Sometimes it's the simple things in life that really make a difference. For example when you are talking about access, most large hotels get the big things right - things like ramps, parking spaces and wide doorways - but some come up a bit short on the simple things. But not the Hyatt Regency Riverfront in Jacksonville, Florida. They even got the little things right; things like accessible (truly accessible) drapery pulls.
To be honest, a lot of properties miss on the drapery pulls. Some properties do make an effort by installing longer wands on the draperies; but that can be problematic for folks who can't grip, as they have no way of safely grasping these wands. I've also seen some high tech electronic drapery pulls; but to be honest, not only is this an expensive option, but since it's mechanical, it's also prone to periodic breakdowns. And then there are those properties that expect you to magically open the drapes with the standard high wands.
But the Hyatt Regency Riverfront came up with an inexpensive and accessible solution to the whole drapery problem. They installed a long wand with a large circular loop at the bottom; so even if you can't grasp the pull you can just put your hand through the loop and open the drapes.
Three cheers to the Hyatt Regency Riverfront for making their property truly accessible. It would be a shame to miss their great river view, just because you couldn't open the drapes. Hopefully more hotels will follow suit and install this very simple adaptation in their accessible rooms.
After all, sometimes it's the simple things that really matter.
Now I'm off to explore more of Jacksonville. I think it's going to be a great destination for my Emerging Horizons readers.
Monday, January 21. 2008
New Chicago Access Guide
If a trip to Chicago is in your future, or you just want to lean about access in the windy city, then there’s some good news on the horizon for you; Chicago released its first access guide last week.
Patterned after the popular Access San Francisco produced by Access Northern California; Easy Access Chicago contains detailed access information on hotels, transportation, tourist sights and restaurants in Chicago. And the great news is, it’s available free from the Illinois Bureau of Tourism.
Easy Access Chicago is also available as a PDF file on the Easy Access Chicago website at www.EasyAccessChicago.org. The website actually contains more access information than the print version of the guide, plus it includes a handy advanced search feature that allows users to customize their hotel searches. So for example, if you were looking for a hotel in the loop with an open frame bed and a restaurant, you would just check those boxes and a list of properties matching that criteria would be returned.
And in the interest of full disclosure, I have to also say that hubby Charles designed the Easy Access Chicago website and the associated database. I had nothing really to do with it except maybe say, "Yeah I like the periwinkle", and to offer up some moral support now and again. Still, in this election year, full disclosure is always good.
In any case, congratulations to the folks at Open Doors Organization, and to Laurel Van Horn who was in charge of this gargantuan project. As always, it’s nice to see one more access resource out there.
Thursday, January 17. 2008
A Super Riddle!
If my dad were alive today he would be ecstatic that the Packers are going to the Super Bowl. Sadly, he will have to watch this game from the great beyond. Even sadder, he (or his spirit), probably has a better chance of seeing this match-up than those mere mortal fans in wheelchairs.
Earlier this week I got the first of several queries about how to get wheelchair-accessible Super Bowl tickets. Well, it’s not an easy feat, and to complicate matters there aren’t any real guidelines; however from what I can surmise, you have to first procure regular Super Bowls ticket via the standard channels.
So what are those regular channels? Well, if you’re not lucky enough to be a season ticket holder (and thus get into the lottery to purchase tickets), then you pretty much have to go through a ticket broker. And be ready to pay the big bucks for that transaction!. Although the face value of the cheapest tickets is $400, you’ll be hard pressed to find any for that price; because once they are resold to ticket brokers they are marked up substantially. Just like concert tickets, only because of the short lead time on this event, the prices never go down as there is always a high demand for these tickets.
And the wheelchair accessible seating?
Well, according to the folks at the University of Phoenix Stadium, once you purchase a ticket, you apparently then have to contact the NFL for accessible seating. The NFL knows nothing about that, so it’s pretty much a giant feedback loop from there. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
Apparently there are some 600-700 wheelchair-accessible seats (the number varies according to the source quoted) yet they aren’t reserved for or sold exclusively to wheelchair-users. And from what folks tell me who have actually sat in those seats at previous Super Bowls, the number of wheelchair-users there is very small. Go figure, nobody can figure out how to get tickets for the wheelchair-accessible seats, so the section fills up with able-bodied fans.
