TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Travel

Personal Story: Arriving in the City That Never Sleeps Without My Legs

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When fashionista Madison Wilson arrived in New York City for Fashion Week, her wheelchair never made it off her departing flight and got left across the country. So, she had essentially arrived in the city that never sleeps while American Airlines left her legs in Chicago. When her wheelchair finally arrived in NYC five days later, it was broken and continued to become increasingly broken on the flight back home…READ MORE

OUR TAKE: Making connections with real people with real disabilities is the path to understanding them and the challenges they may face while traveling. At TravelAbility Summit, we take this idea seriously and our board, our content and our plans for our upcoming Summit all include the voices and experiences of people with disabilities. Use the links here to learn more about our Summit speakers and the Advisory Board instrumental in helping is to find such top-notch expertise.

photo credit: Madison Wilson

 

Surprising Tips for Traveling with a Chronic Illness From 18 People Who Do It Often

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Going on vacation, or even getting out of town on business, can be a necessary break from everyday life. But traveling to and from a destination and dealing with unexpected changes can be stressful. Flight delays, missed connections, lost luggage, and hotel reservation issues can all put a huge damper on a trip. For people who live with chronic illness, traveling means having to worry about these common issues on top of issues like inaccessibility, ableism, and health risks. The phrase, ‘I need a vacation from my vacation’ is very true”, writes the author of this very helpful Bustle.com story.
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OUR TAKE: Many companies are trying their hardest to launch effective tools that will help travelers to know ahead of time what to expect and what to request in advance of their stay. Among them is Airbnb, which this summer released new guidelines that require hosts to list clearer information about the accommodations they are able to provide, and photos of their listing’s “accessibility features.” Many hotels will make lists of restaurants and places to eat for people who have serious food allergies that restrict their diet. Although airlines don’t have the best record with passengers with disabilities (particularly when it comes to keeping wheelchairs from getting damaged), certain airlines will give you the first row (after first class) to sit in. But travelers need to be reminded to check the box that says they require assistance when purchasing a ticket. Much of the concerns and many of the challenges can be overcome by planning ahead. As for business owners in  the hospitality industry, this piece is a good reminder to have (or update) information on facilities, pharmacies, emergency clinics, restaurants and rentals that may be of help to people with chronic illnesses.

Why Are Airplane Bathrooms So Crappy?

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 “Nobody boy in wheelchair with someone pushing him. A travel blanket on his laplikes talking about using the bathroom, except maybe my two adolescent sons. But for wheelchair users planning trips involving flights, the ability (or lack thereof) to use an airplane bathroom (a.k.a. lavatory) can make or break their travel plans. While this post is intended for wheelchair users who haven’t flown yet as such, I consider myself a very seasoned traveler and I definitely learned something,” writes Spin the Globe’s Sylvia Longmire. Read Longmire’s expert guide to airplane bathrooms to help you determine how they fit (or don’t fit) into your travel plans.

OUR TAKE: As with most things travel-related, preparation and some research are required fo the best results. You can request an onboard aisle chair, making it easier to navigate once inside the plane. Southwest and JetBlue have made it part of their standard protocol to have them. If you are flying on a domestic flight, contact an airline within 48 hours of your flight to request one. According to the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), the airline is required by law to provide one.     READ MORE

Some Airlines Are Still Damaging Wheelchairs at Ridiculously High Rate

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Senator Duckworth in a wheelchair at a. Democratic eventFirst, the good news: Since U.S. airlines began tracking and reporting the number of wheelchairs/mobility scooters damaged in December of 2018, there’s a clear improvement! But there’s still a lot of room for improvement. At TravelAbility Insider, we’ve been tracking the numbers and, in honor of the law’s most outspoken and effective advocate, Senator Tammy Duckworth, we’ve named it The Duckworth Wheelchair Damage Report. Here’s the short story:

American   7.2% to 4.68%
Frontier      5.31% to 2.31%
Jet Blue     4.01% to  1.39%
Southwest 6.46% to 1.28%

 

The Duckworth Wheelchair Damage Report

 

 

 

People With Disabilities Want to Make Over the Travel Industry

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beard welcoming a woman to a boutique hotel she is smiling.The travel industry need not be afraid of the seemingly high cost or complicated business of accessibility, according to a recent piece in Forbes. Progress with accessibility can be achieved one tiny step at a time by asking visitors with a disability what can be done to make their experience more enjoyable.  Sometimes it’s a simple, but obvious service request that costs nothing like having check-in staff come out from behind the counter to onboard someone in a wheelchair, or it might be an inexpensive product or app that can fill the gap between legal compliance and pleasurable experiences.. 

OUR TAKE: Just like everyone else, the disability community wants to be heard. Listening to their needs conveys respect and eventually can result in incremental changes. In aggregate, these small changes will, over time, position hotels and attractions as ready to welcome the estimated 30% of the population who will have a disability in their lifetime. It’s not just the right thing to do, it’s the right business move to make now. 

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