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Thanks!  Woof Woof!

Aboard the TSS

I have put this off long enough. I need to start my story....In 2007, I had the great fortune to board a ship in Athens and cruise half way around the globe to Hong Kong. The Scholar Ship's inaugural voyage was the first in the world to provide learning at sea for students from all over the world. Our community of students from vast backgrounds became close and are still bonded in a special way today. I felt accepted from day one, even though I was the oldest and only wheelchair bound student aboard. I was in graduate school at  Sonoma State University when I read about TSS in the campus newsletter. I was 48 years old and had been a paraplegic for over half my life, so I figured I could handle this adventure. The Scholar Ship (formerly Mona Lisa) was a good sailing vessel, she was built in the '60s, made for navigating the globe. The "handicapped cabin" was recently modified to accommodate a wheelchair. There I found my refuge while visiting seven countries over a three month period.

More to come...

Asian Restaurants-Kia's Review

Guide Dog Kia's review...


WOOF! Hello everyone. I want to give FOUR paws rating to the SUSHI PALACE on Division St. in Somerville, New Jersey.


For the first time in 2 1/2 years, my Mom and I did not even get a glance or question when entering an Asian restaurant! I guess it is the culture...what do I know, Im just a dog! Woof! The only other place that was as welcoming is our local Chinese place that we have been going to for years!


Don't get me wrong, we have never been refused service, but sometimes stopped at the door with questioning about the dog. As soon as Mom shows them the card from the Seeing Eye, which has our picture and the law printed on the back, then all is well. Sometimes it just takes a word like "She's a guide Dog", but hey....I have a big yellow sign that says "Ignore me, "I am a working Guide Dog" and I wear a harness...how much more do you need? Oh well, exposure to me will help pave the way for the next dog. Barriers will be broken down!


Mom says the place was great., even though she does not like Sushi, she found several items to enjoy. The other three with us ate that sruff....YUK! They seemed to be very excited with their food.This place was very busy, the staff very efficient and the food came out quick.

FOUR paws up for Sushi Palace! woof!


So, if you are in the area and have a craving for sushi, stop into the Sushi Palace, you will not be disappointed

Barrier Free Reunion (almost)

The excitement was building for our 50th High School Reunion at Venice High in Southern California and I truly looked forward to seeing many of my old friends…some for the first time since our 1960 graduation. Several of us had been in touch for months via email and phone and a few old friends took it upon themselves to insure most of the members of our high school club, the Vikings of Venice, would attend. As an additional benefit my friends were organizing a reunion of our club members the day after the school reunion. Amazing that so many of our friends are still in touch and, with considerable research, we worked together to find some who hadn’t stayed in touch.

In my case, I had to do some additional planning since I’ve been confined to a wheelchair since 2004 due to a stroke. I selected Southwest Airlines for the short flight from Phoenix to LA because they handle folks with disabilities (in wheelchairs) effectively and wave the cost of shipping your personal chair.

October 2, 2010 arrived and I had a friend take me to the airport without incident. All went well when boarding since S/W gives priority boarding with assistance, including provision of special airline chairs that fit the aisle widths. Since I’m 6’4” they also gave me a seat with extra leg room. All went well at LAX and a friend picked me up and delivered me to the Radisson Hotel in Culver City (where the reunion took place). There were no barriers to access at the hotel and I had an “accessible room” booked. These rooms have easy wheelchair access and accessible bathrooms with “low threshold” showers. There were no problems with access in any part of the hotel and all hotel employees were always accommodating.

The Reunion started at 6pm with cocktails and appitizers and what a kick that was. Dozens of old friends from both the winter and summer classes of 1960 showed up. We had lots of catching up to do after we got past the challenge of recognizing those we hadn’t seen for many years…some aged well and some looked very old. With some exceptions, we were mostly a very energetic and talkative bunch of 68 and 69 year olds. The dinner started at 7pm with most of us Vikings and several mates sitting together. Lots of talk again and some visits to and from other tables. I rolled around and visited many old friends including some very attractive ladies. Nice, low level music, during dinner and good food and drink made for a pleasant time. Then the music picked up with many of the fifties and sixties tunes and we were off dancing. The wife of one of my friends rolled me out to the dance floor and we had a blast for hours rockin and rollin, laughin and scratchin! Whew! Those gals can sure dance and they had a ball spinning me around. I think they made up some new steps to match my spins.

