Here is a round-up of the latest news in the world of wheelchair travel, including an urban planning magazine taking accessibility seriously, a podcast interview featuring yours truly, airlines failing passengers and more.
Accessible travel news from around the web:
- Inclusive mobility on the cover of Planning Magazine — Steve Wright’s article on accessible transportation, universal design and the experiences people with disabilities have in getting around their communities was the cover story in February’s issue of Planning Magazine. I was happy to be one the sources referenced in the article.
- Wheelchair user sleeps on airport floor — The Daily Mail reported that the Parry family and son Scott (who has cerebral palsy) were forced to fend for themselves in the airport after Thomas Cook Airlines canceled their flight. Scott was forced to sleep on the floor of the airport and no hotel accommodation was offered. Do they have reason to be upset with the airline or no? Read the article and discuss in the comments below.
- I was interviewed on Episode 47 of ZorkCast! — I joined my friend and TravelZork founder Michael Trager on his podcast to talk about accessible travel, Las Vegas and the ZorkFest conference happening Memorial Day weekend.
- United flies blind passenger to Colorado instead of North Carolina — Maria Larios was traveling from El Salvador to Raleigh, with a connection in Houston. She had requested wheelchair assistance because she is elderly, partially-blind and does not speak English. Somehow, she was given the wrong boarding pass and sent on a flight to Denver instead. The airline apologized, offered a refund, gave her a meal voucher, rebooked her to Raleigh and provided a future travel credit. I hope the airline is taking the matter seriously and working with their assistance contractor to ensure this never happens again.
- AA pilot says new lavatory design is ‘The Most Miserable Experience in the World’ — In this edition of “Able-bodied Problems,” an American Airlines pilot takes on an executive, complaining about the shrinking size of lavatories on the carrier’s brand-new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Lost in the discussion are passengers with disabilities. Even at standard size, the lavatories are not accessible to aisle wheelchair users. And we’ll be flying on this plane for up to 5 hours (or longer), unable to pee.
Check back every couple of weeks for the latest roundup of accessible travel news. Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Twitter to catch all the latest updates!
Feature image courtesy View from the Wing/Gary Leff.