Now I’m not saying that these seats need to be held and sold only to wheelers or that folks should be required to provide documentation of a disability before they are allowed to purchase them; however it would be nice if somewhere along the line somebody would post some nice simple instructions about how to get tickets for the wheelchair-accessible seats. Is that asking too much? I think not.
To be honest it seems like a big risk to shell out $2k for a seat on the hopes that you might be able to exchange it at some time in the future for a wheelchair-accessible seat. That’s kind of a big gamble, IMHO. And what happens if you get to the stadium and nobody can accommodate you? Hmmm...I guess you go back to the tailgate party in the parking lot and watch the game on TV. And to be honest, for $2k, I think you are entitled to more than that.
So, if any of you folks out there know how to get wheelchair-accessible seats at the big game, please drop me a note so I can pass along the information.
And as my dad would have said, "Go Packers!"
Monday, January 14. 2008
Mixed Messages
I’m a little confused about the CTA "one- person, one-fare" ruling. Well, I’m not really confused about the ruling itself, but more about the reasoning behind it all. If you follow some of the rhetoric, it appears that we are sending out mixed messages about PWDs.
First off I see this as a civil rights issue, not an economic issue. And by that I mean PWDs should have the same access to transportation as the rest of the population. But it appears that some folks are bringing economic issues into it; and by that I mean they are implying (or outright stating) that PWDs cannot afford the economic burden of an extra seat.
Case and point is a quote taken from one article about the decision:
"To visit her family in B.C.'s Interior, Neubauer faces a long, uncomfortable car ride because she can't afford a second plane seat for her personal care attendant. ‘Most disabled people are either on fixed income or very low income. It's a big burden for us to pay twice the cost," said the advocate for people with disabilities'."
Now I’m not denying that the person who was quoted may indeed face some economic obstacles, but that doesn’t mean it’s true for the whole group. Generalizations are dangerous.
And on the flipside we have that often quoted survey that touts that PWDs have a travel buying power of a whopping $13.6 billion per year.
Again, mixed messages. Are they rich or poor? Or neither? If neither, then why do economics even play into this decision?
To be fair, in the last example I actually did the math with some of the statistics provided in that survey, and I calculated that the average disabled traveler spent approximately $429 per trip. OK, not exactly chump change, but still a far cry from the champagne and caviar budget.
But I digress. Back to the CTA ruling.
Granted the whole "economic factor" behind the ruling confuses me, but then there’s the much contested issue about "obese passengers" also being included in it. Boy howdy, that really gets some folks going. The general public (as evidenced by feedback on newspaper websites) doesn’t feel they should have to pay for somebody’s "lifestyle choice, while a good chunk of the disabled community is disappointed about being lumped in with "obese passengers". Personally, I just think it adds to the confusion.
Although I am glad that this ruling will make air travel more accessible to some people with "severe disabilities", I’m still troubled about the mixed messages it sends.
Color me confused.
Thursday, January 10. 2008
CTA Rules on One Person One Fare
In a highly contested case, the Canadian Transportation Agency issued a ruling today on the much contested "one person one fare" rule. At issue was whether "severely disabled" people should have to pay for an extra seat on Canadian domestic carriers, when their attendants travel for free on the bus, ferry and train systems throughout Canada.
I guess I’m not really surprised by the ruling as I’ve always felt that the CTA was more "disability friendly" than our own US agencies. They do seem to rule in favor of disabled groups or individuals, while our own government and court system usually takes the opposite approach.
But I digress.
What does this ruling mean?
Well basically it won’t take effect for a year, but the Canadian domestic air carriers must start planning for the transition now. In short it applies to Air Canada, Canada Jazz and WestJet flights that operate on domestic routes in Canada. For now charter flights are exempt. Basically these airlines must allow "people with severe disabilities" to travel with an attendant at no extra charge.
So who exactly is a "person with a severe disability"? Well according to the ruling it’s a person who must be "accompanied by an attendant for their personal care or safety in flight, as required by the carriers' domestic tariffs, or require additional seating for themselves, including those determined to be functionally disabled by obesity for purposes of air travel."
