Best of all, say users, a Segway, unlike a wheelchair, allows face-to-face interaction.

Sounds like a great, feel-good post doesn’t it? Maybe — but it turns out that the obstacles these vets face aren’t the ones you’d expect. Because Segways go much faster than a power chair and appear to represent a greater threat to pedestrians, many cities (liberal, people-loving San Francisco, among them) have banned them. So have other venues: Disney World and at least one Barnes and Noble store in Arizona, among them.

Disney’s argument seems to be that the scooters haven’t been certified as ADA assistive devices; it’s unclear how retailer objections will play out. A Segway disability-use permit — like the parking placards issued by every state — would seem to be a simple, logical solution to the question of identifying scooter drivers with a disability, but hey, I’m only thinking logically here. While the world sorts this out, riders might want to pack a doctor’s note and see if some courteous information exchange can get them to that latte.

Segways aren’s for everyone with a disability. Though they can be modified in various ways, their use depends on considerable motor skills, along with a dose of good judgment. (Speed is increased or decreased by leaning forward or back; forgetting this can have serious consequences.) Those who use them particularly cite the advantages of being able to travel upright for longer periods of time, and the ease of getting where power chairs just don’t like to go. There’s a certain cool factor, too. Unlike a power chair, they’re likely to inspire some admiring glances; this assistive device is coveted by people without disabilities, as well.

Segway image from Flickr

It’s a big hit. Pizza isn’t served at my dad’s nursing home — probably because restaurant-style food, as opposed to fast-food, is the preferred style. The local parlor has a friendly, welcoming staff, a side door leading into an infinitely re-configurable dining room, and ‘handicap accessible’ restrooms. Sort of.

The restroom door is wide, the bars are up, the towel dispenser is low enough to reach. There’s just one problem: Once you get the wheelchair through the door, it isn’t possible to get to the toilet. The open door is in the way, and it can’t be closed because the wheelchair, once inside the restroom, blocks the door. Oops.

How about a new mantra for the 21st century? Designers/architects/builders: try it before you sell it! Is this really too much to ask? Grab a wheelchair and see what it looks like from the user’s point of view. Is that so hard?

Image from Flickr

When the time came, we pushed the chair off along a path in the trees, and each of us stood at one end of the trail to prevent any stray hikers from happening upon Dad. He had privacy, no one’s sensibilities were offended, and we tossed the capped bottle and the used sanitary handwipes back into the plastic bag we’d brought them in.

Were there “accessible” bathrooms? Sure — port-a-potties, with a nice six-inch step leading up. No idea what the amenities were once inside, because no way a wheelchair was going to get there. The urinal worked just great, and was even better because dad is used to using it.

There are other alternatives, though. Long-distance private pilots have used the littlejohn (32 oz. capacity) forever, and, because the issues are different for women, there’s an adapter, the Lady J, which snaps on for the femmes among us.

Another alternative for women is the Feminal Female Urinal, but it lacks a cap, rendering it somewhat pointless for outings, unless there is certain disposal available nearby.

However, both men and women — nay, even children and the motion-sick — might be thrilled to find Travel John’s Disposable Urinals at My Pilot Store. There’s a good description of how they work on the website. They’re good for a couple of uses per urinal, and solidify the liquid immediately.

My mother-in-law found these in a K-Mart in Michigan; I couldn’t find them at K-Mart here on the east coast until I accidentally spotted them in camping supplies (not in the pharmacy, where I’d been looking).

Women might want to practice at home first, and a light lap robe or throw or shawl might be handy to preserve modesty. They come wrapped up neatly in a small and discreet package.

You able-bodied sorts might want to throw a couple in the glove box against the next 5 mile back-up on the way to the shore . . . could cut the misery level quite a bit!

My Pilot Store

Travel John

Female Feminal Urinal at Allegro Medical