darrenhillock

Who should have to notify arilines about accomodations?

2008-06-30T14:11:00Z

It seems like airlines, especially in Europe, pin a lot of their ability to deal with people with mobility disabilities on getting notification.
Notifying an airline ahead of time about your need for certain accommodations is all fine and good if you are the one making the arrangements. But what about if you use a travel agent? Whose responsibility is notification then?
A new European Union regulation makes it clear: notification for mobility issues is the travel agent's responsibility.
This article explains thta the definition of who is effected by this regulation -- which kicks in after July 26 -- is broad. Included are not just those who people would presume are permanently disabled, but also the temporarily disabled -- people who have broken limbs or are pregnant for example.
Under the law, travel agents will have to notify airlines about the mobility needs of their clients 48 hours before departure. The notification can be done through a variety of means.
If the traveler doesn't feel this is handled correctly, they can make a complaint to the Disability Rights Commission.
This seems to me like this is a reasonable law. If you're not the one who is making the actual arrangements, the timing etc. of notification might get kind of tricky. The travel agent ought to do it. And such notification can be key in getting the right accommodations.

Kudos to the EU for having the foresight to put this into the books.

You can walk or wheel in the path of the first flight

2008-06-30T02:48:00Z

My family and I just got back from a vacation that included an opportunity to visit a historical site that is the very definition of humble beginnings that later developed into something world changing. I'm talking about the site of the Wright Brothers first airplane flight in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina.
And though the Wright Brothers story is all about getting airborne, people with mobility disabilities should be able to follow along in the path of the first flight like anyone, thanks to some thoughtful placement of simple mobility assistance devices.
The Wright Brothers National Memorial, which is run by the National Park Service, commemorates the place where man first flew in an engine-powered plane. There's a visitors center that includes replicas of the plane used for the first flight and of a glider the brothers from Ohio used to test some of the principals of flight. The large stone memorial up on the hill is visible from far off and offers a beautiful view. But perhaps the most inspiring part of the site is where the flights actually happened. Marked with stone markers are the place where the lift off happened and then the landing spots of the four flights attempted on the fateful day of Dec. 17, 1903. The path out to the markers is thoughtfully paved, in a way, with a series of rubber screens placed over the sand. We wheeled our wheelchair using son all the way down and back without incident. When you walk down from the first landing to the fourth you really appreciate how quickly these men perfected what they had done.
The walk to the memorial up on Kill Devil Hill might be more of a challenge. We didn't take Marcus up. The paths looked like they might be OK for a strenuous push up, but we were concerned about how much effort it might take to come back down without having Marcus's chair get away from us. There's no info on the NPS Web site about just what sort of grade these paths present.
Oh yeah, the town of Kill Devil Hills also happens to be a great vacation spot, and one our family has been visiting for the last few summers and which I visited often as a kid with my family. It's hallmarks are nice wide beaches and an amount of visitors even in the high season that is much less than a Myrtle Beach or Florida.
That's probably because, ironically, it's not particularly easy to fly to the Outer Banks. Go figure.

Dubai seeking to increase tourism accessibility

2008-05-30T11:00:00Z

Dubai a leader in accessible tourism? Well I must admit I've never been even near there, so I don't know first hand either way. But if realizing the need is an important step, well then Dubai toruism officials are definitley on the road to making that statement a reality.

At the recent Fourth International Tourism Development Forum for People with Special Needs held under the patronage of Shaikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, the need to address people with disabilities when developing the country's tourism potential. “As we continue to grow the tourism sector here in Arabia, it is not only important but crucial to address and cater for the needs and requirements of the disabled,” said Peter van Driessel, vice president of the Dubai Skal Chapter.

I see this as great evidence of how the awareness of accomodating people with special needs is spreading to every corner of the travel industry. There's a simple economic argument to be made here. Being open to people with disabilites that like to travel can greatly increase your customer base. The example given for Dubai was an additional $3 billion a year. Now think about the potential upside of all the places in the world that welcome tourists getting the message. Yes it is implied here that accomodating people with disabilites will take some investment. But to make Dubai fit I'd wager will come nowhere near the $3 billion it could realize in additonal revenue in a single year.