Breakfast with friends the next day was great and then we all checked out in time to head for our Viking Reunion at the new Terranea Resort that another friend had recently built. It was located on the site of the old Marineland of the Pacific in Palos Verdes. I was driven by another friend who had rented a car with room for my chair.

We pulled into the garage of a villa, that our friend had selected to hold all of us, and it was an easy entry into the large house. My room was on the ground floor and very accessible. The only downside was the villa did not have “accessible” bathrooms. That would have to be dealt with later since the shower was in a regular tub with a high threshold to navigate over (note that there are several “accessible” rentals at the resort but this villa was more to accommodate a large group than to be fully accessible).

We started with lunch at Nelson’s (named after Lloyd Bridges’ character in the TV series “Sea Hunt”) at the resort and even more old Viking friends showed up. Besides breaking bread with old friends another highlight was all the great photos of Sea Hunt on the restaurant walls and the spectacular views of the coves and of Catalina Island in the distance. All areas of the restaurant were wheelchair accessible. What a great time! We were given rides back to the villa in large golf carts with room for my chair and passed many more beautiful views.

After a nice dinner with the Vikings that evening I was challenged with the effort to get in and out of the tub/shower. I summoned one of my friends and he helped me in and out plus assisted me in getting into a very high bed. He helped again the next morning. This was the only real challenge I faced on the trip so, with friends to help, all was good.

The next day I was given a ride to catch Southwest at LAX and we all departed with good memories and warm feelings. My conclusion was that, even though there are some challenges, barrier free travel is available and it is well worth it. I would have been terribly disappointed had I not been able to attend those wonderful reunions. So, I say if you’re thinking about travel…go for it but, as with all types of travel, be sure to do your planning in advance.

Air Travel with a Guide Dog

Destination Relief: It is usually not a problem, traveling with a guide dog on short flights, but when you have a longer trip, I get concerned on how to get the dog outside as quick as possible at the destination airport. Things get a little complicated with Gary's scooter, as we are always the LAST off the plane. We usually have to walk a long distance to get to baggage claim, hope that our luggage hasn't been taken to the baggage office yet (since it's been there so long) and find the door outside. Then we have to find a corner where I can relieve the dog. There is no time to find where the dog relief areas are...usually in an out of the way place. Kia would turn yellow before I could find the "correct" place to go! Ha ha

Departure Relief: We usually travel out of Newark, NJ Airport. When we get to the airport, I always try to relieve Kia by the curb. It can be pretty hectic with all the cars coming and going. Then after going through security...I go to relieve myself...haha

Since we are supposed to be at the airport at least 2 hours before a flight, that can cause me some anxiety with Kia's comfort on a long trip, especially if there is any delay. The relief area at Newark, and most all other airports that I have been to, is back through security....a long distance away. I sure wish that there was a relief area in each concourse, inside the secure area.

Once, in Newark, I had to take her out, as we had a delay. I had a representative from the airline walk me ALL the way back through security, out the same doors we came in, then all the way to the end of the building to a nice fenced in area for the dogs. It is a nice courtesy, but way to0 far to be practical.

McCarran Airport in Las Vegas is so huge that I never did find a dog relief area. I waited until we got to the parking garage and then found a corner for Kia to go. As a guide dog user, I ALWAYS clean up after my dog. We are well trained in being responsible for our animals.

I think guide dog school is mostly to train the handlers...the dogs already know what to do...Ha ha

The most important thing to remember is not to let the barriers get in the way of your travel adventures - it's all part of the trip!

Ft. Lauderdale Taxi Issue

Ft. Lauderdale Taxi Experience

When Gary and I had our 22' cabin cruiser in Ft. Lauderdale we had issues with getting around via taxi. We learned, after getting stranded a few times, that when you call for a taxi, they send it out to the all the drivers. A driver has to "accept" the trip. Several times, it took over an hour for someone to "accept" our request for a taxi, and a few times, it took even longer and many calls back to the dispatcher to get a ride.

