Traveling when you have a disability can be daunting, if not down right impossible. Those with a mobility device, such as a wheelchair or an electric scooter, frequently postpone or cancel their travel plans due to the barriers that might occur along the way.
Jane Nielsen, a member of the CPD Advisory Council, tried to travel by plane with her power wheelchair. During the flight, it was shoved in the cargo bin and was pressed against something that held down the power control the whole flight and the hand control unit broke off. When she arrived at her destination, the motor had burnt out. She hasn’t traveled since.
Gordon Richins, the Consumer Liason at the CPD, often has to travel out of state for his job, and his power wheelchair has paid the price with several mishaps. Gordon’s philosophy is “Nothing can stop me!” so he continues to make travel arrangements and hopes for the best.
Personally, I am reluctant to make out of state travel plans that would require me to bring along my electric scooter, as I don’t trust the airlines to protect it from being damaged during transport. This is both a disappointment and a frustration, and reinforces my feelings of being “disabled.” Mark Innocenti, Assistant Director of the Research and Evaluation Division at the CPD, once said, “People are disabled only when their environment makes them feel disabled.” I agree wholeheartedly.
I wonder if there are others who have had similar experiences with public transportation, I encourage you to share your comments with us on this blog.
An organization located in Colorado Springs, CO, Meeting the Challenge, Inc. (MTC), is conducting a national survey designed to collect information from people with disabilities regarding their experiences with public transportation. The information gathered will be used to determine what barriers still exist in public transportation for people with disabilities and will be used to create Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) technical assistance materials directed toward alleviating those barriers.
This on-line survey can be accessed from this link at http://mtcinc.transit.sgizmo.com/. You can respond to this survey through March 31.