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| TRAVELING WITH DISABILITIES |
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Avoiding Emergencies If you're on any kind of medication that needs to be taken regularly, bring two sets and pack one in your carry-on and one in your checked suitcase. Pack enough medication to last a few days longer than you expect to be away in case of unexpected delays. Take your physician's phone number in case you need to have the prescription refilled or need advice in a medical emergency.
Take along a brief statement from your physician regarding your medical history, including such matters as traumatic injuries, the nature of your disability, allergies to medications, and current treatment plans, including medications.
If you are diabetic and use insulin, bring several unopened vials and store them in at least two or three places. This way you'll always have an extra supply if you break a bottle.
If you use a wheelchair, be sure to bring some spare nuts and bolts and specialized tools to dismantle it. Many parts can be easily fixed if you have the right tools. Longtime wheelchair users usually carry such tools in the tote bag attached across the back of the chair; when you're separated from your chair at the jetway to the plane, make sure the bag is securely fastened. Bring a set of fuses, too, as well as a spare tire and tube. (These items take very little space to pack.) When Emergencies Happen Bicycle shops can usually handle emergency repairs on manual wheelchairs, as well as on many electric-powered chairs. Wheelchair tubes and tires, without exception, are interchangeable with bicycle tires. You'll also be pleased to find that the finest bicycle tires are about a quarter of the price of wheelchair tires or tubes. Bicycle shops have another advantage over hospital wheelchair departments or medical-supply houses: longer hours, especially on weekends.
If you acquired your disability during military service, remember that you are covered wherever you go by the Department of Veterans Affairs, and that there are toll-free numbers in every part of the United States that you can call for help and information about medical facilities. Also ask the V.A. office that supplied your wheelchair for a Prosthetics Service Card, which authorizes immediate low-cost repairs and includes a claim number (or social security number) and a phone number to call for authorization of additional amounts. Make sure you have your card with you when you travel and that any traveling companions know where to find it. They should also keep a record of your claim number and your local V.A. in case of an emergency. Should you be hospitalized away from home, you or your companion should have the hospital call the nearest V.A. hospital within 48 hours of admission so the V.A. can authorize further hospitalization or arrange for your transfer to a V.A. or other U.S. government hospital.
You and your travel companion should know about each other's health and accident insurance coverage. It's best to keep this information in your wallet or in some agreed-upon location. It's also wise to leave this information with your family or friends. The importance of having adequate insurance to cover you while traveling cannot be overemphasized. Your policy should have no set limit on medical care and evacuation expenses, and you should not have to put up money to get immediate care and assistance. Health Insurance Keep in mind that U.S. citizens are not covered by Medicare outside the country. If you're hospitalized or need to be airlifted back to the States, your life savings could be lost paying the bills. If your primary coverage is under Medicare and you think you may be leaving the country, if only to cross the border into Canada or Mexico, be sure to take out some travel insurance. (Be careful of the so-called Medicare supplement-type policy; in most cases, it's tied to your Medicare coverage, which lapses for the time you are out of the States.)
Medical-assistance companies offer coverage designed to supplement or reimburse you for health expenses incurred while traveling; many provide emergency evacuations and medical referrals. Property Insurance Consider buying special luggage insurance, as airlines have limits on what they will pay when luggage is lost or damaged. Airlines will sell you additional coverage on wheelchairs or prosthetic appliances, but at very high rates. For about half the price, you can call your insurance company and ask them to add a rider to your current homeowner's policy for the actual replacement cost of such items. Nowhere in the travel industry is there as much confusion and outright controversy as over what constitutes an accessible room. Despite the ADA, each hotel seems to have its own definition of accessibility. Some properties, for instance, are accessible by ADA standards for people with mobility problems but not for people with hearing or vision impairments. Some hotels have kits that can be installed in any room, providing services to travelers with hearing impairments.
