Ian Smith had an unfortunate end to his Fiji cruise last month, when Jetstar refused to let him travel back to his home in New South Wales from Melbourne. And although Smith is a wheelchair-user, that wasn’t the reason for the denied boarding.
O’Hare Airport Boasts New Ultra Accessible Restroom
Accessible restroom sign
Chicago’s O’Hare airport has been getting some bad press lately, with the recent United wheelchair incident; however there’s also some good access news coming out of the Windy City’s popular airport. Continue reading
New Grand Canyon Access Resource Now Available
Just in time for the 100th birthday of Grand Canyon National Park, I’ve released my newest accessible travel title — Barrier-Free Travel; The Grand Canyon for Wheelers and Slow Walkers (www.barrierfreegrandcanyon.com). Not only does this helpful resource include Grand Canyon access information for wheelchair-users and slow walkers, but it also features a comprehensive access guide to Arizona’s Interstate 40 and Route 66.
Hong Kong Airlines Denies Passage to Solo Wheelchair Passenger
Early this month Hong Kong Airlines denied passage to a wheelchair-user who was traveling alone. Twenty-two year old Shen Chengqing was scheduled to travel from Hong Kong to Tianjin, but airport staff refused to check her in when they discovered she was traveling solo. According to Chengqing, she notified the reservation agent that she used a wheelchair when she bought her ticket.
So what happened? Continue reading
E-Scooter Companies Called to Task for Alleged ADA Violation
Bird Scooters
E-scooters are all the rage these day. These compact electric scooters are popping up all over it seems; and startup companies like Bird, Lime and Razor now offer affordable rentals through shared ride smart phone apps. It sounds like a win-win proposition, doesn’t it?
Well, not exactly. Continue reading
Wheelchair-User Forced to Crawl off United Flight
I absolutely hate writing posts like this, mostly because in this day and age things like this just shouldn’t happen. The Air Carrier Access Act was passed in 1986, yet I continue to get reports of gross access failures of US airlines. Continue reading
ADA Super Bowl Tickets
Every year around this time I’m inundated with questions about how to get ADA tickets to the Super Bowl. To be honest, it’s basically the luck of the draw; and to understand this, you have to understand how Super Bowl tickets are allocated. Continue reading
Yosemite National Park Closure Update
As the government shutdown enters the second week, the national parks that have remained open are starting to suffer the consequences of limited staffing. Yosemite is no exception, and as a result park officials recently announced more closures and restrictions in the park. Continue reading
Oregon State Parks Seek to Improve Access
In an effort to make Oregon state parks more accessible, the Oregon State Parks Foundation (OSPF) recently invited 10 people with a spinal cord injry on a camping trip. But it wasn’t your ordinary camping trip — it was more of a research project. The goal was to identify the barriers that people with disabilities face in the state parks, and to ultimately remove those barriers.
What a great idea!
Cyber Monday Deals on Accessible National Park Lodges
Lake Yellowstone Hotel
If a national park visit is in your future, than check out these Cyber Monday deals at Xanterra properties. Although these deals can only be booked on Monday November 26, 2018, you can preview the savings at www.xanterra.com/cybermonday.