Five years ago, I attended my cousin's out-of-town wedding with my family and our dog. After our first night at the hotel, I overheard a front desk attendant telling a young man in a wheelchair that they had accidentally given away the accessible room he had booked. It just so happened that we were in an accessible room, so I offered to switch. He asked to see the room first and I readily agreed. Inwardly I was dying because between my kids (then 5 & 3) and my pup, the room was already a disaster, plus it smelled like a room dogs had been in from the get-go. This gentleman only had to see the accessible shower before agreeing that the room was acceptable so we made the switch. This experience was an eye-opener for me as to how disabled travelers are treated. Even still, I was shocked to read about the experiences of disabled passengers on airlines in "The 3 Best Airlines for Disabled Travelers," which we recently published on RD.com. While it does sound like some airlines are making improvements, there are still miles to go. https://lnkd.in/exrhwDby
i really love this series, Anne. It's a topic overlooked in travel journalism.
Freelance Writer & Editor | Editorial Direction, Content Planning
10moGlad you all are covering this! It is a very, very overlooked topic and we are so behind on helping people. My mom was diagnosed with MS when I was in middle school, and went from using a cane to a walker to a wheelchair. It is downright depressing how hard it is for her to travel now. And sadly NYC, which is where she grew up and would still love to come visit (she used to at least once a year), is one of the hardest places to get around or find a decent sized hotel room with what she needs or a restaurant near a Broadway Theatre with an upstairs bathroom (daunting feat). The planning is boggling and exhausting.