Making travel arrangements isn’t always a pleasant experience. A majority of travelers have a wide range of options to ensure that their trips do not turn into nightmares. This, unfortunately, is not the case for many individuals with spinal cord injury or disease (SCI/D). Accessibility is not high on the list of priorities for most able-bodied travelers, but wheelchair travelers depend on it, down to the smallest detail. That’s why it’s important that individuals with SCI/D choose the most knowledgeable travel agents to plan their vacations; and that’s where ABLE to Travel comes in.
Due to an increasing demand from its members for leisure travel assistance and the frustration many have encountered using conventional travel agents, United Spinal Association recently launched the ABLE to Travel service.
The service ensures that the travel arrangements for United Spinal members are given the attention to detail and care that is often overlooked at many travel agencies.
ABLE to Travel’s personalized travel services address the specific travel and accessibility needs of United Spinal members, including: air, rail, and surface transportation reservations and services; lodging accommodations, as well as accessibility information about lodging-related public and common use facilities; and, destination sightseeing information with a focus on wheelchair access. The service is partnered with Rich Worldwide Travel Inc., an independently-owned travel agency based in Westchester, New York. Established in 1952, the agency is the largest of its kind in Westchester and has annual sales of $200 million.
ABLE to Travel’s mission of “making travel easier for persons with SCI/D” may seem like a simple task, but, it takes the commitment and expertise of an experienced staff that deals with disability and accessibility issues on a daily basis. What organization can better succeed at this than United Spinal?
Under the leadership of Stephanie Acosta, corporate travel manager in United Spinal’s Travel department, and Kleo King, program counsel, Office of the General Counsel, the service will offer United Spinal members support from a dedicated team that is knowledgeable about not only disability travel, but the accessibility laws governing it. This combination of legal and travel assistance is a wonderful aspect of United Spinal membership because, as Acosta admits, things can go wrong at any time while on vacation. “Wheelchair users can encounter accessibility issues anywhere from the airport to their hotel. It’s important that whatever problems arise are not only addressed, but corrected. That’s why Kleo’s expertise is such an important part of this service,” Acosta says.
King explains how the service will protect the rights of the traveler. “The purpose of ABLE to Travel is to arrange the travel, including hotels, so that it is accessible to the needs of the traveler. ABLE to Travel will question the personnel from the travel provider (i.e. hotel) to ensure that the accommodation is accessible as well as articulate any special needs of the traveler (i.e. roll-in shower). This expertise should minimize any violations of access laws. If a law is violated, ABLE to Travel will reach out to the entity involved and attempt to have the violation corrected.”
Acosta, who has 13 years of experience as a travel agent and is also member of the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality, takes great pride in coordinating the corporate and leisure travel arrangements for United Spinal members and staff. She believes the service will offer United Spinal members a new outlook on travel, opening their eyes to a world of possibilities they thought they had lost due to their disabilities. “In my experience, many wheelchair users feel they can’t travel as they did before their injuries, but this is not true. We have the ability to offer them their life back and show them that they still can have fun.”
Fun is definitely what a vacation is all about and this shouldn’t be an exception for individuals with SCI/D. ABLE to Travel will enable United Spinal members to partake in a wide range of activities while on vacation, without any hassle. Whether you enjoy diving, parasailing, site-seeing, or a relaxing afternoon on the beach, you can rest assured that your plans will be taken care of, whatever your destination may be.
Acosta uses a personal approach when coordinating travel arrangements for members and staff, something hard to find at most agencies. “It’s important to pick up the phone and not get into the habit of relying on the computer.” Having various contacts at her fingertips, from medical equipment suppliers to hotel representatives, enables her to offer members numerous options for their vacations. Wheelchair users need plenty of options to fit their individual needs, everything from beach wheelchairs to roll-in showers. It’s all in the details and that’s ABLE to Travel’s specialty.
Besides undertaking this new and exciting initiative, Acosta and King also host seminars at major airlines such as American, Delta, and Jet Blue, to train staff on ways to better serve wheelchair users. According to King, the lack of knowledge of accessibility law is one recurring issue in disability travel. “Employees of various entities (i.e. airlines, hotels) are not well versed in the accessibility requirements of the various laws and therefore do not provide necessary accommodations.”
Acosta is also in the process of developing relationships with Caribbean resorts—a fairly popular spot for leisure travelers. Within the next year, Acosta and King hope to compile information on accessible travel destinations so that they can provide people with disabilities with as much access information as possible throughout the future.
If you’re interested in learning more about ABLE to Travel, or would like to plan a vacation, please call 1-800-404-2898 ext. 247 or visit www.abletotravel.org.
Tom Scott is an editor in Communications.
