Life on Wheels (99 page)

Instead, your chair should be a “gate checked.” A tag is put on your chair. You get onto the plane from your own chair, and it is brought back to the door of the plane when you get off—even between connecting flights. Make certain that someone on the crew knows your chair is gate checked and ask her to confirm it to the ground crew at your destination:

You will need to pass through security, like everybody else, but you can’t go through the detector because your wheelchair will set off the alarm. You will have to be searched individually. When you approach the security area, be prepared to place any bags—such as a backpack—on the belt to go through the X-ray machine. Usually security personnel will have seen you and will direct you to where they can check you out. You will be searched by hand, which should always be done by a person of the same sex as yourself. They will offer you the option of a private screening and are trained to explain the process to you, including reassuring you that they will not be touching you inappropriately.

Since the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, security has obviously been much more intense at airports, and one could imagine a wheelchair user being more suspect. Yet, the Transportation Safety Administration has made a commitment to reducing the inconvenience as best they can. Using the technology of a small pad to “swipe” for explosive chemical traces, they are able to ensure themselves that the wheelchair is not itself a weapon or containing any dangerous materials. The better you can accept the necessity of the process, the more efficient— and less frustrating—it will be.

Most airplane aisles are too narrow for a wheelchair to fit through. Sometimes the first-class section is wide enough to allow passage of a narrow wheelchair. In some cases, such as entry through the second door of a DC-10, you can get to certain seats directly from your chair. If you’re a regular traveler, it’s helpful to get to know some of the specific aircraft, so you can let the reservation agent know what seats would be best for you. Seats in an emergency exit row will not be available to you because of Federal Aviation Administration regulations that such seats can only be occupied by people able and willing to assist in emergencies. That requirement disqualifies people with mobility disabilities. Unfortunately, it also reduces your selection of seats with more leg room—very useful to someone unable to stand during a long flight.

Most times you will enter the plane by means of an aisle chair. This is a narrow seat that fits down the aisle, in which you must be assisted by airport staff. You will have to decide whether it is a safe surface for you to sit on, even for the brief minutes you will spend in it, taking into account that there might be a couple of bumps as the staff get you over the first hump into the door. You might want to travel with another cushion for use on the aisle chair, the airplane seat, or taxicab, for instance.

There are some very tight turns to be made getting into the plane, and the space of the aisle is sometimes just barely wide enough to fit through. You must keep your arms in and watch closely that your clothes don’t get caught on a seat arm as you travel down the aisle. The person assisting you might not be patient or attentive enough to prevent collisions with armrests as you travel down the aisle.

The staff that assists people with disabilities are not highly paid or particularly well trained. They are typically employees of the airport or an outside contractor, not the airline itself. You will need to direct them, and, sadly, you should be prepared for the possibility that they will treat you like cargo. Some will be personable and cooperate with you; others will grab at you or start to carry you in without the courtesy of a warning. They will especially need guidance in where you want the aisle chair placed relative to your wheelchair for your transfer and how they should best assist you—or not— during the transfer:

You might or might not need assistance; the issue is how to maintain control, since others will often not ask what you need. Be prepared to direct the process so it goes smoothly. Try to get to the gate early so you can preboard ahead of other passengers. Arriving late would mean being carried conspicuously onto the plane through a crowd of occupied seats. You should also arrive early so that the ground crew will not be rushed stowing your chair in time for their scheduled take off. This is especially true if you use a power chair, which might require some disassembly.

Some airlines are better than others about reserving specific seats for people with disabilities. Seats at the bulkhead—structural walls at various points along the fuselage—typically afford more leg room, and there is no passenger in front to recline his seat back and limit your space. Online reservation web sites will often allow you to select seats. You will want to be close to the front to limit your trip down the aisle in the narrow aisle chair. Bulkhead aisle seats are generally your best option. There is also more space for people in the window or middle seat to come and go without stepping on you. See if you can get the reservation agent to guarantee a bulkhead seat for you when you arrange your flight. If the agent cannot do that, you might need to call back a week before your departure for a seat assignment or go to the airport to meet with a ticket agent. The quest for a comfortable seat can be a challenge and, sometimes, comes down to the embarrassment of seeing a gate agent ask someone to surrender his seat on your behalf because airline policy prevented you from getting a commitment from the beginning.

On occasion, you might find yourself upgraded to the first-class section. If there is an open seat, and you can get to it without the need to transfer to an aisle chair, the gate agent has the authority to switch your seat to the front cabin. It makes the airline’s life easier—and you get the better food and cloth napkins, too! First-class upgrades are much harder to come by these days, since there are many frequent flyers who have earned upgrades through mileage programs as a bonus.

