Barrier Free Travels

Wow, just when I though I’d heard everything, another idiot steps out of the closet. This time Mr. Pea Brain surfaced on a mainstream travel message board. His diatribe was in response to a wheelchair-user asking for help and resources to plan his upcoming trip.

Mr. Pea Brain posted, "I think it's wrong to expect to be treated the same as an upright person. I think that if you pay more money, sure, you should get extra help and service, but if you pay the same as I do, you should expect the same rights and privileges. Outfitting taxis and planes and cruise ships and whatever else to accommodate special classes of people costs money, and those costs are passed on to us all."

Apparently he was absent the day they discussed civil rights in school.

Getting past the language (upright?) I think there are some basic flaws in his logic. Taking his argument one step further, you could say that only parents should pay school taxes. But maybe that’s what he thinks too.

But that’s not how it works in our society. We already pay for accommodations for the disabled in transportation, services, curb-cuts and access to public buildings; however it seems that once you bring travel into the equation some people get miffed about providing access because "it costs us all". So I guess it’s OK to provide med transportation to the doctor but not an accessible taxi ride to the airport?

Of course Mr. Pea Brain does try to redeem himself near the end of the post by saying, "I don't agree about not letting wheelchairs on planes though. I think old folks paid their dues and ought to travel like the rest of us, even if it increases everyone's costs and makes it a little more inconvenient to travel."

Even when he’s trying to be nice, he’s an idiot. Where do these fruitcakes come from?

There seems to be a lot happening with accessible air travel in Australia these days, and unfortunately not all of it is good. Or at least that’s the opinion of people like Neil Ashman who wanted to fly from Port Lincoln to Adelaide on Regional Express (REX) airlines. Seems that carrier required Mr. Ashman to be accompanied by an attendant in order to travel. And of course Mr. Ashman was expected to foot the bill for that airline required attendant.

OK, I know a lot of you are thinking, "Well if he needs extra assistance, then it’s up to him to foot the bill for it." In general I agree with that statement, as I don’t think people should expect airline personnel to help them with toileting, eating and personal care issues.

But that’s not what we are talking about here. Apparently the reason REX required Mr. Ashman to travel with an attendant was so the attendant could assist with his transfers.

Well OK I thought, maybe that’s just the way things work in Australia. After all they aren’t bound by the ACAA. That might be a logical argument, except for one tiny detail. Amazingly enough Mr., Ashman was able to travel unaccompanied on that same route on a competing carrier -- QantasLink.

Two different airlines -- two different policies. What’s a traveler to do? Well, first you need to check with all the airlines serving your destination to make sure they don’t have any restrictions on PWDs traveling alone. If they do, it’s best to opt for the least restrictive carrier when you have the choice.

But advocates in Australia are trying to take this all one step farther. They now want the government to subsidize the cost of attendants flying with disabled passengers. The airlines don’t feel that’s necessary as they claim they already offer deeply discounted airfares to attendants.

Who will win out?

It’s a toss up in my book, but I’m sure either way it’s sure to set a precedent in the industry.

Stay tuned

As I was doing some research for our upcoming trip to Huntington Beach trip, I stumbled across a unique organization that teaches wheelchair-users how to surf. The Life Rolls On Foundation sponsors a program called They Will Surf Again, which includes several day-long events where injured athletes from around the world gather together to hit the surf.

The whole concept really intrigued me, so I spent some time nosing around their website. The program is run by Richard Yelland and it’s open to everyone – those folks that surfed pre-injury and those who have no prior experience. Rest assured, safety is a high priority at They Will Surf Again as plenty of volunteers are on hand to act as watermen and lifeguards.

So what has this got to do with Huntington Beach?

Well one of their 2006 events was held at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach. It seemed very well attended as 25 surfers and 100 volunteers participated.

They Will Surf Again hasn’t posted their events for next year, but I’m thinking if they chose Huntington Beach for a past event, there must be some hope as far as access goes. So I’m very optimistic about my visit.

The Mobility Cup — an international regatta run by the Disabled Sailing Association of BC and hosted by Royal Vancouver Yacht Club — was officially opened by Vancouver Mayor Sam Sullivan today. Sullivan organized the first Mobility Cup in 1991, and the annual event has since run at various Canadian locations, spawning programs that have introduced hundreds to adaptive sailing.

During the week, forty sailors from across Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand and Hungary will race the Vancouver-designed Martin 16 sloop. This adapted boat allows disabled sailors to steer via joystick controls and sip ’n’ puff interfaces connected to power assisted steering.

“Sailing is total freedom,” said Paralympic sailor Danny McCoy, a Mobility Cup coach. “You leave your wheelchair at the dock. Most people that are disabled would like to compete on a level playing field. Well, there are no handicaps involved in sailing - you can sail against anyone, and the first guy across the line wins.” He likens sailing to playing chess as brainpower beats brawn every time.

Participant Terry LeBlanc, 52, of Vancouver, a quadriplegic as a result of a 1978 diving accident, said, “There aren’t that many opportunities to be competitive at my level of disability, unless you want to be a passive participant. You get back exhausted, but at the same time sailing totally refreshes you.”

For more information about the Mobility Cup, visit http://www.mobilitycup.org/.

The US Access Board has extended the deadline for public comments on the revised draft guidelines for passenger vessel access. The original deadline was September 5, 2006, and although it hasn’t been announced in the Federal Register yet, the extended deadline is expected to be approximately November 6, 2006.

As with the first comment period, this extension was granted at the request of the ICCL and the Passenger Vessel Association. Interestingly enough, none of the major cruise lines submitted comments prior to the original deadline, so I have to assume they were expecting the extension.

No matter, that means we all have more time to submit comments. Again, if you’ve ever had trouble booking a cruise because of the limited number of accessible cabins, let the Access Board know this. Why? Because the cruise lines actually want to decrease the number of accessible cabins!

The good news is, 12 individuals have already sent in their comments. Here is a break down of the topics they covered.

• Increase Number of Accessible Cabins (5)
• Accommodations for Deaf Cruisers (2)
• General Mobility Access Issues (2)
• ABs Booking Accessible Cabins (1)
• Access on Ferries (1)
• Special Diets (1)

On the business side of things, 9 comments were submitted. Here are the issues they addressed:

• Comment Period Extended (2)
• Lift Specifications (1)
• Accessible Slot Machines (1)
• Small Charter Vessels (1) - This was an interesting comment from a disabled outfitter who thought the proposed regulations were too stringent as he operates an older boat and provides physical assistance instead of mechanical assistance to his passengers.
• Increase Number of Accessible Cabins (1) - That’s me!
• Expedition Ships (1) - Probably the most egregious of the business comments, this expedition ship owner claims that disabled people are not interested in these high energy cruises, so he feels the guidelines should be loosened (and in some cases eliminated) for this type of cruise ship.
• Water Taxis (1) - From a legal group in New York, asking the Access Board to specifically include water taxis in the guidelines.
• Houseboats (1) - Question form a houseboat rental company inquiring about access requirements on their rental houseboats.

So, you still have time to send in your comments.

Comments can be e-mailed to pvag@access-board.gov, faxed to (202) 272-0081 or mailed to Office of Technical and Information Services, Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board, 1331 F Street NW, suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111. Be sure and include Docket No. 2004-1 in all of your correspondence on this subject. Comments sent by e-mail will be considered only if they contain the full name and address of the sender in the text.

And if you’d like to read the public comments, check out the Access Board website at http://www.access-board.gov/
pvaac/comments-rev/index.htm.