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Laurel Van Horn has specialized in accessible travel and tourism since 1987, working as a writer, educator and access consultant. In addition to serving on numerous advisory boards – Greyhound, Northwest Airlines, Project Action and the Access Board's Passenger Vessel Access Advisory Committee – Laurel helped to develop, research and write the AAA Barrier-Free Travel guides. Formerly the editor of Open World for Disability and Mature Travel, she currently writes a monthly travel column for Able News. We are delighted to welcome Laurel to Open Doors Organization as Research Director as well as online columnist.
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REPRINT FROM DISABOOM:
New Air Travel Regulations by Laurel Van Horn, Open Doors Organization Although many of us may not be aware of it, the rights of air travelers with disabilities are protected not primarily under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990, but instead the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) of 1986. It took until March 1990, however, for the Department of Transportation (DOT) to publish the implementing regulations, known officially as 14 CFR Part 382—Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel. Now 17 years later, on May 13, 2008, DOT has issued a new set of regulations for the ACAA. In addition to updating Part 382 and making it easier to understand, DOT extends coverage to foreign commercial carriers and makes substantive changes to accommodations for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing and for those who use oxygen and other respiratory assistive devices. To allow foreign air carriers time to resolve conflicts between Part 382 and their own laws and regulations, the new rule becomes effective only on May 13, 2009. In releasing the revised rule, U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters noted that it “expands the protections people with disabilities will enjoy while traveling by air.” Here are some of the rule’s new provisions. Hearing and Vision Disabilities
•Airport televisions and audiovisual displays capable of displaying captions must have captions enabled at all times. Any new or replacement TVs or displays must have high-contrast captioning capability.
•Air carriers must ensure that passengers with disabilities who identify themselves as needing vision or hearing assistance have prompt access to the same information provided to other passengers at the gate, ticketing area and customer service desk, as well as on the aircraft. The rule does not spell out how the information must be provided.
•Persons who have both severe hearing and vision may be required to provide 48-hour advance notice and check-in one hour early to ensure that their communication needs can be met in terms of the safety briefing and any emergency situation. Website Access
•Airlines whose Web sites are not accessible to passengers with disabilities must allow them to take advantage of web-only fares and waive any fees when they book by phone or other method. Automated Kiosks
•If passengers with disabilities cannot readily use automated kiosks to check in or print a boarding pass, air carriers must provide assistance at the kiosk or allow the passenger to come to the front of the line at the check-in counter.
Oxygen and Other Respiratory Devices
•Airlines are required to allow passengers to use personal oxygen concentrators (POC's) and other respiratory devices so long as they have been tested and labeled by their manufacturers as meeting the applicable Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) requirements.
•Advance notice and check-in may be required of passengers with electronic respiratory assistive devices to allow airlines to ensure the device is safe to use on board, batteries are properly packaged and there is an adequate supply of batteries, i.e., enough to last 150 percent of the maximum expected flight duration. Service Animals
•Air carriers must provide animal relief areas for service animals that accompany passengers departing, connecting or arriving at any airport on their flights.
•For flights of 8 hours or longer, passengers with service animals are subject to advance notice and check-in and may be required to provide documentation that their animal can fly without creating sanitation problems.
•Passengers flying with emotional support or psychiatric service animals may be required not only to provide advance notice and check-in, but also a current letter from a licensed mental health professional.
•Foreign carriers are not required to carry service animals other than dogs. Boarding, Deplaning and Connecting Assistance
•General preboarding announcements are not required. However, carriers must on request allow persons with disabilities to preboard.
•Carriers must on request assist passengers with disabilities in moving from the terminal entrance or adjacent vehicle drop off point through the airport to the departure gate, between connecting gates, and from the arrival gate to the terminal entrance or vehicle pickup point. This includes assistance in accessing key functional areas such as ticket counter and baggage claim, as well as animal relief areas. Carriers must also allow a brief stop en route at a restroom or to purchase a food item.
•Carriers must assist passengers with transporting their gate-checked or carry-on luggage if the passenger cannot do so because of their disability. Moveable arm rests
•For aircraft with 30 or more passenger seats, moveable aisle arm rests must be provided proportionately in all classes of service, no longer just coach. Existing aircraft, however, do not have to be retrofitted until newly manufactured seats are installed. Priority cabin stowage for wheelchairs
•Only manual wheelchairs may now be stowed in the priority stowage space required on planes with 100 or more passenger seats. Power chairs are no longer permitted. Foreign carriers
•For foreign carriers, the rule applies only on flights that begin or under at a U.S. airport and to aircraft used for those flights. “Flight” is defined as a continuous journey in the same aircraft or with one flight number.