You will find that you must deal carefully with your bladder needs when you fly. You will not have a wheelchair to use on the plane, and the restrooms are small and inaccessible. Some people prefer to schedule stopovers on long trips so that they can drink more freely on the plane and then have the chance to get off to use a restroom and move around a little. Certainly you should go to the restroom at the last moment before boarding the plane to empty your bladder—though allow for the high likelihood that you’ll have to wait for the wide stall while staring at the empty stalls you can’t use because they are too narrow.

That means getting there even earlier to check in and making sure that the airline gets an aisle chair for you, with time for your bladder before you preboard. A leg bag is mandatory equipment for most wheelchair-using travelers, especially on long flights. This paraplegic woman typically uses intermittent catheterization:

It’s an embarrassing situation, but, if a flight is delayed, you might need to inform a flight attendant that there is a limit to how long you can wait, so you don’t find yourself trapped in a similar situation.

All major car rental agencies provide cars with hand controls. They charge nothing extra, nor do they impose any additional insurance requirements for their use. Since the controls are extra equipment that generally must be installed specifically for your use—agencies don’t keep cars on hand with controls always installed—you need to give them sufficient notice. It used to be that agencies needed two weeks advance notice, but now major cities have controls available to accommodate you in a matter of days. In an emergency, you might even get next-day service.

Larger agencies have special offices that handle drivers with disabilities. When you call the general reservation number, explain that you are requesting an adapted vehicle, and ask if they need to transfer you to another extension.

The type of car you rent depends on how you put your wheels into a car. Usually agencies provide a “full-size” model, such as a Toyota Camry or Chevrolet Monte Carlo. They generally assume you will use a four-door vehicle, which works for some people who store their wheels in the front seat, entering through the passenger side, or if you have a companion to stow your chair in the trunk or back seat. Some drivers require a two-door car, stowing the chair in the back seat by reclining the driver’s seat all the way back and lifting it over their body and setting the frame in the back seat.

When you reserve the car, reservation operators will ask which side you want the controls on. They will let you provide more detail about the control position, but these are installed at the city where you will pick up the car. If you have exacting needs, it is best to call that local agency and ask to speak to the installer. The central reservation agent can give you the phone number. You may also request a spinner knob, which allows you to easily turn the steering wheel with one hand while maintaining a full grip at all times. Different rental agencies use different types of controls. This might influence with whom you choose to do business:

Typically, a car rental customer at an airport rides a shuttle bus provided by the agency to and from the terminal to the rental car lot. The buses are typically equipped with lifts, and the driver will help you with your luggage if you need it. When you return the rental car, however, go to the normal drop-off lot and ask for someone to ride back with you to the terminal in the car. They will usually consider that easier than transferring your bags from the car to the bus. It’s common for someone to be at the lot to check you in as you return the car, so it is not necessary to get out to ask a desk clerk for help.

Rental agencies do not provide permits for disabled parking. You will need to bring one with you. Out-of-state permits are generally accepted throughout the United States and Canada—though you cannot count on this 100% of the time. If you have plates on your vehicle at home, you are entitled to get a placard permit from your Department of Motor Vehicles. Even if you do not drive yourself, you are entitled to a permit to be used by anyone else driving you, including during travel.

Several companies supply adapted vans in many locations across the country, including lift-or ramp-equipped models. Renting a van costs a bit more, but, when you are traveling with a group, it becomes affordable. Vans also accommodate some powerchair users in ways that vehicles from the well-known commercial rental agencies cannot. In any case, contact the local station a day or two before to make sure that they have your details correct. Garage staff have been known to not read the reservation record closely.

Trains are often less costly than airlines and can sometimes get you to smaller towns and destinations into which you can’t easily fly. Despite the ADA, the rail system is not truly accessible to wheelchair riders. It is one thing to get into the car and have your wheelchair secured; it may be quite another if you need a restroom or require electricity to charge your portable ventilator.

The ADA required Amtrak to provide one accessible car per train by July 1995. Accessible in this case means a wide door that can be entered from a level platform and the ability to stay in a wheelchair, secured from movement during the trip. Unfortunately, you cannot count on being able to get assistance with your bags at the station or other needs you might have. Amtrak advertises that they provide assistance in major city stations and give priority to people with disabilities who wish to reserve private rooms with seating for daytime and sleeping provisions for the night.

In May of 1998, Amtrak settled a case brought by the Disability Rights and Education Defense Fund. They agreed to change their reservations policy so that, up until 14 days before departure, accessible bedrooms will be reserved for passengers with mobility impairments. They will also provide written menus and deliver food and snacks that are offered in inaccessible train cars and will take measures to ensure that films can be viewed by all riders.