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

There are quite a few similar handles available, but this is the one I use. Here’s why: the grabber rotates 360 degrees. That means that I can always keep my hand where it’s most comfortable; it makes pulling my bags easy and pain-free.

Someone was really thinking when the attachment was designed, too: the hook and loop fasteners are on both sides of the bar that attaches to your bag handle. That keeps the TravelTow handle firmly in place, but allow you to rotate where you want it.

I use mine nearly everyday; one is attached to my rolling shopping basket. It works perfectly on my rolling computer case, too, as well as on suitcases.

TravelTow Handle Adapter by Lewis N. Clark; available at travel gear stores and various places online.

There’s also an “Other Factors” page with specifics covering basic information that otherwise might get learned the hard way. (Securing loose items, how to deal with trays, head and neck support, etc..)

Especially useful for those who are new to wheelchair transport, this website is also an excellent refresher course for the old pro. (Or for anyone relying on the incomprehensible leaflets that come with new straps.) A glossary page demystifies some of the jargon, and there’s a useful resources page, too.

Metal carts are easily found and quite common. They’re ugly, though, look flimsy, and aren’t particularly user-friendly. One inventive son came up with this attractive and practical alternative for his mother. The base is a rectangular wooden box with sides just high enough to hold the tank in place. Two sturdy dowels lead from the back of the box to a thicker, horizontal dowel which forms the handle. The wheels are on a simple axle.

The sides of the box drop below the platform so that the cart is stable when upright; it rolls easily whether pushed or pulled. Mom pointed out that the handle was the perfect height for a little support when resting, saying that it felt a lot like having a cane along.

GearAbility met up with the cart’s owner at a museum while she and we were milling about. The plan was to use one of the museum’s wheelchairs for the rest of the evening; because this nifty cart, oxygen tank and all, was light and small enough to fit in the pocket behind the wheelchair’s seat, her companion had no trouble lifting it and putting it in place. If Mom wanted to, transitioning in and out of the chair to walk a bit in the galleries was going to be easy.

A cart just like this one, or a variation on the theme, would be a fairly simple project for other handy sons (or daughters). The warm look of the wood and the attractive finish made it look more like an accessory than a medical device: Form and function!

Just about anyone with a disability will find something of value on this website. It’s not the easiest site to use, and the lack of a search box means that you’re pretty much out of luck if you’re looking for something specific. Don’t let that stop you from delving through the material, though — what’s written here is worth reading.

The website is divided into six sections. Click on Travel Reviews for continent-specific information and several reviews of cruises; the articles are lengthy and packed with useful details.

Travel Tips covers general travel information: Check out Wheelchair Beach Access for a novel — and surprisingly simple — solution to the problem of water access. Other articles cover tips for visually-impaired travelers; travelling with service animals and or oxygen; van rentals, taking wheelchairs on planes and more.

The Travel Resources section features extensive links and “Gimp” reviews, and the Photo Gallery offers a lot of visual proof that there are plenty of good reasons to leave home.

Travel Industry News is a little thin and, as on the rest of the site, the entries are undated; adding dates would be a good improvement and a fine way to let people know when a little more research might be advisable.

You won’t miss a lot if you skip the Bulletin Boards; the contributions are unmoderated, and therefore — predicatbly — full of spam and porn.

On his home page, Lloyd warns that “Gimp” is “updated as time and material allow”; he’s working on a PhD in English and is a little busy at the moment. If you have travel experiences to share, though, send them along — contributing writers are welcome to submit articles. No pay, but contributors “will get credit, prestige, a free luggage tag, and the satisfaction of knowing you’re helping the community of disabled travelers” — not too shabby.

The sling in the picture above (left) is quite similar to the one my dad’s automatic lift. The difference is that the Comfort Carrier doesn’t require a mechanical arm. If you’re in situations where there are usually two people available to help with a transfer, this is a far simpler — and much less expensive — solution.

It’s surprisingly easy to slip this kind of sling around someone — even if they cannot help to put it on. The upper part slides down the back; then the lower side pieces slip under the thighs, and then around and in front. It’s not necessary to lift off a chair to get the sling in place.

The website lists a phenomenal number of potential uses from the everyday (getting in and out of bed) to sports (transfer more simply to a kayak or canoe) to travel (trains, buses, cruise ships) and more.

If you regularly travel in several different cars, use taxis with family members or friends, or are travelling anywhere transport may be inaccessible to wheelchairs, this sling could make a whole slew of obstacles melt away. Likewise, it could be a very useful carry-on for air travelers; folded it’s just 10 inches by 11 by 3.

