Friday, July 3, 2009

Debunking Myths About Accessible Travel

~ Expert Debunks Myths About Accessible Travel

By Candy Harrington


With the evolution of the internet, information is just a few mouse clicks away. That includes information about accessible travel. An although the internet is a great tool for disabled travellers, there’s also a lot of misinformation circulating on-line. And that can be a very dangerous thing.


Says Candy Harrington, author of Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, “I get a lot of mail from readers who have relied on misinformation they found on-line. When all was said and done, they later discovered it was just someone’s incorrect interpretation of the law. For example, wheelchair-users don’t get automatic upgrades to first-class, nor are they always entitled to bulkhead seating on airplanes.”


In the end, just because someone types it, doesn’t mean it’s true. With that in mind, here are some examples of accessible travel misinformation that Candy recently spotted on-line.


Myth: The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the law that covers air travel for disabled passengers.

Fact: The Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which actually predates the ADA, covers airline and aircraft accessibility. The ADA does not.


Myth: Companions of disabled passengers are entitled to free flights under the ACAA.

Fact: Airline personnel can require a passenger to travel with a “safety assistant” if they feel the passenger cannot adequately assist with his or her own emergency evacuation. The cabin crew however, usually designates another paying passenger or an off-duty crew member to act in this capacity.


Myth: Wheelchair-users are guaranteed bulkhead seating on airplanes.

Fact: Under the ACAA, people with a fused leg and those who travel with a service animal are the only passengers guaranteed bulkhead seating.


Myth: You don’t need to make advance arrangements for accessible rooms.

Fact: Truthfully you don’t need to make reservations for any hotel room; however that doesn’t mean you will have a room when you arrive. The same goes for accessible rooms. The only way to ensure your room will have the access features you need, is to make an advance reservation. In practice, only a small portion of hotel rooms have access features.


Myth: Making a reservation at a property assures you that the accessible room will be there when you arrive, because you have guaranteed it with your credit card.

Fact: Guaranteeing a room with your credit card only locks you in on a specific rate. Blocking a room sets aside a specific room for a specific guest on a specific date. All accessible rooms need to be blocked.


Myth: All accessible guest rooms have roll-in showers.

Fact: In the US, only hotels with over 50 rooms are required to have accessible guest rooms with roll-in showers. Those with under 50 rooms are merely required to have tub/shower combinations with grab bars.


Myth: All hotels have to have shuttles that are wheelchair-accessible.

Fact: If a hotel provides free airport transfers, they must also provide accessible transfers at no charge. They don’t have to own their own accessible vehicle though. They can contract out the service, but they cannot charge extra for it.


Myth: Cruise ships have to be accessible under the ADA.

Fact: Even though the Supreme Court ruled that the ADA applies to foreign-flagged cruise ships that call on US ports, we still don’t have any specific access guidelines for them. Those are being sorted out by the US Access Board and the Department of Transportation (DOT). For now, all the access modifications the cruise lines have made, have been completely voluntary.


Myth: The ship-sponsored shore excursions on most cruises are usually accessible.

Fact: In order to take most ship-sponsored shore excursions you have to be able to walk a few steps and climb up into a bus. Most of the ship-sponsored tours do not include accessible transportation. The exception is in Alaska, but you have to specifically request an adapted vehicle there, even on tours that are designated as “accessible”.


Myth: Theme parks let wheelchair-users go to the front of the line so they don’t have to wait.

Fact: In some cases, disabled guests are allowed to access certain attractions through the exit, because it’s more accessible. The newer rides and attractions are being built with accessible entrances, so this alternative access is no longer required. This accommodation was never meant as a line-cutting privilege, as everyone has to wait at theme parks. The goal is to have all guests access the attractions through one integrated (and accessible) entrance.


Barrier-Free Travel; A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, is available from your favourite bookstore or at www.BarrierFreeTravel.net. Candy Harrington also blogs regularly about accessible travel issues at www.BarrierFreeTravels.com.


Image courtesy of Global Access News…

Thursday, July 2, 2009

In Review: Knopf MapGuide: New York

~ When I travelled to New York in the spring of 2008, for the start of my two month stay, I had several ‘indispensable’ guide books in my suitcase, but it didn’t take long before one small book proved to be the most indispensable of all.
Alfred A. Knopf/Random House, produce a series of city specific “MapGuides” (as they call them), that are compact, filled with information, illustrated with large, fold-out, easy to read maps, and which just as importantly, are very lightweight.

The New York MapGuide runs to just 48 pages, but don’t let that put you off. The designers of these little books have managed to pack a wealth of information into those pages that other publishers would do well to make note of.

You begin with an opening fold-out map of New York which helps you visualise the eight large districts the guide is divided into. At the end of the MapGuide are another four pages of valuable information, handy tips and useful address.

The eight districts with their accompanying fold-out maps are:
  1. Downtown
  2. Lower East Side and East Village
  3. SoHo, Greenwich Village, Chelsea and TriBeCa
  4. Midtown East
  5. Times Square and the Theatre District
  6. Upper East Side
  7. Upper West Side, and finally
  8. Central Park and Harlem.
For each district there is a double-page of addresses listing restaurants, cafés, bars, music venues and shops, followed by a fold-out map for the relevant district with essential attractions and places of interest to see. While the shops, attractions and places of interest are by no means the only ones on offer in New York City, all the main buildings and attractions are listed in the guides or marked on the maps.

The last fold-out consists of transport maps for the Manhattan subway system and Manhattan’s bus services, and four pages of information that include a selection of hotels ranging in price from $70 up to $300 and over.

