DisabledTravelers.com Travel Blog

New York City could soon be more accessible than ever ... and YOU can help!
Photo by: clemmesen (Stock Exchange)

Howdy, all! On today’s Disabled Travelers blog we’re going to take a look at some of the news items about disabled travel that popped up while I was on hiatus. After that, I’d like to share some information about my recent travels and close by asking YOU, the viewer, to help me decide what to cover next in the blog. After all, the holidays are coming and some of the busiest travel times are right around the corner. How can I help you make the most of your trip? We’ll talk about this and much more in today’s edition.

Some of the Latest News on Disabled Travel Around the World

A lot happened in the wide world of disability travel while I was away: both good news and not so good news. From Examiner.com, a controversy is brewing over New York City over the Taxi of Tomorrow initiative. This program is intended to select a modern, purpose-built taxi to eventually take over the entire New York fleet. The fleet currently stands at 13,000 cars, but only about 240 can accommodate wheelchairs!

This is a big deal, and not just for New Yorkers: millions of travelers visit NYC every year! But don’t fret; there’s still a chance that, with a little more attention and effort, the “taxi of the future” will be more accessible than ever. Want to help? The Taxi and Limousine Commission wants your feedback on the Taxi of Tomorrow, so go ahead and write in! You won’t regret it, and I’ll be sure to update when the final design is unveiled!

One of the most challenging parts of travel for any wheelchair user is ensuring the well-being of your chair, particularly if you use an electric wheelchair. Exciting news out of the United Arab Emirates: a solar-powered wheelchair broke a distance record, taking a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest motorized wheelchair journey after traveling just under 900 miles across part of the desert country. The new record holder, Mr. Haidar Taleb, has suffered from polio since age four. Though his chair was custom-designed for the race, could mass production be far behind?

Traveling in the UK? Throughout England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, trains are ubiquitous. In fact, it’s possible to travel the length of Britain and arrive in Scotland in as little as two hours by means of the national rail system. But not all trains are created equal: and if you’re thinking about visiting Wales, you might want to look at other transit options. A recent BBC report revealed trouble on the trains for wheelchair users in Wales. The expose was conducted by Simon Green, chairman of the Bridgend Coalition of Disabled People. Green’s work has elicited comment from the local rail authority, which claims to be spending 85 million pounds to improve their stations in Wales.

Your Turn: A Peek at the Future of the Disabled Travelers Blog

I’ve been going through your recent comments and I’m very happy to see so many of you are interested in seeing our blog keep rolling along! I’d especially like to mention a comment from Catherine, who shared her new blog about holidays for the disabled. Great work, Catherine! I hope you’ll keep it up. I was also asked some great questions; I’ll talk more about Rebecca’s query, which places I’ve found easiest to travel, at length in a future post. For now, I’d like to mention my upcoming travel plans.

My last big trip was the European holiday I discussed a bit on the blog, taking in London, Berlin, Stockholm, and Krakow. Recently, I got to enjoy a great trip to Mission Bay in San Diego, which really opened my eyes to the terrific vacation opportunities there! My next “big” adventure is quite a while in the future, and I’ll be visiting Monaco, which I talked about in a previous post. With luck, some of my good friends will be joining me – but it’s a BIG excursion for such a tiny country, so it won’t be for quite a while!

Now that we’re back, I’d like to hear from you. Where have YOU found the best travel opportunities? Disabled hotels? Places to enjoy – or avoid? And just as importantly, what would you like to see me do next with the blog? I look forward to hearing from you, and hope to visit with you again next week …

Si