Using this carrier could potentially simplify an RV or camping trip considerably — possibly even eliminating the need for a custom lift on an RV, and making transfers around the campsite much less problematic. If a beach wheelchair isn’t the answer for you, the Comfort Carrier might get you down to the water with minimal fuss.

The company also suggests using the sling as an emergency evacuation tool — a way to get down stairs when elevators break down, or to remove quickly and easily to higher ground in flooding, etc.. People who use wheelchairs at work in situations where there isn’t immediate access to an exterior door on a ground floor might feel a greater measure of security if they keep one at the office — and make sure co-workers know how to use it.

Gimpgear’s Comfort Carrier personal transfer sling comes in two sizes, for people up to 380 lbs. See lots of testimonials and customer photos on the Gimpgear website.

Gimpgear? That’s right — ya gotta have a sense of humor. The self-described a C-5 quad who is president of the company marketing the Comfort Carrier obviously does.

It looks as if they’ve gone a bit further than that. Their website implies that they’ve not only done the ADA thing but invoked intelligent design. Not the creationist kind — the kind of design that is intelligent. Clicking on Specialty Travel>Travelers With Disabilities>Room Types not only gets you to a list of accomodations, but floor plans and virtual tours of an accessible bathroom and a double room.

According to the website,

Microtel Inns & Suites ADA-Accessible hotel rooms incorporate features such as:

• Two (2) peepholes on each door, one located 48″ above the floor, for our travelers who may use a wheelchair.
• Door locks on guestroom doors that are no higher than 48″ above the floor.
• Electronic door locks and door handles that can be operated with a closed fist.
• Guestroom and guest bathroom doors that are a minimum of 36″ wide.
• Closets with lowered clothes bar located at 48″ above the floor plus removable hangers.
• Switches that are located 42″ above the finished floor.
• Heavy-duty 8″ metal bed frames with heights not greater than 23″ from the floor.
• Desks with a minimum of 27″ clearance space.
• Remote equipped televisions with closed captioning for the hearing impaired.
• Drapery wands with a ring attachment measuring 4″ in diameter mounted on the lower end of the baton.

The list of bathroom amenities is impressive, too, as are the photos. The accessible sink enjoyed by the gent above is only the beginning; the shower shown in the still photos would do any private home proud.

Both Microtel and their extended-stay partner Hawthorn also offer a “Short Stature Accessibility Kit” designed for use by Little People, including “a custom stepstool, ergonomic reach grabber, door security latch adapter, extension or ‘push-pull’ tool, and specially designed closet rod adapter”.

“Compliance alone” is not enough, according to Microtel’s website:

We are currently the only hotel chain to offer Opening Doors® training for disability etiquette to ALL staff at EVERY one of our hotels. The Opening Doors program teaches hospitality employees how to be friendly and helpful to travelers with disabilities and also teaches practical service skills covering customer relations, operational procedures, emergency and safety considerations, and an awareness of “people first” terminology.

I’m not thrilled that I can’t get any idea about rates on the website without providing my name and contact information, but Microtel is theoretically an economy/budget choice. That’s a small quibble, though, considering what’s on offer — but I would like to know what it all costs. There’s a 10% discount for travelers over 50.

And, oh, yes, the entire website’s available in Spanish — click on the link in the upper right hand corner.

Berkeley, California resident Ann Sieck has a website called San Francisco Bay Area Wheelchair Accessible Trails, with a rather comprehensive listing of trails she’s either used herself with various wheelchairs, or which have been rated by other “reliable sources”.

Sieck’s reviews are intelligent and comprehensive, including information about accessible restrooms, turnstiles, transit options, available van parking and more, for parks and trails all around the Bay Area.

She provides ratings for each ranging from “AA” (“Excellent: ADA compliant or very close, with at least an enjoyable stretch of trail smoothly paved”) to “E” (“Too tough for me: if you do it and survive, please report your experience”). There’s also a “Not!” category, “suitable for Mark Wellman (the paraplegic who climbed El Capitan)”.

Also included is a page called Could you do it in a wheelchair? with a helpful discussion of potential trail conditions and obstacles. She notes that determining what’s feasible for any particular individual can be a bit tricky:

Having covered a lot of unlikely terrain in several different (but all standard-issue) chairs over more than 20 years, I should be qualified to tell you what a really inaccessible trail looks like. But what with paraplegic Mark Wellman climbing El Capitan, and the IBot, a wheelchair that can climb stairs, now available for the merest $30,000, somebody will probably prove me wrong. Still, judging whether a trail is potentially navigable by wheelchair is not rocket science.