In the tourism biz, being accessible to all is just good business.

EU airports to have to provide mobility assistance

2008-05-28T02:01:00Z

Planning a trip to a major European airport this summer? If you need assistance with mobility you should find airports in Europe moreaccommodating -- at least if you travel after July 26. That's the effective date for EU Regulation 1107/2006. The latest aspect of this European Union law says airports are responsible for assisting passengers anywhere around their facilities except on the planes themselves. This ends ahodge podge situation where sometimes the airlines were supposed to be responsible and other times the airports

It won't just be a few huge mega-airports that have to comply either. The regulations effect around 400 airports, according to this janes.com article.

It makes sense. Instead of finger pointing this regulation establishes a logical order of who is responsible for providing mobility help. In the airport, anywhere in the airport, assistance is the airport's responsibility. On the plane, the airlines.

Undoubtedly this will take some money to implement. Airports are supposed to recover any costs from the airlines, which the airlines will undoubtedly whine that they have no choice but to recover from passengers. Still I think the impact will be more defuse that way than having the airlines able to tack on a charge for mobility assistance or to outright charge for needing and airport wheelchair.

The world's headlines about accessible travel around the world have too often had to deal with passengers being denied -- or excessively charged -- because they needed mobility assistance. This regulation should help make that headline absent from European airports.

Is a lack of accessibility really just adventerous traveling?

2008-05-01T02:27:00Z

A lot of following the issue of travel by people with disabilities is focusing on accessibility and where it does and does not exist. The very definition of a good destination for people with disabilities is one where there are good accommodations for those with physical and other disabilities.
But not everyone is always looking for that, as this article (page 3) points out. It tells of Toronto's Walt Balenovic, who seeks an off the beaten path approach that doesn't necessarily take into account standard accommodations for accessibility. How does he get by? "I travel alone so I have to rely on people to help me," Balenovic told globeandmail.com. "Who wouldn't help somebody in a wheelchair? It takes five minutes out of your day and you come away from it feeling good."
That works for Balenovic but a lot of people who travel and have a disability or two are seeking independence. Balenovic's approach assumes help from others. Most people would want to be able to not have to rely on help.
I can understand Balenovic's stance to some extent. Because we need to assist our son anyway due to his developmental as well as physical disabilities, we consequently can deal with a lot less accessibility than someone demanding more independence supporting facilities. We are Marcus' built in help that Balenovich is successful in finding in the larger community.
I hope that tourism related businesses do not take too much comfort in views like those of Balenovic. Yes people confronted with lack of accessibility cope, but the goal should still be increasing accessibility to all. In the end driving lodging, restaurants and attractions in the direction of providing the greatest independence for the greatest number of people is still the right course to pursue.

photo from morgueFile.com

Camping available for those with disabilities in Wisconsin cabins

2008-04-29T01:38:00Z

You might figure camping -- except or the most hardy of souls -- might be something typically outside the realm of many wheelchair users or people with other physical disabilities. Even the tamest of campgrounds typically offers a good amount of obstacles innocuous or even quaint to most people but a shut door to people with disabilities.
Not so in Wisconsin. The state has a group of accessible cabins in several state parks. I'm even more aware of this program because the most recently completed project is just a stone's throw from my hometown and one in which a service club of which I am a member had the leading role.
You might be surprised to hear that an outside group was involved in building an accessible cabin on state property, but that is how nearly all of the accessible camping cabins in Wisconsin have gotten built. Groups like service clubs or clubs for retired employees have done the fundraising and coordinated the work while the state petty much just provides the site (and makes things complicated!).
In the case of the most recent cabin at the Richard Bong State Recreation Area in Brighton, the cabin, which saw it's first guest last weekend, is the result of the dream and persistence of David Schultz of Paddock Lake.
Dave had tried camping with his son, Nick, who is a wheelchair user. But the hassles were many.
Then he discovered the state's accessible cabins, which provided a much better experience for the Schultz family than trying to deal with tents etc. and a wheelchair. Being a man who knows how to get things done, he set his sights on bringing a cabin a mere 15 or so minute ride from his home.(Hear Dave tell his story here.)

