Showing posts with label Disability Travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Disability Travel. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

TED on Tuesday: Deep Sea Diving…in a Wheelchair

Image courtesy Sue Austin website...

Multimedia, performance and installation artist Sue Austin challenges our notions of what disability is. Sue is the founder and artistic director of Freewheeling, an initiative aiming to further the genre of Disability Arts.

Sue states: "My studio practice has, for sometime, centred around finding ways to understand and represent my embodied experience as a wheelchair user, opening up profound issues about methods of self-representation and the power of self-narration in challenging the nexus of power and control that created the ‘disabled’ as other."

When Sue got a powered wheelchair more than sixteen years ago, she felt a tremendous sense of freedom. However, others looked at her as though she had lost something precious―her ability to walk and move about freely. On the other hand, for Sue Austin, the power chair gave her precisely that ability. By adding modifications and additions to her chair, Sue is able to create art, and just as importantly, travel and explore the world in ways that almost defy the imagination.

This talk, filmed at TEDxWomen 2012 includes stunning footage of Sue as she dons an oxygen tank and breathing apparatus, and turns her powered wheelchair into an underwater vessel that propels her across vast ocean floors, and amongst schools of multi-coloured fish. In doing so, Sue Austin reshapes how we think about disability, and proves once again, that where there is a will, there is always a way.


More Information
Freewheeling...

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

12 Tips for Navigating Airport Security

~ 12 Tips for Navigating Airport Security


With the holiday season upon us, travellers are once again converging on airports en masse. During this time of year, crowds and long lines are the norm, and getting through security can seem like the ultimate challenge. Add a cane, walker, crutches or a wheelchair to that equation and the degree of difficulty increases tenfold. So what’s a disabled traveler to do?


“The best way to make your trip more comfortable is to learn your rights, so you know what to expect when you get to the airport,” says Candy Harrington, author of 101 Accessible Vacations; Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers. “In fact,” adds Candy, “with a little education and some advance planning, you can have a relatively comfortable and stress-free security screening experience.”


With that in mind, Harrington suggests you remember the following points as you approach the security screening checkpoint.


  • Allow plenty of extra time to get through security, especially if you wear a prosthesis or use any type of assistive device.
  • If you can’t walk or go through the metal detector, tell the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent. You will be hand-wanded and given a pat-down search.
  • If you tire easily or can’t stand for long periods of time, request a chair during the screening process.
  • Slow walkers should request a wheelchair at check-in. This will expedite the screening process as wheelchair-users are usually fast-tracked through security.
  • Canes and walkers are allowed through security checkpoints, but they will be inspected thoroughly by security personnel.
  • Prosthetic devices do not have to be removed for screening; however the screener will manually inspect the device and swab it for explosive residue.
  • You have the right to a private screening and to have a companion present during that screening.
  • You are not required to remove your shoes if your disability prevents you from doing so. You will however be subject to a pat-down search and your shoes will be swabbed.
  • Liquid medications are allowed through the security checkpoint; however if they are in volumes larger than 3 ounces each, they may not be placed in the quart-size bag and must be declared to the TSA agent before the screening process begins. They must be removed from your luggage and kept separate from items to be x-rayed.
  • Sharp objects or anything that could be used as a weapon will be confiscated at the security checkpoint, so pack your wheelchair-repair tools in your checked luggage.
  • Syringes are allowed through the security checkpoint upon inspection. Although not required, it’s best to bring a doctor’s note when carrying syringes in an airport.
  • If you encounter any problems, ask to speak to a supervisor or call the TSA Contact Center at (866) 289-9673.

In the end, patience is really the key for dealing with airport security; however, if you feel your needs as a passenger with a disability are not being adequately addressed, don’t be afraid to speak up.


101 Accessible Vacations; Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers is published by Demos Publishing and is available from your favourite bookstore or at www.101AccessibleVacations.com. Visit Candy Harrington’s Barrier Free Travels blog at www.BarrierFreeTravels.com for more helpful access tips, travel news and information for disabled travellers.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Disabled Travellers and Flying

This is the second in an ongoing series of articles by Candy Harrington, examining travel issues as they relate to people with disabilities, particularly in the United States. If you haven’t done so, you may also like to read, Debunking Myths About Accessible Travel.

According to a 2005 study by the Open Doors Organization of Chicago, 84% of disabled travellers said they encountered obstacles when flying; while 82% reported access problems at airports.


Candy Harrington, author of Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, agrees that disabled travellers run into a lot of problems in the air. “I get a fair amount of reader feedback,” says Harrington, “and most of the complaints focus on air travel. Access problems range from deplaning delays and subsequent missed connections, to access obstacles in foreign airports and even cases of denied boarding for disabled passengers.”


For over 20 years, the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) has been he law of the land as far as accessible air travel is concerned; and thanks to periodic updates it has evolved to serve the needs of disabled travellers. The most recent revisions (effective May 13, 2009) serve to strengthen the law even more and offer greater protection to disabled travellers. Harrington points out some of these important changes, which will drastically improve the quality of the air travel experience for disabled travellers.


