Barrier Free Travels

As the year draws to an end, I've decided to follow suit with many of my fellow bloggers and put together a list of memorable events, blog entries and resources from 2007.

Let's start with my call on the biggest story in accessible travel in 2007. And that goes to the new EU regulations for increased accessibility to air travel. European Flights More Accessible

Look for more improvements as the second part of the regulations are implemented in 2008.

On the other end of the spectrum, my biggest disappointment in 2007 was that the Access Board failed to approve the final architectural guidelines for passenger vessels (cruise ships). And they appear to be stalled again as they've convened a subcommittee to address the matter. Another Committee!

My vote for the best move by an airline employee in 2007, goes to the quick witted flight attendant who told a rude passenger what exactly he could do with his coat! Snappy Flight Attendant Comeback

And although I don't allow direct comments in my blog (it turns into spam city, and I don't have the time to monitor it) I do post comments that are e-mailed to me by readers. Any my favorite reader comment of 2007 is Air France Feedback.

My vote for the best new accessible travel resource of the year goes to the new on-line version of the Tempe Access Guide. I love to see new access guides, especially on-line access guides.

My favorite 2007 blog entry was (of course) Dead Woman Rolling, even though it had very little to do with access.

And finally, my favorite new blog for the year (aside from those old favorites listed in the right margin) is Travels With Jane, an entertaining read penned by Miami Herald Travel Editor, Jane Woolridge. There's a special place in my heart for any travel editor who admits getting lost on her way to her home city airport. We could start a club!

Thanks for reading me in 2007 and here's to a very prosperous and barrier free 2008.

There’s always one big "accessible travel disaster story" during the holiday season, and this year it’s the story of Jeanne Grettum. UPI reports that Ms. Grettum was left (abandoned) on the tarmac in Las Vegas after she deplaned from her incoming flight from Bakersfield. She missed her connecting flight to Orlando, and it all gets a little fuzzy after that.

Some outlets have reported that she was left on the tarmac for 12 hours, while the original wire service story stated that she was "12 hours late" getting to her destination. And Ms. Grettum’s daughter, Tammy Nielson, reported that her mom called her at 3 AM "crying hysterically".

On the other hand, Channell 8, Eyewitness News dug up the logs at Mc Carran Airport, and here’s what they revealed.

11:40 PM - Ms. Grettum’s incoming flight from Bakersfield (US Air 2784) arrived in Las Vegas. It was 38 minutes late.

The contract vendor (Prospect) arrived before 11:50 PM and transported Ms. Grettum inside the terminal.

12:02 AM - Ms. Grettum was rebooked and issued a boarding pass by US Airways customer service agent.

Apparently Ms Grettum was then left alone (the first flight out wasn’t until the morning), and she became distraught, which is when she called her daughter.

Now, make no mistake about it, I’m not minimizing the situation, however it appears to have been widely exaggerated in the media. Ms. Grettum was apparently left on the tarmac for approximately 10 minutes, near midnight on a very cold night, and that should not have happened. US Airways needs to look at their whole policy to make sure this doesn’t happen again. Folks shouldn’t be deplanned until someone from the contract company is there to take them inside the terminal.

But, missed connections do happen, and that’s something we all have to be aware of. Sure you may get a great deal on that flight departing at midnight, but if you’re making a connection, you need to have a backup plan. It’s a very real possibility that you may miss your connecting flight; and at that time of night, the next flight out won’t be until the morning.

A backup plan in this case pretty much means realizing the possibility that you may get stuck. And deciding what to do if that happens. You could spend the night in the airport or go to an airport hotel. And although advance planning won’t help you make your connection, it pays to have an airport hotel phone number handy, when you discover you’re stuck.

And if for whatever reason you can’t stay alone in a hotel (you need PCA help or assistance) then it’s best to avoid those last flights of the day -- especially during the busy travel season. There’s just too many things that could go wrong. Just ask Ms. Grettum.

There's trouble brewing in those friendly (or should I say unfriendly?) skies down in OZ these days. Actually it's been an ongoing battle, between disability rights advocates and the airlines that serve Australia. At issue are any number of things, from limiting the number of wheelers on certain flights to size restrictions placed on wheelchairs carried on regional jets. Over the years, it's just been one thing after another.

At the forefront of the current brouhaha are Tiger Airways and Regional Express (Rex); both of whom have applied to the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) for exemptions from complying with disability regulations.