My personal contribution to the effort? Being smart enough to step aside from being president of the Westosha Kiwanis Club and letting Dave take over so he could drive the club to completing the cabin project. That cabin came to be strictly because Dave believed it would and never gave up. And he got others believing too. He deserves all the credit.
Dave's drive to achieve his dream will help many with disabilities enjoy camping and days of relaxation.
For those of us that saw Dave see this project through, he has provided an example of determination that we all will remember and draw from for the rest of our lives.

Photo of exterior of one of the Wisconson state parks accessible cabins.

Should this disabled parking be free?

2008-04-26T03:03:00Z

Who doesn't like a freebie? I know I'm always appreciative. How about some free gas right now? That would go over real good.
But gas isn't what's free at Miami International Airport. Parking is what's free there, if you have disabled parking privileges.
Unfortunately, that's leading to abuse of the policy by people who work at the airport, not apparently hindered at all in their physical movements, using fraudulently obtained disabled parking credentials to skirt paying a fee and getting a nice parking spot.
I suppose the idea of providing the disabled parking free of charge was a well-intentioned idea. But it's flawed and really might be creating another unnecessary incentive for people to try to illegally park in parking intended for and needed by people with disabilities.
My own experience with disabled parking tells me that very often it's not a problem for me to find a spot in most places, like a shopping center or hotel parking lot. By now I think people generally are more respectful of parking for disabled people and there are more lots with the spots as parking regulations have caught up.
But it can be difficult in some high volume situations to his day. Medical facilities are one, believe it or not, and just a general parking garage in a metro downtown is another. The van accessible parking spots we need to get our son in and out of our van can sometimes be scarce in the big parking scenario. I've never vied for disabled parking in an airport, but I could see that being the same situation.
In the end it's pathetic that these workers saw fit to get free parking by exploiting parking for people with disabilities who had legitimate reasons for needing the access. Personally, I'm not sure the exemption for the fee was needed, and they make the disabled spots that much more enticing. It's not like people with disabilities were getting less for their parking dollar, like might be the argument at say an attraction that required some certain level of physical ability or where some aspects would be outside the realm of someone who, for example, cannot climb stairs. Parking is parking and it's pretty easy to get full value out of it if you at least find a spot. The Herald reports that no other airport has a similar free parking policy for disabled spots.
Of course I hope these people are punished. It ought to be enough that people without disabilities stay out of parking needed by those that do. But the lure of a freebie can be very strong. Maybe this is one freebie that ought to go away for the sake of temptation and even fairness.

Photo from bigfoto.com

Arguments against accessible hotel rooms don't ring true

2008-04-18T10:54:00Z

This article in The Jerusalem Post chronicles the shortage of lodging for people with disabilities in Israel. This despite an expected
increase in tourism in Israel and a recently passed law requiring more access.
Down in the story are two of the oldest arguments against increased accessibility in hotels. And they both happen to also be bunk.
First up, no one uses accessible rooms. Here was the rationalization presented by Shmuel Zurel, director-general of the Israel Hotels Association, about the lack of accessible lodging in Israel.: "We checked out the demand for these types of rooms and saw that requests are very low," he said.
Well why would you request something that hardly ever exists? You'd get frustrated asking for accessible facilities if you found it's unlikely your destination would have such facilities. Instead you'd cope, avoid those places with no accessible facilities or just not travel there. The proper sequence here is provide the facilities, make them known then get back to me about the demand.
Adding insult to injury, Zurel tacked on this comment: "It's difficult for hotels to rent out such rooms to a person who doesn't have disabilities."
There's a point to be made here about how an accessible room is done. Done the right way, implementing universal design principles, the room might be downright difficult to identify as accessible to the uninitiated.
But even an old school accessible room -- to my experience -- isn't so different that I can swallow the assertion that they go unrented in a high demand destination like Israel. If you needed a hotel room, you'd get over the accommodations for disability. The room would still have the decor of the rest of the place. They can still leave a mint on your pillow.
The article does say improvement should be on the way with enactment of a law requiring at least newer facilities to have accessible lodging. As that law grabs hold, the foolishness of comments like those above will truly come to light.

Photo of Hafia, Israel by Jim Arndt via morguefile

Hey! This will work great!

