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This is brought to you by Chad with
"Follow Me
Outdoors":
Air Travel – Before we discuss the specific places we’ve been to, we should first talk about airline travel for wheelchair users. To give you some background on my personal experience, I’ve been traveling disabled for twenty something years and have been on at least 60 flights, some short one hour hops and some all-day marathons. I’ve been to places as far as the 32 parallel in Manitoba, Canada, as well as southern Argentina in South America. In all those trips, I have never had one bad experience that neither made me want to avoid airline travel nor stop flying all together. I fly mainly Southwest, Continental and Northwest, but I’ve used several others like Air Canada, Aero-Mexico, Air Tran, America West, etc., and I’ve been on every sized plane from the big 747’s to the little puddle jumping prop planes. Every case airline and staff was knowledgeable and ready to take care of me and my chair. I use a manual chair and it has never been damaged throughout my traveling career. * If you are flying with an electric chair, make sure you call ahead of time and find out what the airline’s policy is so you will be prepared. With an electric chair, there are a lot more things that can be damaged during the loading and unloading. When flying with any airline other than Southwest, I usually call as soon as I book my flight in order to get an assigned seat on the aisle and close to the front as possible. You will likely be the first one on the plane and the last one off, and you will be transferred to an aisle chair and taken to your seat while your wheelchair is loaded in the belly. (Note - On certain planes, I am able to roll up to the first row of seats close enough to transfer straight from my chair.) Pre-boarding begins 30 minutes before departure and you want to check into the gate 10-15 minutes before pre-board to get a tag for chair. I always have my chair brought up to the plane immediately after landing. Only once in a foreign country did I have to be taken all the way to the baggage area to get back in my chair. An important thing to know about getting through any airport is that there is no waiting in those long lines going through security. All wheelchair users and everyone in his/her party go through a separate line right up front. Often these lanes will be marked, but if not, the security personnel will tell you where to go and what to do. Site for rules regarding the disabled and airline travel. http://www.ilru.org/html/training/webcasts/handouts/2003/11-19-MS/382HITS.htm (Fun Fact - Best airports to be stuck in: McCarran, Las Vegas or Minneapolis-St. Paul International) Las Vegas - I think it’s only fitting that my first blog be about Vegas since I’ve visited this city more than any other destination. And it just happens to be one of the most accessible cities in the country, perhaps the world. The city caters to millions of tourists and takes great care of its disabled guests. By the mere numbers of disabled guests it sees every year, it would have to. When I touch down at McCarran airport, I typically get a sky cap to help get my luggage and help me into a cab. The sky cap service is the best way to go because they take you to a separate location and hail a cab for you according to your needs. And there are cabs in Vegas that have lifts if you need one. (If traveling in an electric chair, you should make prior arrangements to be picked up at the airport. Most large hotel casinos have an airport shuttle that comes equipped with a chair lift.) I usually get a SUV or mini-van type cab because I can transfer into the front seat and still have room for my chair plus luggage. All hotels in Las Vegas have accessible rooms. During most of my trips, I’ve stayed at Harrah’s, but I’ve roomed at The Mirage, Treasure Island, Excalibur, Luxor, The Boardwalk (no longer exists) and The Plaza (downtown). Granted, some hotels are better than others, some rooms have roll-in showers and some don’t, and some rooms have more open area than others, so you should search around if you have any specific needs. On one stay at the Luxor, the front desk even asked if I wanted a standard sized toilet or the taller sized one that can be difficult when using a shower chair. That was a pleasant surprise. On the subject of travel shower chairs, after several trial runs with lesser products, the best one I’ve used is the Multichair 4000 from NuProdx. It’s easy to assemble and fits in a small suitcase. Of course, it’s functionally sound as well. (To find this model, go to http://www.nuprodx.com/.) If, however, you want to rent accessible equipment while on your trip, here’s a link to accessibility info for Las Vegas. Scroll down to the middle of the page to find medical supply venders that serve the city. http://www.vegas.com/lounge/handicapped.html. The Vegas strip and Vegas downtown area is entirely accessible, complete with elevated walkways at some of the busiest intersections and cut crosswalks along the way. Most of the getting around I do when I’m there is either “on foot” or by bus; those two are the easiest and cheapest modes of transportation. There is also monorail system that runs along one side of the strip on the back sides of the casinos. To ride the rail, though, it costs $5 dollars per ride and it’s more of a hassle to get to the stations. I mentioned their bus system in the previous paragraph. Well, Vegas recently renovated its entire bus system serving the strip and downtown routes with brand new double-decker buses called The Deuce. And it’s one of the new amenities specifically designed for disabled passengers. Each bus is set up for efficient loading and unloading of wheelchair users. For just $2 a fare, they’re the easiest and cheapest way to travel up and down the strip or to downtown Freemont Street. Be sure to park next to the curb so the driver can see you on approach because he/she will be loading you before any passengers are let on. For more information regarding The Deuce, go to http://www.rtcsnv.com/deuce/. All Las Vegas shows and entertainment events are wheelchair accessible and very accommodating to special requests. When in doubt, just ask. For as with most everything regarding travel, it’s best to call ahead for specific arrangements.
I This site was last updated 03/25/08 |
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