SCI Forum Reports
Traveling with SCI
March 6, 2001
Lisa Anciaux, cruise and group product manager of AAA Washington, opened the evening with a discussion of cruise travel. "There are lots of things to do on a cruise ship. The food is absolutely wonderful, and you can order as much food as you want 24 hours a day.
"Entertainment is a big part of cruising. Many of the ships have theatres, Las Vegas-style shows, piano bars, casinos, and classical music concerts. Guest lecturers speak on topics related to the cruise destinations and ports of call. "In South America you might hear a naturalist, and in Europe, perhaps a historian," Anciaux said. Bingo is traditionally a very popular cruise activity, and there are crafts and activities for children. "Cruising is great for families because each person can pursue their own interests."
"One of my favorite activities is people watching. It's a very safe environment, and people are very friendly," she said. People who go on cruises year after year often "make lifelong friends, not just with other passengers but with the crew and staff as well."
"The best part is being pampered," she said. For people who think AAA is mainly about tow truck service and hotel discounts, Anciaux explained that it is the largest leisure travel agency in the world. "And you don't need to be a member to use our services. AAA represents all the cruise lines, and there are cruise discounts for members." (For more information about AAA Washington, call 1-800-562-2582 or visit the AAA Web site .)
"People with disabilities often wonder if they would be able to go on cruises," said Jennifer McCloskey, Manager of Access and Compliance for Holland America Cruise Line. McCloskey said that all of their ships are fully wheelchair accessible and have accessible cabins. Newer ships have more and bigger wheelchair accessible rooms. Even though ADA requirements do not yet apply to cruise ships, the industry has been gradually getting ready for that day. "All of our ships are being constantly refurbished and we incorporate accessibility changes as that happens," McCloskey said.
One of the main attractions on a cruise is going ashore to sight-see at ports of call. Usually a ship can pull right up to the dock for disembarking, but at some ports the ships must anchor several hundred feet out, and a small passenger boat - called a tender - ferries people between ship and dock. Until recently, these so-called "tender ports" were inaccessible because there was no way for people in wheelchairs to get in and out of the tenders. To remedy that problem, Holland America has started to equip some of its tenders with lifts. "That is a major improvement," McCloskey said.
Each major cruise line has a department responsible for assisting travelers with disabilities. "These departments can answer all your questions," McCloskey said. "Everyone has different needs, and cruise lines want to make sure every request is met, so we want to know your needs as early as possible."
Booking early is also important because "wheelchair accessible cabins are the first to be sold out." McCloskey said. "They are booking one year to six months in advance." Furthermore, "anyone can ask for an accessible cabin, even if they're not disabled. We have to sell it to whoever asks for it. And we can't make them move," if a person in a wheelchair needs an accessible cabin.
Anciaux identified three important steps when planning a cruise. "First, figure out what you want to do, and choose an itinerary suitable for you." Some areas and countries are more inaccessible than others, and there is no standard international definition of "accessibility."
"Second, find a qualified travel agent who is used to working with disabled travelers," Anciaux said.
Third, she urged people to visit a ship while it's docked in port. "Call the cruise line to find out when a ship will be in Seattle, and get a visitor's pass to come on board the ship for a couple of hours to look around."
For those who hesitate to commit to a lengthy cruise before they know if they'll like it, Holland America will be starting three and four day cruises out of Seattle in 2002."It's a good opportunity to experience a cruise and see if you like it," Anciaux said. "Not everybody likes cruises." (For more information about Holland America cruises, call 1-877-932-4259 or visit their Website .)
Barry Long was in a motorcycle accident 10 years ago that resulted in paraplegia, "but I got the travel bug right away," he said. "One year after the crash I drove with a friend to Mexico. Since then, I've been in 17 countries. In the beginning I traveled with a friend. When I got to Australia, I realized I could do it alone." He has also hitchhiked all over Scotland, Wales, and England.
Based on his many and varied travel experiences, Barry identified three important rules for travelers with disabilities.
Be the one in charge of yourself and your wheelchair. This means telling airport and hotel personnel, who "think they know more than you do," exactly where to hold the wheelchair, how many people are needed to lift it, what direction you want to face, etc. "It's easy to be intimidated by official people from the airlines," he said. "If you're in a foreign county, use sign language. You need to stop people in their tracks or you may be dropped or tipped over. You're the only one who knows what's right."
Likewise, Barry always makes sure his wheelchair doesn't get checked through to the final destination if there is a layover en route. An eight-hour layover without your own wheelchair is an unpleasant experience, he said.