2008-04-01T02:00:00Z

It's always nice to find something that could be inaccessible, but has been adapted with consideration for people who have disabilities.
Likewise, I always find it to be a kick when you find something that has been adapted -- not necessarily for PwDs -- but it still works out well.
Our recent trip to the Key Lime Cove Waterpark Resort, discussed in an earlier post, included a surprise find of the second kind.
We are pretty familiar with waterparks. We once lived, for about two years, within 10 minutes of Wisconsin Dells, one of the prime waterpark areas in the country and probably the supreme waterpark location of the upper Midwest. Even after we moved away, we have continued to go back each summer for a weekend trip to one of the big waterparks with my sister-in-law and her family. Consequently, we have seen all kinds of evolution in waterparks and all that goes with them.
But we got a new surprise at Key Lime. At first we dismissed the utility of some of their double tubes, which had a bottom in the seat area of the front tube.
Then it hit us. That might be great for Marcus, our 15-year-old developmentally and physically disabled son.
Marcus loves the water. But usually at a waterpark, he has to be content to sit in the wave pool on the shallow end. (When he was younger we would double ride him down the water slides, but he's gotten just too big to get up all of those stairs!). He really loves the water, so he's happy to do it.
In the past we had tried to put him in one of the big innertubes that some parks allow in their wave pools or on their lazy river type rides. But the types without a bottom in the seat don't work out for Marcus. Eventually, he starts to fall through.
But not with these new tubes we saw. The seat bottom held him in the tube and even held some water in there so he was able to get a fully wet feeling. Consequently we could take him out into the wave pool and around the lazy river for the first time -- and for hours. He had a blast. Right now we're in the process of trying to get him one of these tubes so we can use it all the time.
Likely, the adaptation was not made with people like Marcus in mind. More likely, the idea was to provide security for little children. But who cares, it works great for Marcus too.

Photos by Darren Hillock

How accessible would a new resort be?

2008-03-31T01:53:00Z

In traveling and encountering varied levels of accessibility in lodging, restaurants and attractions, I always try to keep in mind the age of the facility. Naturally, you expect more accessibility in a newer facility. But sometimes you are charmed by the care taken with an older facility -- pre ADA -- that still has tried to make their place as accessible as possible.
What I haven't ever had the chance to do was visit a brand new resort to see how it has handled a modern sensibility to accessibility issues. That is until the end of last week.
We had a large indoor waterpark resort open about 25 minutes from our home. Key Lime Cove in Gurnee, Ill. opened earlier this month. We had seen the progress going on from the tollway and when we heard it would open in time for our spring break week, we thought why not get a few days away? Our family loves to be wet. So we made a reservation. Only later did it strike me that this would be a unique opportunity to see how a brand new resort might handle accessibility right from the start.
My quick assessment? Obvious care to make the facility accessible were evident throughout. Here's an off-beat example. Right by the front desk, there was an observation area looking out on the indoor waterpark facility. It was on a raised platform and I bet not too long ago it would have been accessible by only a couple of small stairs. But someone had the foresight to ramp the access to the platform. And the ramp was the only access, in a nice touch. Other high points included the roomy and handy family changing rooms off the waterpark area and that all parts of the waterpark area were accessible to someone in a wheelchair at least at the pool deck level. The bathroom in our room, not a designated accessible room, was better than most for us. Its use of a pocket door made it roomy enough that we could pretty easily help our son on and off the toilet.
Most of the disappointments in fact are just seemingly inherent in the design of waterparks today -- especially the inside variety. Water slides call for a lot of stairs. Some parks have ways to get the tubes you ride in up without them having to be carried, but I haven't seen that conquered with people who can't do all the stairs yet. Perhaps some day. Still Marcus was able to make very good use of the wave pool, which are a very handy zero-depth type design. In fact, thanks to one new device I will detail in my next post, he got way more use out of the wave pool here than usual.
Everyone has their own accessibility priotities, and you should always check out how your must haves will be handled at any facility. Still our experience at Key Lime Cove was very accessible. It gave a glimpse of what all facilities might be like someday.

Photos by Darren Hillock. Top: Key Lime Cove wave pool. Below: The ramp referred to in teh blog post.