But that’s not all. It DOES NOT include:
*PWDs who "prefer" to travel with a companion.
*PWDs who only require an attendant at the destination but not during the flight.
*People who are obese but not disabled as the result of their disability.
So I’m thinking it will probably apply to high level quads.
I have no idea how they are going to deal with the definitions involved in the whole obese issue, as that’s a huge hot button topic. And to be honest, it’s beyond the scope of this blog.
In any case, it will be interesting to see how this is all implemented and what safeguards they will put in place to prevent abuse.
It definitely will be an interesting transition.
Wednesday, January 9. 2008
Travel Agent Resource
More and more travel agents are handling accessible travel these days, especially cruise travel agents. To be honest, you really need to have some level of expertise in access issues if you sell cruise travel, because sooner or later you are going to have to make arrangements for a disabled client.
As far as sorting out the logistics, booking an accessible cabin isn’t that difficult, especially with assistance from the cruise line’s special needs department. But when it comes to planning for accessible shore excursions and ground transportation, then it gets a bit tricky. And then, there are those helpful tips you want to share with your clients before they sail. After all, that’s why they use travel agents -- because of their expertise.
Well, although I can’t help with the shore excursions and ground transportation (besides referring you to Emerging Horizons and my books), I can offer up some tips to share with your disabled clients.
In fact they are featured at the end of Judi Erickson’s excellent article about accessible travel (All-Acess Pass), in the December 7 issue of Travel Age West.
My tips are only included in the on-line version so you’ll have to visit the Travel Age West website to get them.
But it’s just a short surf away -- and it’s well worth the trip.
Monday, January 7. 2008
Baaaaad Baaaaad Innkeeper!
As you might imagine, I get a lot of reader feedback; but to be honest it’s hard to pass on any comment that mentions sheep. OK, it’s more than just sheep, it’s a service animal issue. And throw in an innkeeper with an attitude, and you have my undivided attention. Such was the case with Kristen, who merely wanted to get away with her husband to celebrate their 15th wedding anniversary.
Kristen has a service dog (Clifford), and like most service animals he travels everywhere with her. Heck, he wouldn’t be much of a service animal if she had to board him every time she took a trip, now would he? But I digress.
Kristen found the perfect (or so she thought) place to celebrate her anniversary -- the Juniper Lane Guest House near Friday Harbor, Washington. The property met her access needs, was a green property (important to her) and was within driving distance of her home. Sounds perfect, right? Well, not exactly.
When Kristen called up to make a reservation, innkeeper Juniper Maas told Kristen that Clifford wasn’t welcome. Why? Because, of course, they have a "no pets" policy. Kristen explained that Clifford wasn’t a pet and that she was required to accommodate her under Title III of the ADA. All to no avail. According to Kristen, Juniper became very condescending and pulled out the old sheep defense. Yes, that’s right, I said sheep. Juniper claimed that since there’s a sheep ranch next door, she didn’t have to accommodate Kristen because Clifford would chase the sheep.
OK, I don’t even want to go there. File it under ignorant. The wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.
But here’s the cool thing -- Kristen chose a unique course of action. Sure, she could have fought the whole issue and taken it to court; after all the innkeeper is clearly wrong and hey, that just happens to be what Kristen does for a living. But Kristen just wanted to celebrate her anniversary.
Instead she chose to let her pocketbook do the talking and opted to take her money elsewhere. I mean, think about it, do you really want to fight someone just to force them to take your money? Of course not!! Instead, why not give it to someone who truly wants your business. In this day and age there are a lot of folks out there who truly welcome everyone. And if we give those folks the business, then the Junipers of the world will either learn how the real world works or fold up shop and move along. Personally I’m hoping for the latter, but hey, that’s just me.
So next time you run into a ignorant person, fight back with the most effective weapon -- your money!! It’s a pretty effective weapon in a very competitive market.
Happy anniversary Kristen!