We did find out that you could make an appointment for a ride to the airport, but had to be sure to tell them a lot earlier than you need, as they were usually not on time. Being fair, this was several years ago, maybe things have changed?

This system of a driver "accepting" the trip was used recently in Louisville. For accessible transport, this just is not a good system. If no one "accepts" then you are stranded, I would not call this a "Reasonable Accomodation" would you? I would like to see it "By Appointment" for accessible transport.

Remember, this was for us to transport with the scooter.

Thank goodness most of the places we wanted to go were accessible by walking or by boat in Ft. Lauderdale.

Salem, Mass 2008-2009

My Hometown - Salem, Mass!

Salem, MA is a great tourist town, but since my hubby started to use a scooter, our visits back to my hometown have been frustrating.
As usual, I called two weeks ahead of time to make plans for our trip. I called Salem taxi companies and one of them said they had a van that could handle Gary's scooter. Now I thought that was taken care of...NOT!

We arrived in Salem and called Salem Taxi to take us to a local hospital to visit a friend. They told us that they did NOT have a van and could not handle the scooter. I explained that it can come apart and fit in the trunk and asked if they have a driver willing to take us. The driver came to the hotel and was happy to help us. So far, so good! He told us that he got off work soon and that there was not another driver who would take the scooter, but try Lynn taxi, the next town over.

When we got ready to leave the hospital, we called Lynn taxi and they told us that they only run until 6 p.m. and it was now 6:30 p.m....sorry.

So now we are at the hospital, about 1 1/2 miles from our hotel and it was getting dark. I was leery about walking back to the hotel in the dark, since I did not have my guide dog yet and only had a mobility cane.

We called the police to see if they had any ideas and the Sergeant made a few calls and could not find anything. He told us to stay there and he would send a car. We thought they would take a report or something and hopefully look some more into finding us some accessible transport.

Within five minutes, a police cruiser arrived. A big hulk of an officer got out of the car, took Gary's scooter apart, put it in the trunk and slammed the lid. We then climbed into the back of the cruiser (where you cannot open the doors from the inside) and got a ride back to the hotel. The Salem police to the rescue! Of course, if Gary was unable to transfer out of the scooter, we may not have been able to make this manuver!

When it was time to leave for Boston to catch our Amtrak train home, we now had to figure a new way to get to the station with scooter, me and my cane and our luggage. We had not yet found a solution and were talking to the bell captain about our woes.

Michael was his name and he volunteered to drive us the next morning all the way to the Amtrak station in Boston. Why does it always amaze us how great people can be! Thanks Michael! We had a hard time getting Michael to take a good tip from us to cover for his time and gas.

We stayed at the Waterfront Inn (978-740-8788), which is modern and very accessible as well as close to the downtown area and the wharf, where there are lots of shops.

It is very frustrating to me that the town I grew up in is not very welcoming to the disabled community. Being a popular tourist destination, you would think it would be better equipped to assist the disabled.

This trip was in 2008 and we have been back there in 2009 and there was no improvement that we could see. We will be going back within the next several months and will update you on how things go!

Since I have not been to Salem in 2 years, I have placed a call to City Hall to find out what they have to say and what resources they can provide for our next trip back. They assigned me a “Commissioner” as a liaison, who will contact me to discuss the disabled transportation issue in Salem. It has been five business days since I called and no return callback has been received yet. I will update you when I get more information!

Stay tuned…

Salem is a great destination, it just needs to work on accessible ground transportation. Once there, a lot of sites are within walking distance.

8/23/11 FOLLOW-UP: Had a conference call with two members of the disabilities commision of Salem. Andy LaPointe and Charley Reardon. They were very open to my concerns and will do some research on how to better transportation for visitors in wheelchairs. They would love any feedback that visitors have regarding improvements that need to be made to make Salem a better place for the disabled community.

If you have visited Salem and have comments, pleae call ADA coordinator Lisa Comarade at City Hall on 978-619-5600.

I did some research of my own and if you a member of Paratransit or "The Ride" in your area, you can have your eligibility letter faxed to the Boston office:617-222-6119 to get signed up OR call them on 617-222-5123. This process will allow you 21 rides as a visitor a year. Call them for more details.