The frustration of inaccessible accessibility

2008-03-24T07:44:00Z

One of the best experiences you can come across when traveling is accessibility where you might not necessary expect it.
Of course finding inaccessibility where you would expect it to be is a drag.
But there's a third category that I think is as frustrating or maybe a little more so than the second. That's where there's accessibility but it's just not accessible.
Let me explain.
The best example I can think of happened to us when we were visiting New York City as a family vacation trip a few summers back. We stayed in New Jersey and took the train into Manhattan. A great trip that the kids and my wife and I still have many memories. Frolicking penguins and polar bears in the Central Park Zoo, a great water tour including a waterside view of the Statute of Liberty, being immersed in the iconic Times Square and an extremely filling lunch at the Carnegie Deli (see photo below).
At the end of the day we headed back to our hotel. Our kids are swimming maniacs, so after dinner there was an obligatory dip.
The indoor pool was down a few steps, but no problem since the hotel had had the foresight to install a wheelchair lift. But when we went to use it, we found it locked. That meant a trip out to the lobby and cooling our heels waiting for someone to unlock it.
I asked about why the lock, and was told it was to keep people from using it who didn't need it. You know, joy riding kids.
Yeah but the problem with that position is that it kept us from using the equipment too, even though we had a bona fide legitimate wheelchair user in our party.
It didn't ruin the day (see joyous photo above of the three kids), but it was frustrating. This hotel had had the foresight to install equipment that made the pool area fully accessible despite the stairs. and then they basically eliminated that plus by locking it away.
You really shouldn't have to fetch someone just to get into the pool if you can't use the stairs. This hotel didn't make people prove they need to use the elevator. (and as a kid I had played in more than one hotel elevator) Why should there have to be a disability test to use the pool area lift?
If you ever find something like this, let the person in charge know why inaccessible accessibility is misguided. And if you're in the position of opening up accessibility at a tourist attraction, lodging or restaurant, remember that the key part to accessibility is accessibility all the time.

Photos: Top , the kids in aforementioned New Jersey hotel. Despite the hitch getting in, a good time was had by all. Bottom, some of our food from the Carnegie Deli. The sandwich shown is just half of my oldest daughter's salami and cheese. The slab of cheese cake shown my son pretty much polished off on his own.

Could snow help most see the need for curb cuts?

2008-03-18T01:47:00Z

I'm not a winter outdoor sports kind of person. Snow mobiling, cross country skiing or ice fishing are not on my to do list. So for me, lots of snow on the ground is basically just a menace.
I couldn't really think of much good that might come from all the snow we have on the ground in Wisconsin this year. That is, until I read this article regarding a drive to get additional curb cuts in the Orange County, Calif. area.
We have had so much snow this winter that in the mid-sized city where I work snow is really piled along the curbs of streets. It's not uncommon for there to be no good way to cross a street very gracefully at the sidewalk, because the snow is piled so high and perhaps hasn't been cleared by a property owner that well. Downtown, for example, lots of people suddenly found themselves walking in the streets rather than clamber up snow hills to use the sidewalks.
Hmmmmm, being forced to use the street instead of the sidewalks because of a physical barrier at the crosswalks. Sound familiar to anyone out there?
Curb cuts can be one of those things that the general public might just not appreciate the importance of for wheelchair users. But the snow situation here -- and I'm sure it happened elsewhere too -- is about the closet situation I can think of to drive the point home. Not being able to get to a perfectly fine -- and safer -- sidewalk because of a physical barrier that doesn't have to be there is frustrating.
Maybe the snow experience won't compel many able-bodied people to start up a curb cut drive. But maybe it will help more to understand the difficulty of getting around faced by wheelchair users in a high curb only environment.
That is, if the empathy doesn't melt along with the mounded snow and ice

