SCI Forum
Up, Up and Away: Spinal Cord Injury and Travel
June 14, 2016
Many people dream of traveling the world. After sustaining a spinal cord injury, that dream may feel out of reach. In this forum, you can learn how to keep that dream alive! Our panel of four intrepid travelers weaves a rich tapestry of travel throughout the world. They share their stories of traveling as a wheelchair user with SCI, their strategies for planning and researching trips, their tips for what to pack and what to carry, and how they go with Plan B when Plan A falls apart. Travel options have improved for people with disabilities, but the word “accessible” in the travel industry is still no guarantee that lodging, transport, or anything else will work for you. Whether you are dreaming of Moscow or Malibu, this video will give you new insights and ideas for making your travels successful and (mostly) worry-free.
Presentation time: 80 minutes. After watching, please complete our two-minute survey!
You can also watch this video on YouTube.
Travel Resources
Questions to ask Air B&B hosts about the accessibility of their accommodations (provided by one of our panelists): click to download PDF file.
Airline Travel Tips for People Using a Wheelchair (from Rehabilitation Medicine at Harborview Medical Center, University of Washington): click to download PDF file.
WheelchairJimmy.com: Videos, reviews and advocacy on wheelchair accessibility around the globe, by Jim Parsons, who has visited 40 countries in a wheelchair.
Watch the video of our 2011 SCI Forum: Travel after SCI: Finding your Comfort Zone
Disability.Gov
- https://www.disability.gov/disability-connection-newsletter-february-2016/ “10 Things to Know before Traveling”
Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation Travel Resources
- Traveling with your wheelchair: https://www.christopherreeve.org/living-with-paralysis/home-travel/traveling-with-your-wheelchair
- Confidently Traveling By Aircraft - Part One: https://www.christopherreeve.org/blog/confidently-traveling-by-aircraft-part-one