  • The updated law legally extends coverage of the ACAA to all commercial flights to and from the US, including those operated by foreign air carriers. This means that foreign air carriers can no longer deny boarding to disabled passengers on flights to or from the US.
  • Foreign airlines operating flights to or from the US must also ensure that disabled passengers can move through the terminal facilities at foreign airports.
  • The law was edited to require the “prompt” deplaning of disabled passengers. The Department of Transportation (DOT) further defined prompt as “no later than as soon as the other passengers have deplaned.” This means that disabled passengers will no longer be left on planes well after the flight crew has departed.
  • Employees or contractors providing airport wheelchair assistance are now required to make a brief restroom stop (upon request) if the restroom is located along the path of travel to the gate.
  • The law also requires airlines to allow the on-board use of all FAA-approved portable oxygen concentrators, ventilators, respirators and CPAP machines. The DOT placed the burden of testing these devices on the manufacturers, not the airlines.
  • The updated law specifies the dimensions of the on-board wheelchair storage space as being 13 inches by 36 inches by 42 inches. This eliminates ambiguity and will help passengers determine if their assistive device will fit in the limited priority storage area.
  • If a service animal is unable to fit comfortably at the assigned seat location, the airline must now offer the passenger the opportunity to move to any open seat in the same class, that can safely accommodate the animal.
  • Airline personnel are now required to assist disabled passengers at inaccessible ticket kiosks.
  • Finally, although the new law stopped short of requiring airline websites to be accessible, it requires airlines to offer disabled passengers web-only fares that appear on inaccessible websites, by phone or another accessible reservation method.

Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, is available from your favourite bookstore or at www.BarrierFreeTravel.net, where Candy also blogs regularly about accessible travel issues.


Image courtesy of Disability Information Website...

Friday, July 3, 2009

Debunking Myths About Accessible Travel

~ Expert Debunks Myths About Accessible Travel

By Candy Harrington


With the evolution of the internet, information is just a few mouse clicks away. That includes information about accessible travel. An although the internet is a great tool for disabled travellers, there’s also a lot of misinformation circulating on-line. And that can be a very dangerous thing.


Says Candy Harrington, author of Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, “I get a lot of mail from readers who have relied on misinformation they found on-line. When all was said and done, they later discovered it was just someone’s incorrect interpretation of the law. For example, wheelchair-users don’t get automatic upgrades to first-class, nor are they always entitled to bulkhead seating on airplanes.”


In the end, just because someone types it, doesn’t mean it’s true. With that in mind, here are some examples of accessible travel misinformation that Candy recently spotted on-line.


Myth: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the law that covers air travel for disabled passengers.

Fact: The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which actually predates the ADA, covers airline and aircraft accessibility. The ADA does not.


Myth: Companions of disabled passengers are entitled to free flights under the ACAA.

Fact: Airline personnel can require a passenger to travel with a “safety assistant” if they feel the passenger cannot adequately assist with his or her own emergency evacuation. The cabin crew however, usually designates another paying passenger or an off-duty crew member to act in this capacity.


Myth: Wheelchair-users are guaranteed bulkhead seating on airplanes.

Fact: Under the ACAA, people with a fused leg and those who travel with a service animal are the only passengers guaranteed bulkhead seating.


Myth: You don’t need to make advance arrangements for accessible rooms.

Fact: Truthfully you don’t need to make reservations for any hotel room; however that doesn’t mean you will have a room when you arrive. The same goes for accessible rooms. The only way to ensure your room will have the access features you need, is to make an advance reservation. In practice, only a small portion of hotel rooms have access features.


Myth: Making a reservation at a property assures you that the accessible room will be there when you arrive, because you have guaranteed it with your credit card.

Fact: Guaranteeing a room with your credit card only locks you in on a specific rate. Blocking a room sets aside a specific room for a specific guest on a specific date. All accessible rooms need to be blocked.


Myth: All accessible guest rooms have roll-in showers.

Fact: In the US, only hotels with over 50 rooms are required to have accessible guest rooms with roll-in showers. Those with under 50 rooms are merely required to have tub/shower combinations with grab bars.


Myth: All hotels have to have shuttles that are wheelchair-accessible.

Fact: If a hotel provides free airport transfers, they must also provide accessible transfers at no charge. They don’t have to own their own accessible vehicle though. They can contract out the service, but they cannot charge extra for it.


Myth: Cruise ships have to be accessible under the ADA.

Fact: Even though the Supreme Court ruled that the ADA applies to foreign-flagged cruise ships that call on US ports, we still don’t have any specific access guidelines for them. Those are being sorted out by the US Access Board and the Department of Transportation (DOT). For now, all the access modifications the cruise lines have made, have been completely voluntary.


Myth: The ship-sponsored shore excursions on most cruises are usually accessible.

Fact: In order to take most ship-sponsored shore excursions you have to be able to walk a few steps and climb up into a bus. Most of the ship-sponsored tours do not include accessible transportation. The exception is in Alaska, but you have to specifically request an adapted vehicle there, even on tours that are designated as “accessible”.


Myth: Theme parks let wheelchair-users go to the front of the line so they don’t have to wait.

Fact: In some cases, disabled guests are allowed to access certain attractions through the exit, because it’s more accessible. The newer rides and attractions are being built with accessible entrances, so this alternative access is no longer required. This accommodation was never meant as a line-cutting privilege, as everyone has to wait at theme parks. The goal is to have all guests access the attractions through one integrated (and accessible) entrance.


Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, is available from your favourite bookstore or at www.BarrierFreeTravel.net. Candy Harrington also blogs regularly about accessible travel issues at www.BarrierFreeTravels.com.


Image courtesy of Global Access News…

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