On Tuesday May 10, 2022 the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis (https://www.childrensmuseum.org/) will present their first Extended Hours Event for disabled visitors. It will run from 4 pm to 7 pm, and admission will be capped so there will be plenty of room to roll around and enjoy the wide open spaces. Admission is just $6 per person and the following exhibits will be open for the event. Continue reading
Celebrate National Junior Ranger Day!
The roots of the National Park Service Junior Ranger Program date back to the 1930s, when Yosemite National Park launched their Junior Naturalist Program. That program ran until 1954, during which time other national parks launched programs for young visitors. Over the years these programs evolved and a national standard for the Junior Ranger Program was created in 2005. In 2007 the National Park Service celebrated the first National Junior Ranger Day. Continue reading
NYC MTA Announces More ADA Upgrades
New York City’s MTA recently announced a full slate of access upgrades to three Harlem Metro-Railroad Stations and three Queens Long Island Railroad Stations. These upgrades will include the addition of street and platform elevators, accessible sidewalks, accessible parking and curb-cuts.
DOT Seeks Public Comment on Accessible Airline Lavatories
In an ongoing effort to make air travel more accessible, the Department of Transportation (DOT) is seeking public comments on Part 2 of the proposed rule to require accessible lavatories on certain single aisle commercial aircraft. Continue reading
DOT Forum to Address Accessible Air Travel
In an effort to make accessible air travel a better experience for wheelchair-users and slow walkers, the Department of Transportation (DOT) will hold a public meeting, to get input on accessible air travel from both the airlines and consumers. Continue reading
New NHTSA Rules Increases Access in Rental Cars
Even with advance notice, sometimes it’s hard to find a rental car that suits your needs. Unfortunately hand controls can only be installed on certain models, and until today that selection was pretty limited. To be fair, that’s not the fault of the car rental agencies, because they have to follow the safety rules issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Continue reading
Yosemite National Park Continues Reservation System in 2022
Yosemite Falls
Yosemite will once again require visitors to have day-use reservations to enter the park between May 20, 2022 and September 30, 2022.
Visitors who have camping or lodging reservations will not be required to have day-use reservations. Continue reading
Amtrak Disability Settlement Paid
Amtrak recently paid out over $2 million to some 1,500 disabled travelers, under the terms of a settlement agreement reached with the Department of Justice on December 2, 2020. This agreement was reached after Amtrak failed to make its existing stations accessible to passengers with disabilities.
Says Assistant Attorney Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department, “As a result of the Justice Department’s efforts, more than 1,500 people with disabilities harmed by Amtrak’s inaccessible rail stations are receiving compensation for the discrimination they experienced.”
That’s not the end of the story though. Although compensation is great, the root problem still needs to be fixed. To that end, in the next nine years Amtrak is required to make at least 135 of their stations accessible. Amtrak will also provide training to staff on the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) requirements, and implement an improved system for handling ADA complaints.
And it appears that they are moving forward with a new focus on accessibility, as Amtrak recently established the Office of the Vice President of Stations, Properties & Accessibility.
Rail travel is about to get more accessible. Finally.
Yosemite Institutes Early Access Lottery for North Pines Campground
The National Park Service recently announced that it will open up an early access lottery pilot program for North Pines Campground in Yosemite National Park. The lottery will apply to reservations from July 21 to August 14. The regular reservation period for these dates opens on March 15, 2022; however winners of the early access lottery will be able to make reservations from February 18 to March 10, prior to the general reservation period. Continue reading
Another Disney Disabled Scam
Last month Shanghai police busted a group of folks who started a travel business of sorts. Not unlike Manhattan-based Dream Tours, this “tour operator” specialized in escorting folks to Shanghai Disneyland, and offered them front of the line privileges. How were they able to do that at this popular — and crowded — theme park? Well, they basically posed as disabled guests. Continue reading