•Foreign carriers are not subject to the requirements of the rule with respect to operations between two foreign points, even where these flights involve code-sharing with U.S. carriers. Instead the U.S. carrier is responsible for ensuring compliance with the service provisions of the rule for those passengers flying under its code. A copy of the new ACAA regulations, as well as the version currently in effect, is available online at
Reprint from Able News, May 2007(www.ablenews.com) PLANNING A TROUBLE-FREE FLIGHT
By Laurel Van Horn, Open Doors Organization Flight delays and cancellations, bumped passengers and lost luggage have reached record levels, so planning ahead has become critical for everyone. For passengers with disabilities, the effects of any of these events can be even more disastrous, so it pays to be prepared for the worst. It is also important to be educated about ones rights as a traveler with a disability should a problem arise. While complaints to US airlines concerning damage to wheelchairs and scooters actually fell last year, you should nonetheless consider purchasing extra insurance for your mobility aid. For domestic travel, the airline is liable for an amount up to the original purchase price, so if the replacement cost is significantly higher, insurance is a good idea. For international flights, the airline is liable only for $9.07 per pound for wheelchairs and scooters, the same as other luggage. One may be able to negotiate for higher damages, but it’s safer to just buy insurance to cover replacement cost. To help minimize damage, attach a laminated set of instructions for disassembly/reassembly to your power chair or scooter and arrive early at the gate so that the baggage handlers have enough time to safely move and stow the device. On a first come, first served basis, travelers using a folding-type wheelchair can ask to have it stowed in the cabin closet. When booking connecting flights, allow sufficient time to cover flight delays and tardy service by airport contractors who provide wheelchair assists. Two hours between flights may seem like a long wait, but that extra time will enable the luggage or mobility device to safely make the connection with you. Flyers also have time to eat and use an accessible restroom, neither of which is available on most domestic flights. Now that two types of oxygen concentrators are permitted onboard most US airlines, air travel for passengers requiring medical oxygen has become much easier and less expensive. However, flight delays and cancellations mean that these individuals need to carry enough extra batteries to cover even extreme delays. Travelers with diabetes also need to plan ahead and carry sufficient food onboard. Some airlines offer snacks for sale, but in a long delay, these will run out. It’s, of course, always important to pack medicines and other medical supplies in ones carryon luggage. The strict limitation on gels and liquids does not apply to prescription liquid medications and other liquids needed by persons with disabilities and medical conditions. However, one must pack such supplies separately and declare them when passing through the security checkpoint. For full details, see the Transportation Security Administration website (www.tsa.gov) or call toll-free 866-289-9673. The TSA website carries important information on the screening process for individuals with a wide range of disabilities and medical conditions. Finally, the limit of one carry-on and one personal item (purse, briefcase or computer case) does not apply to medical supplies, equipment, mobility aids, and assistive devices carried by a person with a disability. These items are also exempt from checked baggage restrictions.
ARUBA: ACCESSIBLE AND WELCOMING
By Laurel Van Horn, Open Doors Organization
Anyone who has visited Aruba knows how safe and welcoming a destination it is, where even cautious Americans feel free to ride the public buses and drink the tap water. I’m happy to report that Aruba is also one of the most accessible countries in the Caribbean and is working hard to extend its hospitality to all.
As part of that effort, the Aruba Tourism Authority has decided to publish an access guide for visitors with disabilities, physical or sensory, and those with health conditions. To research the guide, I spent most of October carrying out inspections of Aruba’s hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, casinos, tourism attractions, museums, banks, transportation facilities, pharmacies, and even city streets. Everywhere my comments and suggestions were warmly received. Indeed, the hope is that many of the small barriers to access can be eliminated before the guide comes out next spring.
On many of my inspections, I found improvements in access already underway or being planned. At Queen Beatrix International Airport, three new elevators will be installed beginning in January 2006, with a fourth to be added later in the year. Passengers already deplane using jet bridges or a scissor lift truck. The airport has also invested in new low floor buses with ramps.
Although there are no immediate plans for a new cruise terminal, access will definitely be first and foremost in the design when it is built. On this visit, I met twice with the Ports Authority and watched passengers descending the gangways from three different ships. Aside from having ramps, the terminal buildings at present are not adapted. One can, however, arrange for an accessible island tour. Lite Life Medicab, now in its fifth year, has two lift-equipped vans which can carry up to two passengers in wheelchairs and three in seats.
Because the cruise terminal is right downtown, many visitors opt to stay in Oranjestad and shop, dine or visit the two casinos. The Department of Public Works has made a detailed study of the street along the port, identifying where curbcuts need to be added or improved. When complete, L.G. Smith Boulevard will be as accessible as Mainstreet, which had a similar upgrade some years ago. Another major improvement now underway is the addition of accessible restrooms at the Renaissance Mall, the city’s largest shopping center. The first should be complete by January 2006.