Rocket science or not, this website’s a great resource; Sieck’s done the homework so that your trip can be enjoyable the first time out.

One caveat: The site uses Flash navigation, an unpleasant and unfortunate choice. People like me who find Flash to be supremely annoying will not be pleased by the contortions necessary to get through the site.

Photo: Ann Sieck and friend at Grant Park, from her website

I’ll be posting off and on about various things I saw, heard and learned there in the months to come. If you’re a regular GearAbility reader, you might have noticed that I’ve been posting a little more irregularly than is usual these last few days — I’ve been organizing the huge quantity of stuff I brought back. Fun, but a lot of work, too.

The expo ran for three days. I was there only on Friday, but the turnout was impressive. I usually prefer going on a weekday since fewer people do, and it’s often easier to move around than it is on weekends. By early afternoon, though, the show was packed. The number of people whipping around in wheelchairs was impressive — a much higher proportion of the attendees than I’ve seen anywhere else.

Usually, I drive to these events, but that wasn’t reasonable this time, since I was going on to New York, and nothing, absolutely nothing, could induce me to drive in Manhattan. I took the train up, and uncharacteristically didn’t quite plan the trip as well as I usually do.

At the station in Edison I discovered a depot manned (literally) by a cheerful Dunkin’ Donuts employee who didn’t speak much English and who had no idea whatever how to get to the convention center. None of the locals hanging around knew, either. All I knew was that it was seven miles away, but that didn’t exactly count as useful information under the circumstances. An errant cabbie rescued me, but it seemed like a close escape.

At the convention center, I discovered that there was amazing amount of courtesy transportation for people who use wheelchairs, including free accessible shuttles to hotels and buses looping from town to the center. It was rather amusing to realize that for once there were plenty of options for people who were using chairs and assistive devices, but absolutely zip for a walker coming in on a train. Impressive!

Even the courtesy shuttles didn’t go to the train station. But that made perfect sense, since there doesn’t seem to be any way to ride either New Jersey Transit or SEPTA using much of any kind of assistive device. Like stationmasters, conductors are scarce, and ramps and wide doorways non-existent. Unless your chair has wings, your chances of making it up the steps into the rail cars are just about zip. Heck, they’re difficult for anybody to climb, even with athletic feet and legs.

SEPTA riders who have disabilities are entitled to buy reduced fare tickets, but that’s about it, at least as far as the trains are concerned. According to the website:

The current fleet of regional rail cars can accommodate mobility devices up to about 27” wide and about 42” long

but I can’t find any information on the website that explains how anybody using them could possibly board trains. Haven’t seen any indications at stations or on trains, either, in spite of fairly extensive travel on various lines. Not that it matters, since most stations aren’t accessible, either.

According to a press release prepared by New Jersey Citizen Action , New Jersey Transit has its own issues:

Shonda Lewis, a resident of Newark who uses a wheelchair, boarded a New Jersey Transit train from Newark to Trenton in the summer of 2005 where the conductors made the bridge plate available for that purpose. Although Ms. Lewis advised the conductors that she would need that same service to disembark at Trenton, no conductor was present to offer that service. When her companion finally brought conductors to her car, they forcibly pulled Ms. Lewis and her wheelchair from the train.

and

On April 12, 2006, Tyrone Lockett, also of Newark, requested use of the bridge plate to board a New Jersey Transit train from Newark Penn Station to Trenton. The conductor refused his repeated requests insisting he could only get on the train with the physical assistance of the conductor.

and so on. The press release announces a lawsuit, filed in November, 2006. Don’t expect much — both SEPTA (beset by incompetent management and a history of fiscal irresponsibility) and NJT (the same?) — are running at huge deficits. Providing accessibility isn’t gonna be high on either agenda for a long time to come.

Image of SEPTA train from Flickr

Image of NJ Transit train from Flickr

This accessory connects easily and firmly to just about any suitcase handle using firm hook-and-loop tape attached to a bar. Because the handle has a 360 degree swivel, your hand pulls the suitcase in the most natural position possible — with your palm facing your side. It’s designed well enough that there’s no wobble once it’s attached, so the pulling motion feels quite natural — it’s easier and smoother than using the luggage handle.

Because the part you hold is a loop, this is a tool that might be helpful for people with some types of grasp impairment, too.

It’s large enough to fit just about every hand size, but not so large that it would be inconvenient to pack. I suspect it’s not too big to attach to a bag and leave in place while you travel. It’s sturdy, but not particularly bulky.

TravelTow Luggage Handle Adapter from Lewis N. Clark; available at luggage and travel supply stores, and online at Amazon and elsewhere.