Barrier Free Travels

The much awaited exhibition, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs, opens at San Francisco's de Young museum tomorrow. Charles and I had the opportunity to attend the press preview earlier this week, and it's a great exhibition.

In celebration of the release of my newest title, Barrier Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, I'm having a Twitter giveaway for some autographed copies of the book.

No matter how sarcastic you are, there are just certain words and phrases that you shouldn't use at airport security checkpoints. At the top of the list is the b-word. And by the b-word, I don't mean the word for a female dog or for a snarky woman that you just don't like. I mean bomb.

As the summer travel season revs up, more and more people will be hitting the road -- and the airports, and the hotels and the trains. And although it's frustrating when things go wrong, with the increased travel traffic, there are bound to be a few access glitches along the way. From flight delays to lost hotel reservations, anything is possible.

But don't let that discourage you from getting out there and enjoying life. Although there are bound to be a few hiccups in your trip; remember, the best way to resolve those problems is by keeping your cool. With that in mind, here are a few tips to help you get the accessible services you need when things go awry.

It's sad that it has to come to this, but California  Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, is proposing to close 80% of California's state parks in order to balance our budget. That translates in to 220 state park closures that would net a $143 million savings for the state. I know it sounds like a lot, but really it's just a drop in the bucket.

By now, most of you know there have been big changes in the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) this month. Suffice it to say it was time. Things have evolved over the 23 years since the ACAA was first adopted, so the law needed to be changed accordingly.

One of the major ACAA changes affects people who use Portable Oxygen Concentrators (POCs). As of May 13, 2009 all US carriers must accept any FAA-approved POC aboard their aircraft. This new rule also applies to foreign air carriers, on flights arriving or departing the US.

Sometimes it's rough to travel with kids. Throw a disability into the picture and the situation is greatly magnified. Joseph Ottenbreit certainly knows that.  His daughter, Avery, has cerebral palsy, and she lacks the trunk support necessary to sit upright in an airplane seat. And at 73 pounds Avery well exceeds the weight limit for using the only device that made air travel a reality for her -- the FAA-approved CARES child harness.

So Avery was effectively grounded.