This [...]
Mercedes-Benz museum
Neat! Time for a trip to Stuttgart:
The seven Legend rooms, which guide visitors through the history of the automobile and its times in chronological order, are linked by an around 80-metre long, smooth ramp. This is designed to be equally convenient for the handicapped, with numerous imperceptible transitions to level sections so that wheelchair users [...]
Airline Special Service Request (SSR) Codes
5.2.2.1 In order better to adapt services supplied to the needs of PRMs, Member States should encourage airlines, airport authorities and travel agents to use a common definition of different categories of persons needing special assistance. To that end, Member States should refer to the following classification and codification:
1) MEDA Passenger whose mobility is impaired, [...]
This week’s fun
I was in Albuquerque this week. Here’s some random stuff that happened:
Called the hotel Sunday to make sure I had an accessible room. No, I was advised brightly, but I had been booked into a *suite*! I was clearly supposed to be excited about this, but I figured that being able to take a shower [...]
Look out, LA
Lisy Babe is in town. Or maybe she’s already out of town, seeing how behind I am on my blog reading, but it’s an event worth noting anyway.
Dear Duesseldorf Airport
Duesseldorf Airport apparently doesn’t get it. Read Christiane’s In Pantoffeln zum Gepäckband (in German). A translation is below.
Dear organizational geniuses of Duesseldorf airport:
Imagine an airport where passengers are required give up their shoes at check in, and wear slippers to their gates. Additionally imagine, that the slippers are one size fits all, everyone must shuffle [...]
Second Class Crip
Thanks to my on-going remission (hooray!), I flew last week with only crutches, no wheelchair, and discovered that this made me a second class crip.
Mistake #1: not getting an airport wheelchair. Despite my abhorrence of being pushed, it would have saved a lot of walking and standing around wear and tear.
Mistake #2: not insisting on [...]