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.

Another Pratt Adventure

Times Square, NY on the hottest day in 54 years! July 22,2011

Hello all you lurkers and bloggers! I would like to introduce myself and family before starting my stories.

My name is Joyce Cass Pratt and my husband's name is Gary. We have been married for almost 38 years (Yes to each other...lol).

Gary travels with a mobility scooter and I use a Seeing Eye dog. We both have challenges to face and barriers to break down. As you already know, there are lots of barriers out there for folks with disabilities and unless we are out there living life, the barriers may not come to the attention of those who have the power and means to abolish them.

We are very excited about the goals and vision of BFA and hope to provide some feedback and stories that will assist others in their travels.

Gary, me and Kia, my guide dog, travel quite a bit and have the same frustrations that some of you may be facing. We are both retired and have the time and the spirit to be adventurous. We are getting a little older, so that has its own challenges in regards to stamina. We are careful planners, especially when we will be going to a new location.
As much as we plan, things still go wrong and we are misled at times to what accomodations are available for the disabled.

We are looking forward to sharing the good and bad stories relating to traveling with disabilties.

Happy trails from Gary, Joyce and KIA!