The biggest problem with travel that is accessible is that it actually isn’t all that accessible. 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. Restaurants and restrooms, for example are simply not set up to allow for the maneuverability of a wheelchair. 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. There are many special needs bathrooms that are literally too small to allow a wheelchair to be manipulated 360 degrees to allow for full access to the toilet, door, and the sink. 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.  Otherwise, pleasurable travel for the disabled would become a reality.

Often those who need a little extra assistance while traveling are denied timely access to that assistance. It is common practice to place those in need of additional help in a corner and then a call is placed to that sector of the travel department. 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.

Moreover, the able bodied employees of the travel industry often do not think in terms of relative safety as it applies to the disabled. Leaving someone sitting in a wheelchair, tucked nicely and discreetly out of the way, can attract unscrupulous individuals who like to prey on those less able than them.

Also, all employees should be required to spend a day learning about the needs of their disabled customers. Often the travel industry is not very courteous, safety minded, or even aware when it comes to meeting the needs of those requiring assistance.

Traveling by car, plane, bus, or train should be an experience that is safe, courteous, and perhaps even right on the edge of pleasant. Yet due to underdevelopment of staff personnel and the poorly planned design of many of today’s accessible travel facilities there is little hope for independent travel.

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.