Barrier Free Travels

As I was doing some research for an Emerging Horizons article, I made a rather troubling discovery on the Delta Airlines website. I was doing a follow-up article on airlines that now accept approved portable oxygen concentrators (POCs) aboard their flights and I was fact checking my information on Delta’s policies. Although Delta has many of the same rules that other carriers do (which are actually mandated by the FAA for safety reasons) they also have an additional requirement.

Delta requires that POC passengers complete a medical screening process administered by the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, prior to approval to travel (which I’m kind of OK with). Delta also charges a $25 non-refundable medical screening fee for this service. That’s the part that really bothers me.

I understand that nothing is free in life and that Delta does have to pay for this medical screening, but in my mind it just sounds like they are charging disabled customers more. Well, they are, $25 more to be exact. In fact, I don’t find this policy any different from Ryanair’s former policy of charging some wheelchair-users for airport wheelchair assistance. I say "former" because British courts found it to be illegal.

So why is it legal in the US, where we supposedly have stricter access laws? Or maybe it isn’t? After all it wouldn’t be the first time an airline tried to slip in some illegeal surcharges to an unsuspecting public.

Perhaps it’s time that we speak up on this issue. If Delta can get away with this, then what’s to stop another airline for charging for the use of the aisle chair?

Food for thought.

A friend just sent me an e-mail about some folks in Northern California that provide accessible horse-drawn carriage rides on some parcels of heritage trust land. The founder of this organization (Access Adventures) is the great grandson of John Muir. He also happens to have MS, but he credits his "working with horses" to keeping him strong.

Anyway, when you have a name like "Muir" it opens a few doors, so he managed to get access to the land in the Muir Heritage Land Trust and the Solano Land Trust. And that’s where he conducts these carriage rides. (also called wagon rides in some of the literature).

Apparently this year he is introducing two accessible carriages to his fleet -- well actually a carriage and a trolley. The carriage will be able to accommodate two wheelchair-users and it will have a lift with a capacity of 500 pounds. The trolley will be able to carry up to twelve people, including five wheelchair-users. I’m picturing something like they have up in Stanley Park in Vancouver (which is great).

Unfortunately I don’t have a lot of information about the programs this organization provides. Specifically I don’t know how much they cost and if they are available to individuals or only to groups. They are holding an open house next weekend to show off their new accessible carriages, so I may pop on up there (schedule permitting).

I’ll keep you updated.

Well I just got a note from my publisher, with some great news. Barrier-Free Travel is a finalist for a 2006 Benjamin Franklin award in the travel book category. These awards are presented annually by the Publishers Marketing Association and at the risk of sounding too cliché, I’m honored to have made the finals.

Even better, one of the other titles that made the final three is about accessible travel. That’s right, PassPorter's Walt Disney World for Your Special Needs, by Deb Wills and Debra Martin Koma is also a finalist in the travel book category. Now remember this is a very mainstream publishers organization -- it’s not disability focused at all. So, to have two finalists in the same category about accessible travel, just goes to illustrate how popular the subject really is.

Anyway, I think it’s not only great news for me (and Deb and Debra) but also great news for the disability community in general. Accessible travel is moving out of the shadows and into the limelight.

The winners will be announced on May 17 at an awards ceremony in Washington DC. Keep your fingers crossed for BFT.

I also have to add that I have reviewed Deb & Debra’s book for Emerging Horizons and for my column on accessible travel, and I think it’s a great resource. If a trip to Disney World is in your future, make sure and pick up a copy.

Truthfully, I’d be happy if either one of the accessible travel titles won!

As I’m going through my notes on Boise here, I’m reminded of an excellent war museum I had the opportunity to visit -- the Warhawk Air Museum. Located in a hangar at the Nampa Airport, I expected to find warbirds there. And I did and they were very impressive.

What I didn’t expect to find was such an interesting collection of wartime memorabilia. From uniforms and photos to equipment, collections and even trench art; this unique museum gives visitors insight about life on the homefront as well as the battlefield.

While I was there I had a chance to talk to the executive director about donating my father’s WWII army uniform to the museum. I wanted to make sure it went someplace where it would be displayed, not just merely stashed away in a closet or sold. I was quite impressed when she said she’d love to have it, but she also wanted a photo of my dad and a little blurb about his military life to display with the uniform. After all, she said, "This museum is about people." And you know, after she said that I looked around, and she was right. This museum really is about people.

Anyway, if you have an interest in American military history, this is the place for you. I’m also happy to report that the museum is very accessible, with lots of accessible parking, level access to the building and plenty of room to roll around in the hangar.

OK, now I have to get to work on my dad’s military bio. After all, I am a writer!

I just got a note from the folks at Southmoreland on the Plaza in Kansas City (Missouri), telling me about their new "barbecue for breakfast" offering. This unique twist on the traditional B&B fare is only available to overnight guests, and it runs through October 14, 2006.

Each Saturday morning, guests can enjoy a leisurely barbecue breakfast on the courtyard deck, with grilled favorites ranging from molasses-brined pork chops to French toast stuffed with grilled peaches. "Our barbecue breakfast reinforces visitors' appreciation for Kansas City's traditional barbecue meal," explains Southmoreland on the Plaza innkeeper Nancy Miller Reichle.

I first discovered Southmoreland on the Plaza while I was researching There is Room at the Inn (which will be out next month). It’s one of two Kansas City properties that I included in the book. Nestled on a quiet street just a block from Kansas City's fashionable Country Club Plaza district, Southmoreland on the Plaza offers guests the best of best of both worlds as it combines New England charm with Midwestern hospitality.

And even though Southmoreland on the Plaza only has 12 guest rooms, one of them is wheelchair accessible. The first-floor August Meyer Room is decorated with Civil War-era furnishings and can be configured with either two twin beds or one king-size bed. Access features include wide doorways and adequate pathway access. The bathroom has a tub/shower combination and grab bars in the shower and around the toilet. A portable shower bench is also available.

All in all, it’s a great place to stay. Bed, barbecue and accessibility -- what more could you want?