Know your equipment. "Figure out what can break on your chair and bring extra parts," Barry said. He travels with spare tires, patch kits, spoke tighteners, and axles, but while traveling in Australia he broke the frame . "I took the chair to a motorcycle shop and asked them to weld it up," he said. "I got lucky."
If you need to have a part mailed to you from the U.S., Barry recommended getting it sent to a post office because they will sign for a delivery if you give them your name and tell them you're expecting a package.
Be prepared medically. Barry suggests carrying extra medications and medical supplies in case something gets lost or damaged. Based on previous experience, he now carries two kinds of topical creams for rashes when he travels in the tropics. As a last resort, Barry has even called his physician to describe his symptoms. His doctor has then called a prescription to a pharmacy in the country where Barry was traveling.
In spite of the glitches and hassles, Barry enthusiastically encourages people with SCI to travel. "Don't be afraid to fly because of stories you hear. It's usually harmless. We just have to pay attention to more stuff."
Charlene Curtiss is a dancer with paraplegia who travels frequently with her able-bodied dance partner Joanne Petroff. They have found that people will often address Joanne with questions about Charlene's needs, as if Charlene were unable to speak or answer for herself. To avoid this, Charlene makes special efforts to assert herselfby being the one who holds the tickets and by telling people clearly what she wants, how to handle her chair, etc."You have to make sure everyone knows you're the one in control," she said. "They'll rush you. The more I can slow myself down, then they don't rush me as much."
When booking flights, "don't let them book you with a half-hour layover," she said. "You're the last one off the plane and you won't make it."
"Make sure you're up forward (in the cabin)," Joanne said. "Get to the airport early, and go to the check-in desk. They can usually change to your seating preference."
"Insist that your chair be brought to you after the first leg of the trip," Charlene said. "You don't know if it'll be there at the end. What if you miss your connection? You have to make sure they get it right."
"You have to do a lot of teaching," Joanne added.
"Have enough medications and clothing to get you through" if luggage is lost or delayed, Charlene warned. "And don't let them take your valuables away from your hands, ever," she said, recalling the time a transporter driver insisted on tossing her backpack in the back of the van, only to have another traveler take it with him to another country!
"As a travel companion, try to keep track of your packages and which ones have valuables," Joanne said. "When you go through security, don't get separated from your stuff. Keep your eyes on it." Charlene keeps the absolute essentials, such as tickets and money, in a little purse around her neck.
Assertiveness continues when arriving at a hotel. "If you get to your hotel and your (accessible) room isn't available, insist they accommodate you at a different hotel," Charlene said. "Don't unload your luggage until you know your room is available. Don't bring your luggage to the room until you know your room is truly accessible. Check it all before you unload."
Even though it doesn't always go smoothly, "travel is wonderful," Charlene said. "Do it with a sense of being prepared and being flexible, because it may not turn out like you planned."
Aaron, who has tetraplegia, had advice for travelers using power wheelchairs. "The airlines are very concerned with batteries. There are two kinds - liquid and gel. I use gel when I travel because if you use liquid they want to take it out of the chair and package it up, and it takes a lot of time. I've heard stories about batteries not getting hooked up right at the end of the flight."
He suggested that people get to the airport early and smile a lot. "Check your chair at the gate, not at the check-in desk, or you'll be going to the airplane in their chair. Go right down to the door of the plane in your chair. You're the first one on."
Aaron travels with someone who knows his chair really well. "I take almost everything off the chair that will come off - head rest, arm rest, foot rest. I put it in a bag and bring it on the plane. I'll recline the chair all the way back, so it's as dummy-proof as possible.
"Make sure the pilots know your wheelchair is on the plane. They will radio ahead and have the ground crew bring it to the plane, not the baggage area."
Aaron brings tools when he travels in case something comes loose on his wheelchair. He scouts ahead for a wheelchair dealer in the area he'll be visiting - the hotel concierge can be a good resource for this information.
Members of the audience also shared some of their travel experiences and tips. "We tell people ahead of time exactly what's going to happen," said a man with paraplegia. "I'll say - my wife's going to do this, then you're going to do this..."
"They like that," Barry said. "Then they don't have to worry if they're doing it right."
Despite everyone's best efforts, equipment sometimes breaks during air travel. It's important to inspect your wheelchair carefully as soon as it's returned to you, a man in the audience advised, because it's harder to get compensation for the damage if you make the claim after leaving the airport.
If the airline makes you sign a disclaimer absolving them of responsibility for damage to your wheelchair, don't worry about it, Charlene said. "They're not legal. You can sign it and let it go. You can argue it later if they damage your property."