Curb cut photo by Kenn Kiser via morgueFile.com

Web accessibility can pay off, says study

2008-02-29T03:54:00Z

This study, published by travolution.com, isn't exactly find the accessibility of some of the most popular travel Web sites in the United Kingdom.
In this case, these sites are being criticized for not having optimum adjustablity of fonts, mouse-free navigation and properly adapted or tagged photos or audio-visual materials.
Points well taken all. In the UK, new guidance has been issued for the accessibility of Web sites and publishers there will need to begin complying with the law.
These above shortcomings are important. But too many sites that relate to travel still don't even address accessibility of facilities in a meaningful way. By this I don't necessarily mean big travel portals. I mean just the ordinary sites for individual attractions andaccommodations. In this day and age when cyber space is cheap, it surprises me how often detailed accessibility information is hidden away or not even present at all.
Why is this? It just doesn't cost anything to add a page or two for accessibility info. It's not like in the old days of the precious space of a print brochure. You can put your accessibility info up and have it available for the customers that want and need it without incurring a great expense. In fact with the very likely case that accessibility info will in fact attract some customers to your business that wouldn't have come if they didn't know about your level of accessibility there's a very good chance it will pay off quickly
The study offers make this point eloquently:

"While this might sound like yet another expensive demand on your resources, in truth making your site accessible will make it more usable by everyone. If return on investment data from other sectors can be repeated in travel then the business case for making your site accessible to disabled people is compelling. Financial service provider Legal and General reported a 300 percent increase in take-up of one insurance product after the company made its site more accessible."

Web sites a great way to put up your accessibility info. Many places do, as I have mentioned before. And the Web is a powerful tool, as I wrote previously. I don't know how people planned vacations before them -- especially those with disabilities.
But there are still deficiencies.
Travel-related business folks, let people know about your accessibility. It won't take up much cyber space and it just might bring in some customers. No, it definitely will.

Photo via morgueFile

Washington accessibility panels law stalls

2008-02-23T20:36:00Z

Last week I posted about a bill , sponsored by state Rep. Deb Wallace in Washington, that would create groups in that state that would advise about local accessibility issues. The funds to support these groups were proposed to come from a steep increase in the fine for improperly parking in an accessible spot.

I shot Wallace a few questions about her bill via email. The following are my questions and her responses. If you thought this bill sounded promising, it did not have a happy ending.

Note that the story of this bill even has a travel angle.

dh: How did this issue come to your attention in the first place?

Wallace: Hi Darren, this issue was brought to my attention by a constituent who said they were not able to get into a hotel one night after they had made reservations for a wheelchair accessible room. The hotel itself was not accessible and the gentleman met with me to say he wanted to see teeth put into the ADA. That's when we began to look for solutions and we came up with this bill.

dh: How much money do you estimate the increase in parking fines could raise?
Wallace: The fees would increase by $100.

dh: What do you envision the Accessible Community Advisory Committees as doing?
Wallace: The committees would bring visibility to accessibility issues in a host of areas including reviewing local projects for accessibility, help businesses to increase their accessibility.

dh: What kind of chance does it stand for passage?
Wallace: Unfortunately, the bill did not get out of appropriations yesterday. We will pick it up again next session.

Thanks to Rep. Wallace for the information

Photo of state Rep. Deb Wallace courtesy of Deb Wallace.

Entrepreneurs with disabilities recognized

2008-02-13T03:13:00Z

I was having a conversation the other day with a colleague at the newspaper where I work about finding a niche and filling it being the key to entrepneurial success. When you look at how many businesses are dedicated to filling those niches -- no matter how obscure -- the mind can boggle.
Having an eye out for ideas that help the community of people with disabilities -- especially as it pertains to travel -- I was attracted to this article on communitycare.co.uk. It described the awarding of three honors to disabled entrepreneurs.
Take traveleyes as an example. This organization conducts tours for people with visual disabilities. To quote its Web site:

"Traveleyes is a travel company with a difference. We provide holidays for both blind/visually impaired and sighted travellers, journeying together in a spirit of mutual independence.....

.....and we venture to some of the most fascinating of world destinations."

I would think the market for people with disabilities is replete with great niche ideas. Any one idea might not appeal to a huge mass market. But if it fulfills a need , it can end up serving a very loyal niche. People with disabilities will need those specialized services sometimes. Be the one to provide that specialized service and you can count on a customer.
I salute these business people who are addressing the needs of people with disabilities. It just that much better -- but not particularly surprising -- that they also are of the very community they seek to serve.