Call ahead and discuss your own specific needs. Make sure there's accessibility not only in your bedroom but in the bathroom and in the hotel's public facilities, such as lounges, parking lots, pools, and restaurants. If you make the reservation through an 800 number, consider calling the hotel's local number as well to confirm the information you were given by the central reservation office. It helps to get confirmation in writing.
Some hotel chains have made voluntary improvements beyond ADA requirements to assure that persons with disabilities have hassle-free stays.
Guests with Mobility Problems
Ask for the lowest floor on which accessible services are offered. In an emergency, elevators are often turned off and stairways must be used. Rescue teams can get you down more quickly from lower floors than from higher ones (of course, the views won't be as nice!).
Guests with Hearing Impairments
Guests with hearing impairments should contact hotels in advance about devices to alert them visually to the ring of the telephone, a knock at the door, or a fire/emergency alarm. Some hotels provide these devices free of charge. If you didn't call ahead, ask for this equipment when you register. If it's not available, discuss your needs with both the switchboard operator and the front desk receptionist so that a hotel staff member can personally alert you in the event of an emergency.
Guests with hearing impairments should also ask about the availability of telephones with volume control, TDD machines (Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf), television amplifiers, and closed-captioned televisions. Guests with Vision Impairments
The Lighthouse advises people with vision impairments to ask the following questions when making reservations: (a) if someone will be able to give you a tour of the hotel upon your arrival; (b) if there's an audiocassette describing the facilities that can be sent to you on loan; (c) if there are large-print and/or Braille brochures and restaurant and room-service menus; and (d) if there is Braille signage on elevators and doors, or if rooms have tactile (raised) numbers on the doors.
Once you've checked in, ask the bellhop to give you a tour of your room and show you anything tricky or unusual, such as temperature controls, room locks, and water faucets. Consider wrapping a rubber band around the door knob to your room to assist you in finding the correct door (and tell the cleaning staff not to remove it).
If you're bringing a guide dog, get authorization ahead of time and write down the name of the person you spoke with; some establishments still seem to be unaware that service animals must be allowed in hotels, motels, and resorts, and on buses, trains, and airplanes. The Office of Civil Rights, a division of the Federal Transportation Administration, monitors the compliance of surface-transportation providers with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. You can also seek help at the office's toll-free Americans with Disabilities Act Assistance Line 888/446-4511 (voice); 800/877-8339 (TDD/FIRS).
Air Travel
Most major airlines are happy to help travelers with disabilities make flight arrangements, provided they receive notification 48 hours in advance. Still, many problems can be avoided if persons with disabilities use travel agents who are familiar with the documentation they need to file in requesting special reservations. If you insist on booking directly with an airline, be sure to get the sine (the computer name used for identification) of the reservation agent, so you have someone you can refer back to.
If you request boarding assistance, you'll probably be the first passenger to board and the last to deplane. Be sure to leave lots of extra time between connections -- double the legal (or computer) minimum flight connection time, as a rule. A nonstop flight is always preferable.
People with mobility problems should request bulkhead seats (at the front of each cabin), which have more legroom. Try to reserve these seats at the time of booking; if the reservations agent says they're already taken, arrive early at the airport, go to the gate, and request a bulkhead seat on the basis of your disability. Personnel there will sometimes make the shift, but if you encounter resistance, ask to talk with the airline's Complaint Resolution Officer, who will often honor your request.
Try to use rest rooms in airports just before departure; they're usually far more accessible and comfortable than those on planes.
Passengers on major U.S. carriers are usually limited to two carry-ons. Passengers with mobility problems should note that their foldable wheelchairs have priority over other carry-ons in a closet. In addition to the two carry-ons, passengers may also bring aboard any crutches, braces, canes, or other prosthetic devices upon which they are dependent.