Resources
AAA Washington - 800-562-2582; www.aaa.com .
Holland America Cruise Lines - 877-932-4259; www.hollandamerica.com .
Books
How to Travel: A Guidebook for Persons with a Disability, by Fred Rosen, (1997; $9.95; Science & Humanities Press, PO Box 7151, Chesterfield, MO 63006-7151 tel. 314-394-4950; banis@banis-associates.com; www.banis-associates.com/books ).
Great American Vacations for People with Disabilities , (1996; $19.50; Fodor Travel Publications, Random House Order Department, 400 Hahn Road, Westminster, MD 21157; 800-733-3000).
Travel after Spinal Cord Injury (Factsheet 15), ($3.00; National Spinal Cord Injury Association, 8300 Colesville Rd., Ste. 551, Silver Spring, MD 20910; 800-962-9629; www.spinalcord.org ).
Easy Access to National Parks : The Sierra Club Guide for People with Disabilities, (1992; $16.00; Sierra Club Store, 85 2nd St., San Francisco, CA 94105; 800-935-1056; www.sierraclub.org/books ).
Magazines
Access to Travel , (six issues/$20); PO Box 43, Delmar, NY 12054; 888-439-4146.
Open World , (quarterly/$13 per year) SATH (Society for Advancement of Travelers with Handicaps), 347 Fifth Ave., Ste. 610, New York, NY 10016; 212-447-7284; sathtravel@aol.com ; www.sath.org .
Newsletters
Emerging Horizons , (quarterly/$11.95) C&C Creative Concepts, PO Box 278, Ripon, CA 95366; 209-599-9409; horizons@candy-charles.com .
Travelin' Talk Newsletter , network and directory, Rick Crowder, PO Box 3534, Clarksville, TN 37043; 615-552-6670; 800-365-1220.
Resources on the World Wide Web
Access-Able Travel Source , information for mature and disabled travelers, includes travel tips, cruise lines, tours, a bulletin board, etc., www.access-able.com .
Jim Lubin's Disability Travel and Recreation Resources - a comprehensive list of Web sites covering all aspects of travel and disabilities, including planning, foreign and domestic destinations, air travel, travel books, and more. www.eskimo.com/~jlubin/disabled/travel.htm .
Global Access : Disabled Travel Network has information about trips and accommodations all over the world plus travel stories submitted by travellers with disabilities. www.geocities.com/Paris/1502/ .
SATH (Society for the Advancement of Travelers with Handicaps) has travel and access information for people with disabilities and publishes the magazine Open World. www.sath.org .
Accessible Vacation Home Exchange for People with Disabilities is a free service connecting people who are interested in swapping homes with other persons with similar needs in other parts of the world ( www.independentliving.org/VacationHomeSwap.html ).
Travel Agencies
For listing of travel agencies that specialize in travelers with disabilities, contact Access for Travel, at 425-488-8297 or normanick@aol.com .
Travel and Tour Companies
Access Challenge is a wilderness backcountry hiking and camping experience involving able-bodied and disabled participants, sponsored by the British Columbia Mobility Opportunities Society (604-688-6464, ext. 101; bcmos@reachdisability.org ; www.reachdisability.org/bcmos ).
Alaska Welcomes You (AWY) offers accessible tours, cruises, accommodations, and activities in Alaska for travelers with disabilities (800-349-6301; www.accessiblealaska.com ).
Wilderness Inquiry offers canoe, raft, sea kayak, dogsled, and horsepack tours of wilderness areas in North America for people of all ages and abilities, including people with disabilities (1313 Fifth St., Box 84, Minneapolis, MN 55414-1546; 800-728-0719; www.wildernessinquiry.org ).
Accessible Journeys offers accessible holidays and vacations exclusively for slow walkers, wheelchair travelers, and their families and friends. Newsletter subscription available (35 West Sellers Ave., Ridley Park, PA 19078; 800-846-4537; www.disabilitytravel.com ).
Transportation Companies
Amtrak (800-872-7245; www.amtrak.com ) offers discounts and accommodations for disabled travelers. Call for information, reservations, and a copy of Access Amtrak: A Guide to Amtrak Services for Travelers with Disabilities (also available on-line at www.amtrak.com/trip/special.htm ).
Greyhound Lines, Inc. , provides assistance to people with disabilities, and allows personal care attendants to travel at no charge. For information, call their ADA Assist Line at 800-752-4841 or 800-345-3109 (TDD/TTY), 24 hours a day ( www.greyhound.com ).
Accessible Van Rentals
Rent accessible vehicles on your travels through Accessible Vans of America (800-282-8267).