What I also like about the MapGuide is that despite the brevity of the entries, they still manage to pack all the essential information you need into the space allocated for them – as this entry for the Woolworth Building shows:

Woolworth Building, 233 Broadway (Barclay St). Commissioned by Frank Woolworth for his company headquarters, this building is as big as the empire he create. In 1909 the five-and-dime-store king purchased a piece of land on Broadway and paid for his skyscraper in cash. Four years later the tallest building in the city was opened: an enormous 60-story (792-ft) Gothic structure with a Latin cross-shaped lobby, marble walls, Byzantine-style mosaic ceilings – everything here exalts the virtues of work and prosperity. (New York MapGuide, 2006, Ed.)

There you have it. An encapsulated history of the Woolworth Building in just 79 words and numbers! We learn who commissioned it and when, how long it took to complete and how it was paid for, how tall it is and even something about the architecture and design features of the building. Concise writing at its best.

To complete this small and incredibly useful package, the MapGuide has a Thematic Index. That is, an index listing all the sites and addresses in the guide by theme. This makes it very easy to find restaurants for example, or museums or parks and gardens.

As already noted, this slim guide weighs next to nothing, fits easily into a handbag, backpack, or coat pocket, is easy to use and nowhere near as conspicuous as fighting with the large fold-out Manhattan maps that many visitors seem to struggle with. Nor do you have to lug around large, heavy guide books filled with hundreds of pages of tightly packed information.

As long as you have done the bulk of your research and reading utilising larger publications before your New York visit, and assuming you already know what you want to see in New York City when you set out each day, the New York MapGuide should be all you need to get you through the day in that magnificent metropolis.

Highly recommended.

Note: The above review and quote is based on the 2006 edition of the New York MapGuide.
Click here to buy the 2009 edition of the Knopf MapGuide: New York (Knopf Mapguides).

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

New York City for Kids

~ 10 Kid Friendly Places to Visit in New York City at a Bargain Or Free
By Shreejana Hickman


1. Bronx Zoo: If you are a Bank of America (BOA) customer and have a BOA ATM, Debit or Credit Card, you get free admissions on the first weekend of every month. Also on Wednesdays throughout the year admissions is pay as you wish or you just give a donation. You may have to pay for separate exhibits. It is one of the biggest zoos that we've been to.


2. Toys r Us: This 3 story toy heaven is right in the heart of Times Square. There is also a Ferris wheel ride inside the store! The kids can sit in their favourite seat on the wheel: a cosy coupe, school bus, or pink Barbie Cadillac, Cars. You can also go to FAO Schwarz. This huge 50,000 square feet Toy store is located at 5th Avenue -58th Street, and is a NYC landmark. The giant Bobby the Toy Soldier by the entrance is very welcoming, and a great photo opportunity. They have lots of interactive activities including a dance - on piano; the same one Tom Hanks danced on, in the movie Big.


3. Brooklyn Botanical Garden: There is a free program on Saturdays from 10-12, if there are no special events going on. Children under 12 are always free.


4. NY Aquarium, Brooklyn: As BOA customers the first weekends are free. Or, every Friday between 3:00pm until closing at 4:30pm, it's pay as you wish. Children under 2 are always free. The kids are sure to enjoy exhibits with over 8000 animals from as far as Southwest Coast of Africa to the nearby Hudson River.


5. The Jewish Museum: Children Under 12 are always free. They have Free Saturdays from 11am to 5:45pm. In addition, as BOA customer the first weekends of every month is free. Kids 3-10 can enjoy the interactive, Archaeology Zone. Here the kids can discover what happens to the artefacts once they are unearthed and brought to the labs for analysis.


6. Children's Museum of Art: On Thursdays from 4-6pm, it's Pay as you wish. The art work by young people from 50 different countries and some adults all geared towards children is sure to spike their interest in art.


7. Skating Rinks: The admission to Bryant Park Ice Skating Rink is free. However the skate rentals are $12 each. If you are visiting family/friends you can always borrow theirs, that's what we do! The South Street Seaport - Seaport Ice Admissions is only $5, and $7 (cash only) for skate rental. Ice skating at Rockefeller Center, this is a great winter season experience in NYC. The admission is only $5, Monday - Thursday 11:30am to 1:00pm.


8. NY Hall of Science: This is located at Flushing, Queens, and is free for BOA customers on the first weekend of every month. September through June admission is Free on Fridays 2-5pm, and Sundays 10-11am. Kids can explore and enjoy the hands on science and technology exhibits.


9. Story times: No matter where you are, kids always enjoy story time; and a little downtime for you. Most Barnes & Noble bookstores offer story times for different kid's age group. Time and days will vary by location. You also want to check it by the local library close to where you are staying. Usually story times last about 30 minutes, with stories, songs, colouring or some arts and crafts. The best part is that it's always free!


10. Coney Island Beach: People usually don't come to New York for its beaches. However this beach located in Brooklyn, offers the combined fun of a 3 mile boardwalk, the not so common seashore Circus Sideshow, and an amusement park. You can also enjoy walking on the long pier.


About the Author

Shreejana Hickman Writes: You can also read my article 10 Family Fun things to do in NYC for FREE, for other great activities at, http://www.travelbargainmama.com/ I'm Shreejana Hickman, and I began the blog, Travel Bargain Mama to assist moms, families, and any travel enthusiasts, find the ultimate travel bargains available, family and or kid friendly activities throughout the US, around the world, or in your local area. Despite these tough economic times, we can still enjoy travelling to new and exciting places, or to a favourite city. Travel Bargain Mama was started on the premises of value, hard-to-find bargains, and getting more with less.


Article Source: Ezine Articles...

Image: Coney Island Reflections, by Jim Lesses

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