Yes, there’s lots of good news to report from Aruba: new hotels with excellent access, more rooms with roll-in showers, additional beach wheelchairs, an increase in Braille/tactile signage and at least 70 restaurants with either level or ramped entry. And soon you’ll be able to easily plan an accessible holiday with all the latest information right at your fingertips in Aruba’s first-ever access guide.
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PLANNING INCLUSIVE MEETINGS
By Laurel Van Horn
Program Consultant, ODO
For a meeting to be truly successful, it must accommodate the needs of all attendees, allowing them to fully participate and benefit from the presentations, activities and informational handouts. Of course, the right of persons with disabilities to equal access at events, conferences and seminars held in places of public accommodation is guaranteed under Title III of the ADA. But the extent to which this mandate is actually met rests squarely in the hands of the meeting planner, who may or may not have the awareness or knowledge required.
Planning a universally accessible event requires not only an additional skill set but also a fundamental change in mindset since every aspect of the process needs to be scrutinized from a new empathetic perspective. In other words, a holistic approach is required. Happily, there are a number of excellent resources on the web (see list below) that meeting planners, lay or professional, can use to walk themselves, step by step, through the process of creating both physical and informational access at their next event.
Although access is often equated with wheelchairs, the needs of other user groups are no less important: those who are hard of hearing or deaf, low vision or blind, have cognitive disabilities, use service animals, have multiple-chemical sensitivity and so on. By applying the principles of universal design, which take the heterogeneity of the population as a norm, one can often accommodate these various, diverse needs through universal solutions rather than particular ones. As an example, routinely presenting information in both oral and easy-to-read visual forms ensures that the message gets across to as many people as possible. Similarly, level or ramped access benefits everyone, from children and families with strollers to the elderly and those using mobility aids.
For events where participants pre-register, one can solicit information on specific needs in advance and then tailor physical and informational access to meet those individual requirements. Thus, a sign language interpreter at a seminar would be provided only on request and materials would be provided just in the alternate formats desired.
Where, however, the event is open to the general public, such as a large trade show, one should assume that the disabilities represented among attendees will mirror the population in general. By holding the event in a facility that meets ADA standards for parking, entrances, paths of travel, elevators, signage, restrooms and other amenities, one will satisfy most attendees´ requirements for physical access. If the site can be reached by accessible public transportation, this will enable additional individuals with mobility restrictions to attend. And if the conference center is a large one, having scooters for rent will be appreciated not only by attendees, but perhaps also some exhibitors. Of course, one can solicit information on the latter´s particular needs in advance.
Written material, such as the list of exhibitors and their booth numbers, should be available in alternate formats, that is, large print, Braille, computer disk and audio tape. Water bowls and designated relief areas with wastebaskets for service animals are other low cost accommodations. A real must is basic sensitivity training for staff that covers such topics as disability etiquette and how to communicate with and assist individuals with various disabilities. And do include access information including relevant accessibility symbols in your promotional materials and website.
A wonderful print resource that offers many helpful solutions for overcoming commonly encountered barriers to access, indoors and out, is Accessible Temporary Events: A Planning Guide. Produced by The Center for Universal Design at NC State University, it can be ordered free of charge from the Northeast ADA and IT Center. Call 800-949-4232 or send an e-mail to: northeastada@cornell.edu.
INTERNET RESOURCES
508 Universe, The Federal IT Accessibility Initiative Training: Accessible Meetings.
URL: www.section508.gov/508. This free 2-hour web-based course offers an excellent introduction to planning accessible meetings. It also provides numerous downloadable job aids such as an Access Checklist, Sample Conference Registration Form and Accessible Presentation Guidelines.
Accessible Meetings, Courses and Conferences-A Tool for the All-Inclusive Organiser.
URL: http://www.shdir.no/vp/multimedia/archive/00000/IS-1137e_955a.doc.
This excellent guide, that employs a universal design approach, is from the Norwegian Directorate for Health and Social Affairs. One issue not addressed elsewhere is how to accommodate persons who have allergies or asthma.
Planning for Accessible Meetings.
URL: www.gov.on.ca/citizenship/accessibility/
english/accessiblemeetings.htm.
This resource from Accessibility Ontario is thorough and detailed, with an appendix on specific types of disabilities that even includes instruction on how to use a TTY and relay service. It also lists Canadian resources and vendors.
Planning an Accessible Meeting.
URL: www.wvdrs.org.
This 6-page pdf document from the West Virginia Division of Rehabilitation Services gives a good overview of the issues involved in creating both physical and information access and also provides a resource list.
Planning A Great Meeting.
URL: http://www.rwjf.org/files/publications/RWJF_PlanningAMeeting.pdf.
This 8-part resource on the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation website includes general meeting planning tools such as a Meeting Planning Timeline, as well as specifics on access such as Guidelines for Accessible Presentations.
AXIS Center for Public Awareness Newsletter--Planning Accessible Meetings: Parts 1-3.
