On the Road Again
or
Bathrooms I Have Known and Loved

If you are driving, bathroom stops along the interstate highways (rest areas) are all handicapped accessible and have grab bars. Usually they are on one side and along the back of the toilet. Even back when I could still manage all the rest on my own, I had to take someone in with me because I needed a bar on either side to pull myself back up. That can be a real problem when traveling only with a member of the opposite sex. My hubby has been (nervously) in women's restrooms all around the country and I have frequented a few men's rooms too! Not a big problem getting the room to ourselves in small "one or two seaters" but in large, busy restrooms we need to recruit someone to stand outside the door and stop traffic until he and I get out. We have found it easier to stop at a small gas station. Even though the bathrooms are small and sometimes not handicapped equipped at all, it is still faster and less hassle than a rest area stop because they are usually single stall bathrooms. Some places are putting in a large "handicapped assisted" or "family" rest room. It is a single bathroom made specifically for those who need help from a spouse or opposite sex parent. Unfortunately, airports are not among those doing that. They are the worst places for bathrooms! When traveling with another female, we had no problems - a friend who couldn't lift me herself simply marched into the ladies room and announced "A man is going to bring his wife in in a wheelchair in a couple of minutes." We gave the uncomfortable ones a minute to clear out, then went on in while she informed those coming in that he was in there. No one even looked at us funny. But when traveling on our own, we made the mistake of asking an airline employee to do that for us. She said she would take me in. I refused that, not wanting the hassle of "training" a new helper on how to lift me. Then she said she couldn't let us go in together, but we explained that all she needed to do was stop people from going in until it emptied out and while we were in there. She agreed to that, but the whole negotiation took time - good thing our layover was a long one! (A worker at a mall once had us wait 10 minutes for a cleaning person to show up and put a "Bathroom closed for cleaning" sign outside the door!) At another airport I tried a different approach when told there was no "assisted" bathroom. I simply said in a mildly irritated tone, "Surely the president of Delta has a private bathroom in his office I could use!" We were promptly shown to a bathroom in a secretarial office. Not handicapped equipped, but manageable and private!

FEAR OF FLYING. . .

The MDA magazine, Quest has an excellent article on air travel for the disabled.  It covers much needed information on the hazards your wheelchair will face and how to minimize them and rather than repeat that info, here is a link to the article. http://mdausa.org/publications/Quest/q-curr.html 

My experiences with flying are rather limited and it has been a couple of years since I flew, but here are some additional comments:The problem starts the day you call for reservations. Travel agents just do not have a clue. Safe in their little office at the shopping center, they cannot envision the problems you will run into. First, ask what kind of plane you will be flying in and whether you will be boarded on the plane from a "skyway" - that tunnel thing you walk down to board - or if you will have to climb steps up into the plane. Smaller planes (even at huge airports) necessitate strapping anyone who can't climb steps onto an "aisle chair" (a scaled down refrigerator dolly with a seat!) and hand lifting them into the plane.  Even with larger planes where you can take a wheelchair down the skyway to the door of the plane , you will need to use the aisle chair to get to your seat unless you can manage to walk that far.  Only the largest planes have aisles wide enough for a wheelchair.  If your destination is served by a smaller airport, using an aisle chair is all but inevitable as few if any of their flights will be large planes. Don't take the travel agent's word for the type of plane and skyway availability!Call each airport you will be traveling through, speak to someone from the airline you will be flying, and ask them.  That is lot of extra work, but it is the only way to get reliable info.  Also, be very insistent that you be notified of any change in planes made in the weeks between buying tickets and your trip.  Even if you make careful reservations to assure you avoid smaller planes, be aware that a change in planes can be made after you buy your ticket or at the last minute if you have to switch flights due to weather or mechanical problems. If your destination is a smaller airport, you will inevitably have to fly on smaller "commuter" flights, and some of them cannot even accommodate an aisle chair. On a flight out of Flagstaff Arizona my husband and the pilot carried me up those drop-down stairs onto the plane and down the tiny aisle to my seat. That was really aggravating since I had questioned their ability to get me onto a small plane when I made the reservations. The airline had even called me back to ask how much I weighed (had to be under 200 lbs) and assured me that I could take that flight. I assumed they asked my weight because it would require lifting me in an aisle chair - they didn't say I would have to be hauled aboard like a slab of beef! I don't expect airlines to fly larger than necessary planes to small airports to accommodate me - that is not reasonable - but I do think I should be told what to expect so I can make other plans if it is unacceptable to me.When making reservations make a strong bid for a bulkhead seat. It is very hard to get in and out of an airline seat where there is no room for your assistant to get in front of you. The bulkhead seats have much more leg room and space to maneuver. You will have to be very definite with the reservations person about getting a bulk head seat. I have been told that seating was to be assigned at the gate only to arrive and find assignments made. I haven't figured a way around this - when and by whom these seat assignments are made remains a mystery to me. All you can do is get to the gate very early and demand, plead, charm, or look pathetic enough to get the bulkhead seat. Airline personnel CAN rearrange the seating assignments at their discretion. But if the only bulkhead seats are next to the emergency exit, forget it. Someone able-bodied must be put there to open the door. Even if your traveling companion is Hulk Hogan, they can't have your difficult to move body creating a speed bump during emergency evacuations!If you use a special seat cushion, you will want it on the plane for anything but the shortest of flights. Those seats are NOT well padded. However, using a cushion creates another problem for the short-legged among us; even though our feet may still touch the floor, sitting on a too-high seat cuts off circulation to our lower legs. Our legs are usually prone to swelling to start with and this can make them miserably swollen and uncomfortable. A carry on bag or briefcase can be slipped out from under the seat and put under your feet after takeoff. Usually the stewardess will not say anything unless it is turbulent. Always allow an hour between flights. You will be the last one off the plane if you need to use an aisle chair and they will want to board you first on the next plane. All that takes time and it also may take time to get a wheel chair brought around for you. (And see the info above on trying to use an airport bathroom!) Also, be aware that the wheelchairs provided by airlines are real clunkers. They do not have swing aside footrests or removable arm rests so if you need those things in order to use the bathroom, make arrangements to have your wheelchair with you at each airport along the way. This means you do not check it in as luggage. You stay in it until you are at your gate and transfer to the aisle chair. They then stow your chair for the trip in the passenger area of the plane or at least in the front part of the baggage compartment so it can be quickly retrieved and brought up to your unloading gate for your immediate use. With stricter regulations to prevent terrorism, airlines now ask for a picture ID when you check your luggage in. I no longer drive and so don't have a current driver's license. The last time I flew, they didn't give me any trouble over it. That may have been because it was a new rule at the time. I don't know if they have gotten stricter, so if you don't have a picture ID, ask what you should do when you make the reservations.

