Merced River, California
Photo by: Martyn E. Jones (Stock Exchange)
Howdy, all! Hope today’s Disabled Travelers blog finds you well and raring to go. After our amazing five-part China access guide, it’s time once again to turn to the latest news in accessible travel. That means I’ve been scouring newspapers, press releases, and sites from around the globe to get you the latest. It’s a bit of a slow news month, but there’s always something to find in the wide world of travel! Here’s what I have to report …
In “almost news,” Monroe Travel Service – who we haven’t had the pleasure of featuring just yet – slips a little free advertising into the News Star, telling us a bit about the benefits of accessible cruises and what really seems like a full-featured, access-focused service to make those cruises a reality. For more information, bounce from the news article to the Monroe Travel website, which features all kinds of deals on Carnival Cruise Lines, as well as many other kinds of getaways to suit your interests.
For those local to the great state of California, you might want to check out Merced Travel, which recently appeared in the local Merced Sun-Star newspaper. Vacations Planned with a Personal Touch is a quick but intriguing chat with local travel agent Ann Baucom. Ms. Baucom really seems to understand the importance of arming disabled travelers and their travel companions with detailed, in-depth information on access conditions. If you like working with an agent face to face, she’s your lady!
When the weather warms up, it’s time for sports, and that always means high-profile wheelchair athletic events! Young Haitian equestrians are getting the chance to ride in Wellington’s Invitational Special Olympic County Games this year for the first time since the devastating earthquake in their country. Good luck to them! Over in California, at UC-Berkeley’s Recreational Sports Facility, the Fourth Annual Wheelchair Basketball Tournament took place last Monday without a hitch. This is only the beginning of the season, so stay tuned for more.
If you’ve been out of school for a while, it might come as a bit of a surprise that some of the hottest new “experiential learning” programs are those that take kids out to sea to blend learning and fun with the teamwork and dedication it takes to thrive out on the open water. Oliver Hazard Perry Education at Sea is one such program, and it’s recently gone above and beyond by appointing wheelchair-bound seaman Robie Pierce as its accessibility coordinator. Pierce will help ensure that the educational mission of the “school ship” is open to student sailors of all abilities. Way to go!
From the always insightful Peter Greenberg, Wheelchair Accessible Gulf Coast Travel is a good recent read. Though this is technically from February, those who’ve been with Disabled Travelers a while know this is an important subject for me: I’m a life-long resident of Florida who enjoys our great beaches about as often as I can. Peter gets down deep into the tricky challenges of finding just the right beach retreat for your access needs, plus offers his take on four terrific beachfront rentals. And, of course, if you’ve never seen Peter’s site, you’re in for a fantastic treat. There’s information there for every accessible travel need – so take a peek, even if you won’t be visiting the Gulf any time soon.
That’s it for this month’s Disabled Travelers News Round Up. Next week, I’ll be dipping into the mailbag to answer your questions. So don’t forget to tell me what you need: I’m always available at [email protected].
Until then, happy trails, and see you again on Disabled Travelers!
Si