Passengers with disabilities should note that wheelchairs, spare batteries, battery chargers, and all other necessary medical supplies are not included in their two- or three-bag limit and are transported at no extra charge. Be sure that bags or boxes containing these medical supplies contain nothing else -- not even a novel or a towel to pack fragile items -- or the airline might charge you for excess luggage. Note that regular check-in luggage cannot, as a rule, weigh more than 70 pounds per piece or be larger than 62" (length + width + height).
If you use an electric wheelchair, outfit it with gel-cell batteries when you travel by plane, and remind the airline that they do not need to remove the gel-cell battery; airlines are generally required to remove wet-cell batteries from your chair and store them to prevent them from spilling. Bus Travel
On many routes, Greyhound allows a personal care attendant to ride for free with a disabled traveler who has paid a full fare. No advance notice is required, but certain routes and travel dates have blackout periods when the offer does not apply. Proof of disability is not required to take advantage of this fare. Guide dogs may also travel free.
Car Travel
During peak seasons -- usually in summer and over major holidays -- be sure to reserve your car well in advance. Some major car-rental companies are able to supply hand-controlled vehicles with a minimum of 24 hours' advance notice. Given a day's notice, Avis will install hand-controlled mechanisms at no extra charge. Hertz asks for 48 hours' advance notice and a deposit to do the same. National and Thrifty have hand-controlled cars at certain locations and ask for at least two days' notice to serve mobility-impaired renters.
Travelers with disabilities can also rent accessible vans from local dealers in several major cities and tourist regions of the country. Check local yellow pages under "Automobiles, Handicapped" or "Automobiles, Disabled Equipped." These local operations usually cost less than the national chains.
Rent a vehicle large enough for wheelchairs, walkers, crutches, and so forth. Even folding wheelchairs often don't fit into subcompacts. Collapsible lightweight wheelchairs do fit into most larger rental cars.
Wheelchair users will usually be happier renting two-door cars, which give you extra space to move between the wheelchair and the car seat. You can always push the seat back to get more leg space, but in a four-door car you're restricted by the door frame.
Drivers with disabilities should always try to carry cellular phones, even in a rented car. If you have a flat tire, mechanical failure, or other emergency, you can usually contact a road-service company or the local police at 911.
Carry a parking tag identifying you as a person with a disability and hang it on the inside rear-view mirror; it may eliminate tickets for improper parking. If you don't want to bring your own, a copy will usually suffice.
Drivers with hearing impairments should display a hearing-impairment sticker on their own cars and on rentals. It won't help you in spots reserved for travelers with mobility problems, but if a siren is ignored, the reason will be clear to police. Train Travel
Amtrak offers a 25% discount on one-way coach fares for travelers with disabilities who show written proof of disability. However, excursion tickets are often much cheaper than these reductions on regular tickets, so compare prices.
Reserve tickets at least 48 hours in advance to be sure of getting special seats and boarding assistance. Virtually all Amtrak trains have at least two accessible spaces and one accessible rest room. Larger stations have at least one accessible rest room, but some smaller, unmanned stations do not.
Unless you're traveling to and from major cities, travelers with mobility problems may have to depend on forklifts to get on and off trains (call in advance to make sure the lifts are waiting for you). To make matters worse, there are often no dining facilities that passengers with mobility problems can reach, so be prepared to bring your own food.
Passengers with hearing impairments should arrange for conductors to notify them when their station is near. Passengers with visual impairments may be able to arrange for a porter to take them to rest rooms and dining cars; they should not attempt this alone, as the noise of the train can be disorienting. They should also be aware that canes and the toes of guide dogs can get trapped in the sliding floor plates between cars. Guide dogs travel free and may accompany passengers in the same car.
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TOLL FREE Live Assistance (24 hrs a day Mon-Sun) Hotel or Resort Reservations: 1-800-297-5695 Vacation Rental Reservations: 1-800-713-7682 In Europe 0-800-11-20-11-40 2003-2007 TravelDealsUnlimited.com Reproduction Strictly Prohibited. FAQ |