^TM

TRAVEL FOR THE PHYSICALLY� DISABLED

What you, your family and caregivers need to know

by Barbara Ballard

Stats Canada says 4 million people in Canada are physically disabled. Traveling for the disabled, their families and caregivers is a challenge�, said Frank Jonasen, Director of the Office for Disability Issues in British Columbia, and a member of the National Advisory Committee for Accessible Transportation. He knows whereof he speaks. He spends life in a wheelchair, and, because of his work, does a lot of traveling. �Most people�, he said, �come to such a position knowing nothing about handicapped traveling. Through illness or accident they find themselves or a family member suddenly handicapped.� The frustrations of dealing with this clearly show in his words.

Although the Canadian Human Rights Act deals with access issues for the disabled, Jonasen said it�s the disabled themselves who have to deal with the problems that arise when they travel. He cites an example or two. �Airports often require you to arrive an hour in advance of other travelers and to board the plane first, because you may have to be transferred to your seat via a lift. Unless you�ve been given a seat with a lift-up armrest, this is impossible.�

At the end of the flight you may need to be brought off the plane by lift, so booking lots of times between planes becomes essential. He said that broken wheelchairs and electric scooters are the norm, not the rarity, citing one individual he knows that watched three new scooters being dropped from the plane to the ground. �It�s an issue you have deal with then and there, and it can be a frustrating time getting a wheelchair repaired at an airport before you carry on with your journey.�

Many airplane configurations still do not allow for washroom use or there may be no aisle-navigable wheelchair on the plane. Because of this, eating and drinking become a �no-no'� for the disabled traveler.

Once off the plane, transportation to a hotel is another challenge. Handicapped accessible transportation is not always available, and must usually be arranged beforehand. Jonasen remembers one trip to Montreal where he was eventually picked up by a 1964 school bus and charged $60 to be taken to his hotel room. Once there, according to Jonasen the reserved disabled room may have evaporated. He said, �There are no guarantees.� A hotel�s view of an accessible room is different from that of the handicapped person themselves. He gave examples of shower wands or towels too high for a wheelchair bound person to reach, no way to get from a wheelchair into a tub, no bedside phone and heavy springs on doors. Jonasen lauds the U.S. chain, Super 8, as being one he can always count on.

Whether traveling on business or pleasure, what can you do to make your own or a family member�s travel smoother and more trouble free? There are some ways.

First, before you go, make a checklist to identify your needs. Then search for travel providers and agents who know about and can accommodate those needs. Contact them and confirm arrangements (in writing, if possible). Check and double-check everything.

Here are some things to think about:

--Is an onboard wheelchair provided?

--Do you need a seat with a moveable armrest? Request special seating, if required. You may need extra space to store a walker or crutches. If the seat you need is already assigned, you may, by law, request its reassignment to you.

--Make arrangements ahead of time to have your wheelchair checked as priority baggage.

--Do you need room on the plane to store a walker?

--Is help with check-in available?

--What ground transport is available to and from the airport?

--Do you have to change planes enroute? If so, what ground transport is available between airline gates or terminals? Heathrow Airport uses between-terminal buses that are not suitable for the handicapped.

--Where is special parking for handicapped located? Maps of terminals can be obtained ahead of time from the airport, a travel agent or from the Internet. Two easy sites to navigate are http://gallery.uunet.be/internetpress/airport.htm and www.e-airports.com/.� Or try www.airwise.com/. All have detailed maps of all major and some smaller world airports. They show where disabled facilities are located. Special needs for non-walking, deaf and hard of hearing are also delineated. For instance, non-walking shows where special ambulift is located and that wheelchair and electric buggies are provided. Disabled parking facilities, phones, and washrooms are shown on these maps.

Once on board, it�s important to know that airlines do not generally provide services to help with eating, drinking, taking medication or help inside a washroom.

If you have a medical attendant, reduced fare may be provided for them, but medical documents are needed as proof when booking your flight. Check into airlines that offer permanent medical cards (called a FREMEC). You are not required to pay extra for any disabled services. However, hookup for a respirator and stretcher travel are not services airlines must provide. Don�t take anything for granted.

For international travel, service dogs require a health certificate and proof of vaccination. Some countries and cruise ships do not allow service dogs. Britain is one of those countries, but there are plans in the works to change their law. And, in spite of The Canadian Human Rights Act amendment in 1998 that requires service providers to accommodate special needs and service dogs, there is discrimination out there. Jonasen remembers many times being passed up by taxis and other public transit because he was in a wheelchair.

Second, after arrival, check your wheelchair or electric cart before you leave the airport. Airlines are responsible for their repair, but you must deal with any problems at the airport on arrival.

Lastly, there�s lots of help on the Internet for the physically disabled traveler. Here are some resource rich web sites.

... Access Able Travel Source at www.access-able.com lists various travel resources.

... www.beyond-ability.com/ provides information on accessible destinations, transportation, tourism providers and government resources.

...The Able Informer, an international resource newsletter for the disabled, has a travel section. See it at www.sasquatch.com/ableinfo/.

... Global Access is a network for disabled travelers. Reach it at www.geocities.com/Paris/1502?. It includes articles by disabled travelers, tips and resources.

... www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/travel.htm has categories on travel planning, destinations, air travel, transportation and lists of guide books for the disabled traveler.

... www.projectaction.org/paweb/index.htm has a Project Action Traveler�s Database that provides information on accessible public services for cities in the US.�

http://www.ala.ca is the site of The Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability, providing a directory of outdoors recreational opportunities organized by province.

It is possible, with lots of pre-planning and knowledge, for disabled travelers to enjoy a holiday or take a business trip. But, like the Boy Scouts, their motto needs to be �Be Prepared.�

�2000 by Barbara Ballard. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from the author is prohibited.

Back to TravelLady Magazine