Check In Time . . .

Most US hotels have some handicapped rooms, but when you call for reservations, ask for details. "Handicapped accessible" means only that you can get into the room in a wheel chair. "Handicapped equipped" means it has grab bars and other things. There is no real consistency in what those "other things" are however. Some have high-rise toilets, roll-in showers, others tubs with seats, others only grab bars. (My "favorites" are the hotels that have a wonderful roll-in shower but no shower chair!) The person who takes your reservation usually has no idea that there is a difference between accessible and equipped. Ask for specific information!If you use a Hoyer lift to transfer from bed to chair and plan to bring it along, be sure to ask if there is space under the bed. Many hotel beds are built on box frames so the legs of the lift cannot slide under it. I don't really need an equipped room and even can manage in a regular hotel room as long as you can get a wheelchair into the bathroom. Ideally there will be room under the sink to get my knees under while seated in my wheel chair to wash my hair. If their isn't, it is possible but awkward to lean over the tub or toilet while someone uses a hose or the ice bucket to dump water on my head. We use a simple $2.99 hose that attaches to about any faucet (available in most stores, even grocery stores) to wash my hair and my bottom while seated on the toilet. Then I just have a sponge bath for the rest of me and I don't need to be able to use the tub/shower. "Have hose, will travel" is my motto but I have gotten by without that when it wouldn't fit the faucet. I also invested in a shampoo board (available from many handicapped/convalescent equipment suppliers) that allows me to have my hair shampooed while leaning back against the sink like in a beauty shop. It allows me to use a sink without space under it for my knees but I find it uncomfortable to do it that way. The shampoo board is fairly flat and packable but it is just one more piece of equipment to tote along.

Spending Your Money at the Tourist Traps . . .

Most US tourist attractions have some degree of accessibility. Disneyworld is supposedly a mecca for wheelchair folks, but I have read that there are no assisted bathrooms, just ladies and mens with the usual expanded-not-enough stalls. I was amazed at how much of Carlsbad Caverns had paved pathways. The Grand Canyon has paved trails around the rim. (Hideously close to the rim. There is something about sitting on the edge of the Grand Canyon in a chair on wheels that is really unnerving!) I understand that the Everglades has some walkways built out into the swamps so the handicapped can get an up close look. Buildings designated as "Historic" don't have to be made accessible, so those things are often out, but sometimes they have added a lift or ramp to get you onto the ground floor even though you can't do the full tour. Washington DC has many buildings that you will only be able to see part of (like the White House) but the subway there is very accessible by wheelchair. (Good thing - it is a city where parking a car is nearly impossible!) I was there about 5 or 6 years ago and at that time you could arrange for a handicapped equipped van to transport you and your party to all the spots on the public tour route - free! Quite frankly, I wouldn't trust most travel agents or government agencies to know what is accessible. Call the park or tourist spot directly. The same with airlines. (You can book through an agent, but discuss the size and accessibility of the plane with airline personnel.) There are travel agencies that specialize in travel for the disabled (should be some on the 'Net).