Barrier Free Travels

Although Japan is usually considered a pretty progressive country as far as access and disability rights are concerned, a not-so-progressive ruling came down from a Japanese court earlier this year.

At issue once again was air travel and denied boarding. Masayuki Ota who has what the Japan Times defines a "brain paralysis" was denied boarding by Singapore Airlines in 2003, on a flight from Kansai International Airport to Bangkok. He was traveling alone and the airline crew deemed that he was unable to fly without an escort because of his "motion and speaking disabilities." Ota was seeking 1.65 million yen in compensation from the airline for the denied boarding. In retrospect that seems like a lot, but I guess you have to make a point somehow.

The judge ruled against Mr. Ota and found that the actions by Singapore Airlines’ employees were not discriminatory.

Although there seems to be a language barrier and I’m not exactly sure of the extent of the plaintiff’s disability, I’m guessing it’s something akin to cerebral palsy. Also at issue was the fact that the crew only found out about Mr.Ota’s disability two hours prior to the flight, so they didn’t have time to prepare a proper plan to care for him in the event of an emergency.

In any case, it’s a disappointing ruling. Mr. Ota plans to appeal, but I don’t have high hopes for a reversal. So add Singapore Airlines to your "be careful" list.

Well, we’re off to Palm Springs today. I wish I could say it was for pleasure, but it’s for a conference. Suffice it to say that I’m going to be spending most of the next few days meeting with PR folks to find new accessible destinations to cover in Emerging Horizons.

But we will have time for a few diversions, including a visit to one of my favorite air museums -- the Palm Springs Air Museum. Those of you who know me, know that I’m a huge aircraft junkie. My dad was a pilot and I grew up going to air shows, and I never pass on the opportunity to visit (or re-visit) an air museum. Never! I also have a very annoying habit of looking up in the air when I hear an unusual aircraft, and then try to ID it, even if I’m in the middle of a conversation.

Anyway, not only does the Palm Springs Air Museum have an excellent collection of vintage aircraft, but many of the docents are veterans who actually flew some of the planes. How cool is that? I can keep going to the museum time and time again just to hear the stories.

And they have three of my favorite planes -- a F4U Corsair (any Pappy Boyington fans out there?) a B17 Flying Fortress and a Stearman PT-17 -- all in great condition. They even fly most of their planes. Like I said, I’m an aircraft junkie. So if you are ever in the area, check it out -- the museum has excellent wheelchair access.

We’re also going to take in a Palm Springs Follies performance. If you haven’t been, I highly recommend it, as the folks at the follies go out of their way to make things accessible. They even have a "scooter-check" if you want to transfer into a seat. It’s fun night of musical entertainment, so again, if you’re in the area, check it out.

OK, gotta hit the road.

When you think of canal boats, most often Europe comes to mind. In fact, I did a whole Emerging Horizons feature on accessible canal boats in the UK. But if you don’t have the time or bucks to head over across the Big Pond, the good news is, there’s now an accessible canal boat in the US. And it’s unlike any in the UK; as it offers visitors a unique look at the transportation history on the Chesapeake & Ohio (C&O) Canal.

Docked at the Great Falls Tavern, near the town of Potomac, Maryland, the Charles F. Mercer is a historical canal boat with a twist. This replica was built with access in mind; in fact the Friends of Historic Great Falls Tavern recently won the 2007 NPS Volunteer Accessibility Achievement Award for their access efforts. Not only did they raise some $535,000 for the purchase of the new boat, but they also worked to ensure the boat would be accessible to everyone.

Access features on the Charles F. Mercer include incline lift access to both decks and an accessible restroom on the lower deck. The canal boat is pulled along by mules and it rises eight feet in a lock, while park rangers dressed in period costumes offer passengers a colorful look at 1870s canal life. Wheelchair-users can just roll aboard and stay in their own wheelchair for the entire ride.

The one-hour canal boat rides are priced at a very affordable $7 for adults and $5 for children and seniors. The 2007 season has ended, but tours will begin again in April 2008. Mark your calendar and make plans to join the folks on the Charles F. Mercer next year!

Although a new Russian law regarding air travel went into effect last month, it only vaguely touches on the rights of passengers with disabilities. The law seems to strongly focus on what TASS reports as a "systematic failure to abide by transportation rules." The consequences for future "failures" will range from air carriers being stripped of their rights to carry out certain flights or (for repeated failures), the termination of the air carrier.

Sounds pretty drastic to me. I mean, can you imagine our own FAA or DOT actually shutting an airline down because it had too many delayed flights or too much tarmac sitting time? I venture to guess that we’d all be taking the bus within a matter of months, because there wouldn’t be any airlines left.

But things operate a little different in Russia. The transportation minister also noted that if "normal" conditions have not been provided, passengers will be entitled to compensation. That’s pretty standard in the US (except for weather delays) but previously not the norm in Russia. So at least that’s progress.

But what about disabled passengers? Well, the new law states that air carriers are fee to "assume the responsibility for taking care of disabled passengers", but only if "flight attendants have the required training". Transportation Minister Igor Levitin explained that disabled passengers will not be allowed to travel unaccompanied if airline employees feel they can't provide adequate care or assistance for them.

So there you have it. In the end, the boarding decision lies with the airline, at least as far as disabled passengers are concerned. Something to keep in mind if your travels take you to Russia.