URL: www. Axiscenter.org/Newsletter.
This three-part article appeared in the Spring, Summer and Fall 2000 issues of the newsletter. Part 1 covers why you need to make meetings accessible; Part 2, site selection; and Part 3, how to make materials and presentations accessible. The Summer 2000 issue also includes a rudimentary Site Selection Inspection Checklist.
See Through Barriers: Making Conferences & Events Accessible to People Who Are Blind.
URL: www.e-bility.com/articles/feb00.shtml.
This informative article by Marie Laporte-Stark covers
The Announcement, The Facility, Registration, Starting the Event, Chairing the Event, Presenters, Lunches and Receptions and Exhibits and Displays.
National Association of the Deaf Law Center. "The Need for Auxiliary Aids at Events, Conferences or Meetings Held in Places of Public Accommodation."
URL: www.nad.org/infocenter/infotogo/legal/ada3conf.html. Discussion of legal requirements with regard to auxiliary aids (qualified interpreters, amplification, assistive listening systems, captioning, etc.) for the deaf and hard of hearing individuals and division of obligation between conference center or hotel and company or organization holding a conference.
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DINING OUT: THE BOTTOM LINE ON ACCESS
By Laurel Van Horn
Program Consultant, ODO
"Successful companies take advantage of tomorrow's opportunities without losing sight of today's imperatives." I read this line recently in an annual report and it set me to thinking about the huge market already comprised of persons with disabilities and how it is viewed by corporate America. When does customer service for all clients, not just those who are young, fit and mentally agile, become today's imperative instead of tomorrow´s opportunity? And when does the perception of disability as liability finally get relegated to the past?
According to the US Census Bureau, Americans with disabilities currently number 49.7 million, or 19.3 per cent of the population, and represent more than $1 trillion in aggregate income. Almost 1 in 4 American households has a member with a disability, which definitely impacts their decisions on where to dine, shop, bank, travel, etc. Moreover, the aging of the population means that the number of consumers with physical and sensory restrictions will continue to rise. As the Baby Boomers age, the 55-64 age group will swell from roughly 23 million in 2000 to 42 million in 2020. By then, 1 in 6 Americans or approximately 53.7 million will be age 65 and older.
In recent months, we've all watched the food industry, from manufacturers to restaurants, fast food outlets and even bakeries, jump on the low carb bandwagon. While the trend we're describing may not be as "sexy" or "front page", it nonetheless is already impacting profitability as customers with disabilities shift their patronage to those restaurants that provide enhanced access and service. Of course, since dining is a social experience, their family members, friends and colleagues move right along with them. In an industry that relies on repeat business, this can have a major impact on the bottom line.
Open Doors Organization estimates that people with disabilities spent nearly $35 billion dining out in 2003. Disability Market Research on Travel, Dining and Hospitality conducted by Harris Interactive for ODO revealed that adults with disabilities dine out frequently at all types of restaurants. In a typical week, 53% ate at least once at a fast food restaurant, 36% at a casual dining restaurant and 35% at a more formal establishment. Although taste of food and value top the list of reasons why they return to their favorite restaurants, 89% of the responses mentioned the quality of service including accessibility.
While restaurants at a minimum must comply with accessibility regulations, the more inclusive their approach to customer service, the better. Creating an environment that works for everyone, regardless of age, size or ability, ensures not only the broadest possible clientele but also minimizes future renovations. The new approach to design known as Universal Design can also help owners and managers deal with issues not fully addressed in ADA Access Guidelines such as acoustics, lighting and wayfinding. Listed below are several websites on Universal Design as well as sources of technical assistance from the federal government.
Finally, Open Doors Organization itself offers a complete package of services for restaurants including help with compliance, site evaluations, training, marketing and even assistance in employing persons with disabilities. One restaurant chain currently working with ODO is Fuddruckers Restaurants. For the past five years Open Doors Organization has participated in the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant, Hotel and Motel Show, held in Chicago at McCormick Place in May each year. Attendees are encouraged to stop by our booth in North Hall 7846 to ask questions and try out a variety of adaptive devices.
RESOURCES
National Restaurant Association
Web: www.restaurant.org/legal/law_ada.cfm
US Department of Justice
Web: www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/adahom1.htm
ADA Information Line: 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TTY)
US Access Board
Web: www.access-board.gov
ADA Technical Assistance Line: 800-872-2253 or 800-993-2822 (TTY)
Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers
Web: http://www.adata.org/centers.htm
To call your Regional Center: 800-949-4232 (voice and TTY)
Universal Design Centers
Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access, University of Buffalo
Web: www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea
Trace Research and Development Center, Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison
Web: www.trace.wisc.edu/
TO RECEIVE COPIES OF PAST ARTICLES PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@OPENDOORSNFP.ORG
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