If we accept the statement above we are forced to ask another question Is the world wide hospitality industry grossly stupid or grossly ignorant or simply they do not give a damn?
Below is a piece I wrote about my own travels in 2010
when I need to travel the days of throwing clothes in bag and whistling for a taxi are long gone we need to book an accessible hotel so let’s start with hotels?
STUPID THINGS HOTELS HAVE SAID WHEN ASKED IF THEY ARE ACCESSIBLE
“Certainly were accessible every part of our hotel accept one small corner?” really I ask which is that? “The toilet and shower in your room so if you don’t use either in your week long stay you’ll have complete accessibility”
When the number one 5 star hotel in Sydney Australia was called for a reservation they were asked “if I get out of a cab at your front door can I roll straight in to the concierge are you accessible?”
To which he replied in a very confident tone,”our premise is completely wheelchair accessible you can roll straight in after you get up the sweeping spiral staircase at the entrance”
A international chain of hotels when asked if they were accessible replied even though it’s federal law to be ADA* compliant “well if accessibility is a problem why do you leave home that’s your problem not ours stay somewhere else”
A Poconos lovers getaway that advertises “just because there is a pool in your room you don’t need a swim suit “when asked if the expensive Pool rooms were accessible they replied of course on further enquiry they revealed “well the pool in the room is up 6 stairs on a raised platform” so I pay an extra 200 a night for the pool but can’t get to it? But they still claim the rooms they are famous for are accessible.
One would think that cruise lines have their game sorted out but it isn’t really the case read for yourself
Cruise lines
Carnival cruises? Well we know that lately you better bring a porter potty and your own solar power and maybe paddles to help get back to port, but last year when they were launching cruises out of New York I asked are they ada* compliant Is the ship fully accessible “yes of course we pride ourselves on that” was the reply. After further questioning it was discovered the entire right side of the ship wasn’t wide enough for a wheelchair and all the pools were on elevated platforms with stairs as the only access
The buffet was up a stair case and the casino and main entertainment rooms were out of bounds for the disabled, and the door way to the bathroom in the disabled suite was 22 inches a chair width even for a child starts at 24inches.
Their reply was “well get out of the chair and turn sideways?” But there was no discount they thought what turned out to be access to less than 20% of the ship was no reason to stop saying they were accessible. We contacted Olivia cruises as we are a lesbian couple and they were no better.
https://disabledaccessdenied.wordpress.com/2011/12/10/olivia-travel-cruises-holidays-and-resorts-for-the-lesbian-community-just-not-the-disabled-community/
New York Harbor cruises
One of the largest and most famous cruise companies was ready to take a booking for a group in wheelchairs, but then they revealed that even though the dining room was on the third deck wheelchairs had to be carried on and couldn’t go anywhere but the rear deck on the first level one eight of the ship they were paying for they were not prepared to make any discount or offer a solution.
Entertainment venues
Last week a gala for the world’s largest aids/ HIV charity was held at a world famous iconic restaurant, they knew were taking a booking for a medically compromised group but their wheelchair bathrooms were less than half the width of my wheelchair When you roll in to use the commode your knees hit the wall, and half your wheel sticks out of the stall so they had the handles for the disabled but if my chair is 26 inches wide that makes their ”disabled bathroom” less than that when it’s meant to be 4 ft square.
Restaurants
A well known Italian restaurant in the east village has a ramp to the door and a internationally recognized disabled sign on the toilet door, but when you roll in their was a half wall with a 12 inch gap to walk around to the toilet yet they’re listed in accessible nyc.
I could go on about this topic all year, I have over 1,900 posts on this blog and over 80% are on the illegal shortfalls this world puts up as accessibility. So abelist’s world if you want our billions for travel how about you take your collected well coiffed heads out of your uncaring asses and get it right.Do not even get me started on the TSA
https://disabledaccessdenied.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/stand-up-or-get-naked-bend-over/
*=AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT
Disabled Access Denied ! 