Tiger Airways wants a temporary exemption, so it can refuse passage to wheelchair-users, as they claim they have no way to board them on their Airbus 320 jets.

Rex, on the other hand, is seeking to place weight restrictions on wheelchairs they will carry and to require some disabled passengers to travel with attendants. This includes anybody who cannot put on a life vest unassisted, as well as people who can't assist with their own transfers.

And then there's Virgin Blue, who has raised the ire of Australian disability rights groups, for requiring some wheelers to travel with companions. That issue is currently being resolved in court.

So it comes as no big shock that "disabled air passenger satisfaction" is at an all time low down under. In fact, a recent survey revealed that a measly 12% of disabled passengers had an overall positive air travel experience. Specific issues of concern ranged from broken wheelchairs and untrained customer service agents to one instance of a wheelchair-user being allegedly abandoned on the tarmac, with no offer of assistance from airline personnel.

Granted the specific instances reported in this survey are undocumented, however you can tell from the overall tone that things are just not good.

The HREOC will continue to monitor the situation, however in the past they've made some questionable (IMHO) rulings.

For now, it's best to just be prepared if you travel by air in Australia. Hopefully the situation will improve in the future, but for the time being, do your research and be aware of the potential problems you may face. And if you can, think of some possible solutions to those problems, so at least you'll have some sort of a plan of action if things go awry.

It's always nice to be named to a top-20 list, but it's an added bonus if it's a list penned by someone you respect. That's why I was thrilled to discover that Barrier Free Travels made Chris Elliott's list of "The 20 Most Inspiring Blogs of 2007." Simply defined, these are blogs that he just likes to read, or those that inspire him to travel.

Cool.

And you can check out the other 19 here:
The 20 Most Inspiring Blog of 2007

I also have to add that I've known Chris for many years and when he does call me up for a quote or a resource or an opinion about an article he is working on, I kind of get a lump in my throat, because I know it's going to be a hard question. But then again, I like the challenge.

Thanks Chris. For the mention, and for keeping me on my toes over the years!

In this day and age of de-institutionalization, many developmental centers are going the way of the dinosaur. They're closing up shop, because they simply aren't needed any more, as former residents are being moved into less restrictive environments. And that's a very good thing, as far as disabled advocates are concerned. But what do you do with those old facilities? Board them up? Tear them down? Just let them sit and hope for the best?

Well, in the case of the Syracuse Developmental Center, none of the above. In fact, the Empire State Development Corporation plans to sell that facility to Syracuse Resort (a limited partnership) who in turn plans to turn it in to a "resort for the disabled."

Yes, you read that right - these folks are actually turning a former institution into a resort for the disabled.

I can just hear the conversation now.
Me: So where are you going on your vacation, Joe?
Joe: We're going upstate to an institution.
Me: Oh, I see.
Joe: You know, that place is Syracuse where Pete was locked up for four years?
Me: Yeah, right. Well, er, have a good time.

OK, you get the drift. But aside from the obvious PR problems with it all, there's a bigger issue with the whole grand plan. The developer plans to make it a "disabled only" resort. Yes, that's right folks, in this day and age of mainstreaming and inclusion, they want to move backwards and segregate PWDs once again.

And that's a fact that's not lost on many locals. As one woman put it, "When we go out on vacation, or to any recreational activity, I don't limit myself to a site that caters to my disability. I look for accessibility, but I look for a site that is inclusive for everyone."

And she's not alone. Not by a long shot. That's one thing Simon Darcy discovered in his groundbreaking "Access to Anxiety" survey. He debunked the popular myth that people with disabilities like to travel in groups with other people with disabilities, when he reported that 80-90% of his disabled respondents reported traveling with one able-bodied friend, family member or companion.

And to be honest, this whole "disabled only resort" concept has been tried before here in the US (several times) and it really hasn't worked. In the end there were always funding issues.

Now don't get me wrong, I don't have any problems with someone making a resort barrier-free; in fact I encourage that. But everyone should be welcome, and access should just be another one of the amenities offered - like internet access or the free breakfast buffet. When you advertise a resort as being "for the disabled" it reeks of segregation, especially when the former incarnation of that facility was exactly that - a place where disabled people were segregated.

So if the folks at Syracuse Resort are reading this - reconsider your approach. Sure, go ahead and use the principles of universal design to make sure your new resort is barrier-free; but market it to everybody. In the end, that will be the more successful approach; as you will be able to address a wider market to pay the bills, yet still offer access features to those folks who need them.

Food for thought.