New Wembley saves 310 seats for you

Traveling to an event at the new Wembley Stadium? There are exactly 310 designated seats for people with disabilities in the 90,000 seat stadium, according to this icwales.co.uk article.
This FAQ at the stadium's Web site outlines other accommodations of note to the traveler with disabilities like parking and where those seats for the disabled are located in the stadium bowl.

Photo of stadium courtesy of wembleystadium.com

Article says Park City skiing good for those with disabilities

If you're in to big time skiing and have a person with disabilities in your party, this article suggests Park City, Utah might be a place to check out:

"No worries either, if someone in your gang is disabled. The National Ability Center (www.discoverNAC.org) -- the largest adaptive sports program of its kind -- can take them skiing, bobsledding, horseback riding and more with trained instructors and adaptive equipment all for $65 a session -- less than the cost of a lift ticket. (There are scholarships available too.) If you're staying at the Canyons or Deer Valley, they'll even bring the instructors and the equipment to you."

Photo of ski lift not necessarily in Utah by kornrolla via morgueFile.com

Support for Scott Rains inclusive tourism centers project

If by some weird happenstance I was designated as the person who could choose someone to set up centers to forward the cause of accessible travel by people with disabilities, I'd have a short list of the right individual for the job. But surely on that list would be Scott Rains.
So it's fortunate that the Echoing Green Foundation has accepted a proposal by Scott to create three Centers of Excellence in Inclusive Tourism in strategic locations for the second of three rounds of the 2008 competition.
Scott's proposed centers would:
* Standardize the diversity of accessibility laws,
* Disseminate minimum accessibility guidelines for hotels,
* Train travel & hospitality industry staff,
* Promote the education & hiring of People with disabilities (PwDs) in the industry.
If you're not familiar with Scott's work, visit his blog (you can read more about the above project here). If you want to hear his passion come through, watch this video.
The kind of project that Scott proposes is needed to advance the travel experience for people with disabilities. And Scott is just the person to launch them.
Photo of Scott Rains from The Rolling Rains Report

Group working on future airliner layouts for accessibility

This article in UK-based Holiday Hypermarket sounds a rare positive tone about the accessibility of air travel for people with disabilities -- at least looking forward. "The Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee actually has a working group that's been looking at the accessibility of airliners, in particular – the layout and configuration of new aeroplanes, so that they will be more accessible for people," Brian Seaman, spokesperson for Tourism for All, is quoted as saying. Old airliners are a lost cause. But this is the right emphasis for the future. (Photo via morgueFile.com)

Man's long trip to raise awareness of transit accessibility

Jeff Preston is not taking the short cut to Ottawa, Canada. He's not taking the easy way either. He plans to travel the whole distance from London, Ontario -- almost 400 miles -- rolling in his electric wheelchair.
But Preston's journey does have a higher purpose than just getting from point A to point B. Along the way he plans to highlight the inadequacy of accessibility on public transit.
And Preston won't be accepting any explanations about accessibility being too costly.
“It’s offensive to think the rights of disabled persons are too expensive right now,” he said in this The Gazette article.
Photo of Jeff Preston by Justin Wu at The Gazette, University of Western Ontario.

Rains defines the big picture of travel by people with disabilities

Scott Rains, the ultimate inclusive travel blogger, had an inspiring post at Disaboom. It's worth reading in all (his keyote speech at Presentation to ICAT 2007 held at the UN in Bangkok, Thailand). But the best part is the conclusion, which I quote at length here:

"People with Disabilities, when we travel we represent more than ourselves because we are part of a community. As a person with a disability you carry two items of unusual value -- especially in combination. Both tend to surprise those you meet as you travel. The two items are money and pride. By money I mean more than the change in your pocket. By pride I mean that confident self-determination of knowing who you are beyond any economic measures of worth.
"The very fact that you have a disability and travel suggests something about your economic condition. It indicates that you have credit, savings, education, maybe a profession that requires travel. It demonstrates more importantly that you have the ability to make decisions about the course of your life for yourself. That combination of means and dignity are potent tools of social transformation.
"Travel the world today and you will find that there is a hunger for community and solidarity among people with disabilities. As an exchange student, backpacker, business or vacation traveler, your identity as a person with a disability gives you access to faces of the tourism industry that others may not have. Some are positive. Some need improvement.
"The next two years will be a surprise to those in the industry who have not yet prepared their profit-based approach to disability. Some will be asking you to help. You have an opportunity to contribute and to shape the travel industry. That may be with the rights-based emphasis through government, education, or policy. It may on the profit-based side through invention, construction, marketing, or business creation.
"Whatever opportunity you choose, take your pride - and your money - on the road. Travel. Teach the industry and level the path for the ones who come after you!"

I can't even begin to say anything on this better than Scott already has. But I will remember his words when we travel with our son, a wheelchair user: "People with Disabilities, when we travel we represent more than ourselves because we are part of a community. As a person with a disability you carry two items of unusual value -- especially in combination. Both tend to surprise those you meet as you travel. The two items are money and pride."

Harrington book a great accessible vacation idea resource

The coming of the holiday season means a lot of things, including, of course the traditions of gift-giving and receiving. To me it also means the time of year when I begin planning my next big summer vacation.
If you follow this routine too, than this is a fortunate holiday season indeed. The most recent book by Candy Harrington, editor, blogger and accessible travel expert, can let you combine both pursuits. You can give this insightful work to someone who would enjoy it or even yourself.
"101 Accessible Vacations" is a unique guidebook in that it is more a source of ideas than everything you want to know about a specific locale.
The book's organization is unique, grouped as it is around types of destinations. There are chapters on Family Friendly Fun, Historic Haunts and Off the Beaten Path, to name just a few. Says Candy: "Unlike traditional travel books that are organized geographically, 101 Accessible Vacations is organized by area of interest. ... That way you can focus on the sections that most match your travel style and area of interest. ... It’s organized so you can find an accessible vacation choice that suits your lifestyle, personality and travel tastes."
My favorite section is the one titled "Active Holidays." Because it is the most adventurous, I find it the most inspiring. It is also the most illustrative of how far accessible travel is coming. I can only imagine it wasn't too long ago that many of these adventurous and sometimes downright rugged sounding activities would not have been anything like accessible. I'm sure that it is the chapter that would most likely surprise those not familiar with the subject of accessible travel. "People with disabilities can go can really go scuba diving?" I picture them asking.
This book, for any specific location, is not an exhaustive resource. You're going to have to do other research. But the beauty of this well-done volume is it's a wealth of ideas and possibilities. For someone like me, looking to plan next year's travels, it could supply inspiration -- and enough good info to get a good feel for whether a destination is right for you -- to last for years.