Disabled Passengers - A guide for disabled trave

Travelers with disabilities, also known as "accessible travel," is on the rise. Of the nearly 50 million people considered to be disabled in the US alone, approximately 75% travel. The travel industry is waking up to disabled travelers' special needs, and the sheer abundance of information on accessible travel is astounding. Much of it generated by disabled travelers themselves.

The Americans with Disabilities Act guarantees that disabled travelers receive equal treatment under the law. In a perfect world, yes, but we all know better. Despite having common sense, considerable public sentiment, strength in numbers, disabled travelers frequently face inadequate facilities, prejudice, misinformation, general hassles, and higher prices than other travelers.

Compounding the problem is the fact that there are as many disabilities as there are disabled folks. Plus, each person's needs are a little different. Ultimately, traveling in cookie-cutter airline seats, hotel rooms, and rental car fleets can get tricky.

Travel Tips
The following tips should help disabled travelers and their companions anticipate some of the snags of accessible travel.

Call ahead. Service providers are required by law in many cases to accommodate travelers with special needs. However, most need some time to make the necessary arrangements. Make arrangements at the time of reservation, and call the provider 24 to 48 hours before the flight or hotel stay to confirm that proper accommodations have been made. The Air Carrier Access Act requires that you give the airline at least 48 hours notice if you are traveling in a group of 10 or more disabled passengers.

Check in with your flight attendant before your plane lands to make a plan for exit. Be specific and clear when describing a disability. Not all service providers know the "lingo" of accessible travel, or the medical terms for certain conditions. Don't downplay the severity of the disability. Some companies arrange trips for folks according to the level of "self-care" of which they are capable.

Be specific and clear when describing the trip to your doctor. A doctor can often prescribe measures for coping with an unusually long flight, limited medical facilities at your destination, the unavailability of prescription drugs, and other pitfalls of traveling. Be prepared -- in some cases, your doctor may question the advisability of travel.

Bring extra medication. Many experts advise that you travel with two complete packages of essential medication in case of emergency. Store one set in your carry-on, another in your checked bags. Take a doctor's note and phone number. Travel with a statement from your doctor, preferably on letterhead, covering your condition, medications, potential complications, and other pertinent information.

Investigate physician availability where you will be traveling. Your doctor, health care provider, insurance company, or local embassy can provide the names and contact numbers of physicians at your destination.

Bring spare parts and tools. Wheelchairs can take tremendous abuse while traveling; assemble a small kit of spare parts and tools for emergency repairs. You may also be required to dismantle a wheelchair for certain flights or activities; make sure you and your traveling companions know how to do this. Carry medical alert information, preferably in a place that a medical professional or anyone who assists you will find easily (wallet card, necklace, close to your identification).

Use a specialist travel agent. Some agents provide stellar niche services; one might be very experienced in working with hearing-impaired travelers, another with developmentally impaired travelers. Since the requirements for these varied travelers can be staggeringly different, it helps to find someone who knows the ropes. Check your local phone book or visit the American Society of Travel Agents' Web site.

Avoid connecting flights. Although wheelchairs are the last items to be checked into the luggage compartments, and thus first to be pulled off, avoiding connecting flights can save you unnecessary time and hassle.

Know your rights. The Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped (SATH) Web site includes The Travel Related Industries Accessibility Guide. It's a concise guide to the rights of disabled travelers under the Civil Rights Act, the American's With Disabilities Act, the 1986 Air Carriers Access Act (ACAA), A.N.S.I. (American National Standards Institute).

Web sites
The Society for the Advancement of Travel by the Handicapped / Access-able Travel Source
Global Access
Accessible Traveler's Database
Accessible Travel and Leisure
Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board

Newsletters
A worldwide network of disabled people who help, and even take in, other disabled travelers. In addition to a monthly newsletter, your $19.95 membership will get you hotel discounts and free issues of other relevant publications... Travelin' Talk

New Horizons, Information for the Air Traveler with a Disability
Issued by the US Department of Transportation. It is also available by calling the DOT PVA Distribution Center at (888) 860-7244.

Emerging Horizons

Guidebooks