Friday, January 4. 2008
On Glass Houses, India and Air Travel
It’s pretty well known that our ACAA and ADA (in the US) provides a decent amount of protection to disabled travelers. By that I mean, it’s not like your journey is going to go off without any glitches, but at least you are afforded certain basic rights. One of those rights is to be treated fairly and not to be charged extra because you happen to be disabled. Although this seems like common sense and not something that has to be written down, that’s not the way it is around the world.
For example, there’s the case of our good friend Michael O’Leary of Ryanair who for a time charged some disabled passengers for airport wheelchair assistance. Of course that’s history now because of court decisions and a subsequent EU regulation that prohibits that discriminatory action, but still, it happened.
And as far as I know, Air Asia and Nationwide still charge for this same assistance. So what we take for granted in North America, isn’t exactly the norm around the world.
Such is the case in India where they are trying to come up with some uniform regulations for air travel for disabled passengers. Apparently they had some proposed guidelines that were to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2008 but because of opposition by the Federation of Indian Airlines (FIA), those plans have been scraped. At issue is, "providing free assistance to disabled passengers".
Now mind you, none of the Indian airlines currently charge customers for wheelchair assistance, but apparently they don’t want this legislated. They don’t want to be "denied the right to charge and recover costs for services provided" in the future. They also pointed out that earlier versions of the regulation allowed the airlines to "charge for any additional service provided to passengers with special needs".
In looking deeper into the issue, it appears the big airline complaint isn’t about providing free wheelchair assistance at airports, but instead more about the logistics of stretcher travel. The new rule states that airlines can’t refuse to transport a person in a stretcher if they are accompanied by a caregiver, but apparently it makes no stipulation about what they can charge for this service. In other words since a stretcher takes up the space of nine seats, the FIA feels it should be able to charge for those nine seats; however because the new regulation states that you can’t charge disabled passengers more for services, it would appear that they could only charge stretcher passengers for one seat.
I’m not sure that’s exactly fair. I mean if you take up nine seats, you should be charged for the space. That’s the way it works for stretcher travel here in the US. And lets not even talk about Southwest Airlines, who charges "people of size" for two seats. And if you travel with a vent and it takes up an extra seat, you have to pay for that extra seat. Heck, if you travel with a cello and it takes up an extra seat, you pay for the extra seat.
Bottom line, there are a few holes in the new regulations, but at least they are working on them. It’s a work in progress and I expect to hear more about it throughout the year. But then again, our own Access Guidelines for Passenger Vessels (cruise ships) is also a work in progress (sigh), and you know what they say about the whole glass house crowd. Personally I’m looking (and hoping) for some progress on that front as well this year.
OK, I’m crawling back into my corner and putting my stones down now.
Tuesday, January 1. 2008
Tick Tock
There’s been a lot of discussion about the whole "Las Vegas Tarmac" incident in the past few days.
As one astute reader pointed out, "If her plane was 38 minutes late and she missed her connection, wasn’t she cutting it a bit close? Shouldn’t wheelchair-users allow more time between flights?"
Good point. Yes they should. So perhaps this incident can act as a gentle reminder to wheelers everywhere, that sometimes the minimum connecting times allowed by the airlines aren’t adequate when you have to wait for that aisle chair. After all, wheelchair-users are the last folks off the plane and sometimes it’s takes time to get an airport wheelchair or even your own gate checked wheelchair. And all the time, the clock is ticking.
And then there’s the restroom issue. In the ideal world it would be great if you actually had enough time to use the airport restroom, especially if you can’t access the on-board lavatory. All of these things take time. And throw even a slight delay into it, and well, you are apt to miss your connecting flight.
Sure the airline will book you on the next flight out, but that may mean sitting around the airport for hours, or even having to overnight in your connecting city. And it will mean standing in a line and dealing with a customer service agent to get rebooked, and even stressing out about it all. And if someone is meeting you at your destination, you’ll have to call and tell them of your change in plans.
So, best advice is to go outside of the minimum connecting time (usually a mere 50 minutes) and instead opt for the next flight out when making your travel arrangements. Give yourself plenty of time in a connecting airport. After all, your goal is to get to your destination with a minimum of muss and fuss, and the best way to do that is to plan ahead.
Have a safe and barrier-free 2008!
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