Five travel tips for disabled travellers
When we’re on our travels I often ask hotels if they have specially adapted rooms. If they say that they have, then I ask them to show me. Many times, the room isn’t suitable at all for someone with reduced mobility. For example, we’ve seen so-called disabled-friendly rooms in luxury hotels where there are steps to get into the bathroom or shower cubicle, and WCs where the door isn’t wide enough for wheelchair access. Also it’s quite rare outside the Western world to see anything which provides assistance for a visually or hearing-impaired person.
We’ve also been to places which say that they can cope with disabled customers without any problem – by which they mean they’ll get half a dozen guys to manually lift you and your chair if necessary. Even if you’re prepared to face that discomfort and indignity, then ask yourself: how will you be able to go to the loo in such a place?
These days when so many things are booked via the internet, a lot of the time you have to rely on information from the venue’s website. And, believe me, some of them have very strange ideas about what constitutes “accessible”. Of course, not everyone has the benefit of trying before buying, but we at Can Do Can Go are doing our best to gather impartial information for you. As a sometime wheelchair user, I know what to look for and what is and isn’t manageable.
Let’s face it, we all have to make the best of things and improvise sometimes – but here are some tips which might help you.
1. Don’t take what a hotel website says at face value. They may have different ideas about accessibility from yours. Email them and ask specific questions. Are there steps to be negotiated to use the shower room? Is the shower located in the bath or in a separate cubicle? How wide is the room door? How wide is the toilet door? At least if you have this kind of information in writing from them you just might have some kind of comeback if they don’t deliver what they promised.
2. Remain flexible and be prepared to improvise. I ended up in a room which was not accessible for me in as much as the shower was inside the bath. I was walking with the aid of a stick at this time and climbing in and out of the bath wasn’t an option for me. No problem! I went down to the hotel’s gym and used the shower facilities there, free of charge.
3. Research information about the airport before you go. Most require advance notice to provide special assistance. In some cases it’s the airline rather than the airport who is responsible for providing such assistance. Plan ahead so you know in advance what you might have to face.
4. Know your rights. Disabled travellers in Europe, Australia, and America have some rights about how they can expect to be treated. If the airline fails to provide the service they are legally obliged to provide, then you can claim compensation for their failure. See this story about a woman who successfully sued Ryanair.
5. Also check beforehand how you will be able to get from the airport to your hotel. Are wheelchair-accessible transfers available? Of course it depends on your level of mobility, but if you are completely unable to walk then you’re going to have to make sure that you’ll be able to get from A to B one way or t’other. Mostly, I was able to hop (with a bit of help) from wheelchair to car but if neither of your legs work properly then you could find yourself with some problems.
I was crazy enough to go from Gozo, Malta to Caithness in Scotland – and back – without taking a single step. It worked out OK but with hindsight that was quite a reckless thing to do. It’s so much better to plan ahead, but don’t worry about it too much. There are nearly always friendly people about who are willing to help you unless – a personal gripe here – you’re a disabled traveller going through Edinburgh Airport. The ground staff at Edinburgh win the prize for stupidity and surliness.