Vacation Home Rentals

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on May 9

Many of us long for the opportunity to travel. We crave the thrill of going to new places and seeing new things. Thanks to modern technology, travel is faster and easier than it ever was in the past. Choose how you want to travel, buy a ticket and just head out. For those will disabilities, though, accessible travel to New York has, sometimes, been a problem.

Disabled persons must put a lot more thought into their travel plans. Those who require special accommodations have to choose carefully. They do not want to end up going somewhere and finding out they cannot enjoy their destination. Some have been so disappointed that they have given up travel, altogether.

Transportation and accessibility issues can take all the fun out of a vacation. Attractions have to be able to accommodate those in need. Some buildings that are under legal exemptions are just not enjoyable.

While some companies, such as those that run airlines, have become helpful, some still are not. Your airline can provide a wheelchair and other assistance to help you. Some modes of transportation, such as trains and buses can be more problematic. The small cramped aisles are very hard to negotiate in wheelchairs or using walkers.

Thankfully, there are some organizations that have made it their sole purpose to help. There are many great resources available to help you with the information you need. All you need is an internet connection or someone that can help you, and you can easily find many. Most of them also put a lot of time in to helping making people aware that disabled travelers need assistance.

Disabled Travelers, Accessible Journeys, SATH and Emerging Horizons are all great resources. They keep up to date databases of information for all types of disabled voyagers. You can find out the best places to stay in New York that are easy for you to access. They can let you know what attractions are the best suited if you are in a wheel chair or need to use a cane.

Letting some places know of your needs, ahead of time, can be a real boon. You airline will have a gate agent and wheelchair waiting if you need it. There is no need to sit home any longer and not enjoy yourself. Accessible travel to New York is no longer just a dream.

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Apr 22

Accessible wheelchair travel is becoming a lot less complicated nowadays as the majority of sectors are now fully geared to disabled or mobile impaired people. The use of travel wheelchairs is much greater as there are fewer obstacles put in the way of the disabled traveler.

There are almost as many different types of wheelchair as there are different types of  disability. Today many disabled people want their independence. Many disabled people will  have limited mobility or will want to travel unaccompanied and for these people a light  wheelchair is a must. Walking long corridors such as from airport check in desks to airplane  departure gates can become a massive problem for those unable to walk huge distances, but  with the purchase of a wheelchair this problem is easily overcome, and the wheelchair is  easily stored on arrival.

A typical lightweight travel wheelchair weighs no more than 10kgs and is a great way of traveling because they can be stored in extremely small spaces, such as the boots of even small cars. They can be reassembled very quickly and safely by almost anyone.

Something that is even more amazing is that these lightweight wheelchairs can hold the same weight as a conventional wheelchair. For those that do have partial mobility they will often keep a lightweight wheelchair in the boots of their cars just in case they decide they will be unable to manage a trip that they may have planned.

Most forms of transport are now available to disabled travelers. This is due to two facts.  Most forms of public transport have specially adapted seats near entrance and exit doors  reserved for the disable and elderly and accessible storage for wheelchairs. The wheelchairs  are so light that they may easily be stored. Easy access to public transport means that the  chair user is much more able to travel to different places without fear of being stranded.

Technological advances have seen the most important part of lightweight wheelchairs, the weight, be reduced in recent years. One of the lightest wheelchairs on the market today weighs in at around 6kgs! This is because the framework of the chair is an aluminium alloy. The wheelchair is so sturdy that it can take the weight of someone weighing 90kgs. It is also extremely portable and has all the extras that you would expect of a more standard model (such as breaks and foot rests).

All over the world cities, towns, hotels and tourist attractions are assisting wheelchair bound or mobility impaired people. Disabled people are no longer locked into their own homes because they do not have the equipment to travel freely. Lightweight travel wheelchairs have changed so much in recent years that they are now cheaper and much more affordable. Ten years ago no one would ever have dreamed that a wheelchair would weigh only 10kgs.

posted by Vacation Home Rentals on Apr 3

There is a need for some serious revamping of what we call accessible travel in this country. Anyone facing a disability is going to require a little more effort on behalf of those around them to get from point A to point B. It is painfully clear that the laws on accessible travel require the appropriate access but there really isn’t much to require that the accessibility is maintained to any functional standard.

The biggest problem with the travel industry is that the disability access areas are designed by able bodied people. Something relatively simple like making sure the doors are light enough to be opened by someone in a wheelchair is overlooked by the able bodied designer.  Something as simple as that could truly help make travel for the disabled more of a reality.

Handicapped accessible cruise ships have been cited for not having the ability to allow wheelchair bound guests to open the doors. In fact, many of the doors are so heavy that those who are assisting the disabled have difficulty getting the wheelchair through the door. Airports require people to wait excessively long periods of time when a wheelchair is required and cab companies will leave those same people waiting for an additional 30, 45, 60 minutes or more while waiting for the one access friendly van to come which has often been dispensed by the parent company.

What the travel industry really needs is to gather real life experience from those who have tried to navigate an airport or train station while disabled. This should come in two forms. The first is to ask those who face the disabled life on a daily basis how to make things easier for them. You would be surprised at the insight available by just going to the source.

If employees of the airports, train stations, and cab companies were all required to spend just a few days in a wheelchair navigating the area without assistance there might be some valuable insight gained. We need to stop hiding elevators at the far corners of the buildings and start  recognizing that the disabled have regular needs as well.

Something as simple as requiring assistance for refueling at a gas station often becomes a compromised situation. Read the fine print of the assistance sticker and it is made clear that if there is only one person on duty those needing assistance will not be helped. Requiring those  with special needs to wait for the simple things is not only insulting, but it can in fact  be dangerous.

Access should be easy enough to get to that those with all kinds of disabilities should be able to travel without the need for extra assistance that they would not normally require. Management of travel facilities can play a huge role in creating the safe and user friendly environment that is required not only by law, but by the state of consciousness.