#disabled travel

[crazycatsiren]

"But what if multiple disabled people all require the same accessible spots?"

First come, first serve, and we wait our turns, like civil human beings. Sometimes those of us with plenty of time to spare will trade places with those on a time crunch. As a mobility aid user who's traveled frequently, I know this.

The disabled travelers who reserve airport mobility assistance ahead of time and arrive earlier get first dibs. The ones who didn't book ahead, or arrive later, get to wait for the next round. No complaints.

More often than not, the people who are entitled to accessibility services and accommodations aren't the entitled ones.

It's those who don't need them who tend to think the world owes them.

[animerunner]

Comment I saw in relation to American Airlines incident: If you don’t work ramp agent you can’t talk.

Me: oh fuck no if you’ve never had to deal with five different damage incidents in under 3 months than you sure as hell don’t get to dictate my feelings.

My scooters been damaged twice, my wheelchair despite the protective case has also been damaged twice, and my walker once.

All in under a year.

Fuck you and your buddies lack of empathy for laughing at us while we have to deal with our equipment repeatedly because y’all think our lives are a joke.

You and your buddies are the ones that need to sit down and shut up. Because y’all damaging thousands of dollars in equipment because you think our lives are some joke is so insensitive

Yall need sensitivity training

[rosaleendhu]

Every so often a post makes the rounds about how airports and airlines suck at handling wheel chairs and other mobility aids well. It rarely has a list of groups that are actively working to address this problem, so here ya go!

As a note, I haven't done any vetting of these guys whatsoever, which is why I didn't dig up links. Some groups are narrowly focused on the airplane thing, but others are general aid groups for people with various disabilities.

Mobility Aids Action Group A global group that aims to improve how mobility aids are handled for travelers with disabilities.

All Wheels Up An organization that advocates for safer and more dignified air travel for people with disabilities.

Disability Rights California (DRC) An agency that advocates for the rights of Californians with disabilities, including transportation equity issues.

The Arc's Wings for All program A program that helps families and aviation professionals feel more confident about air travel.

United Spinal Association An organization that provides information about accessible air travel.

Other resources for disabled air travelers include:

TSA Cares Provides information on security procedures for passengers with disabilities.

Air travelers with disabilities hotline A toll-free hotline that provides general information and assistance with disability-related issues. The number is 1-800-778-4838.

National Council on Disability An independent federal agency that provides information about disability rights.

[consider-your-potatoes-mashed]

Okay so I’m heading back to school after spring break and my trip was AMAZING like seriously I loved it but wow I’m in so much pain now from everything we did. I had rest time and most days were laid back but damn even still. I made the mistake of bringing neither my crutches nor my braces with me because I thought they’d be a nuisance rather than helpful but I have definitely come to realize that any potential level of nuisance-ery is far less than the helpfullness of them. I hopefully won’t make that mistake again.

On another note screw the stairs you have to take up to a plane sometimes. Those are so wobbly and steep and long. And oh my my knees wanted to CRY.

[thischarmingamy]

Disability Access Service Pass from Walt Disney World

I’m a Disney Adult and not shy about it. I love vacationing in the Disney bubble, whether it’s Walt Disney World (WDW), Disneyland, or Disneyland Paris. Those are the three I’ve visited so far. For our next trip to WDW I decided to apply for a Disability Access Service (DAS) pass. This pass is for people who, for physical or emotional reasons, cannot wait in long queues. If you’re…

[jackgoodfellow]

ONCE AGAIN LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK FROM WHEELCHAIR USERS! 💖♿😎

TL;DR - These are newly proposed blueprints for renovating the basement of an incredibly cool queer/BIPOC-run affordable housing co-op in my city, with the aim of creating an ACCESSIBLE community space and mutual aid hub!

If you have a moment, please take either a quick or a long look at these images, and let me know what stands out to YOU as good/bad/missing/in-need-of-change! Or just let me know what you need in a public space in order to feel welcome, especially as it pertains to wheelchair lifts!

ANY amount of feedback is so, SO appreciated!! ☺️

More (optional) detail, if you want:

I have one "BEFORE" blueprint, and three updated proposal blueprints for what the space could look like AFTER renovation.

In the long-term, the co-op is planning to install an elevator to serve all 5 floors of the building, including the basement. But in the short-term, with their current funding, the plan is to install a wheelchair lift that goes from outside the first floor, down to the inside of the basement.

The "AFTER" blueprints include widening the hallways by several inches.

I am going to recommend a changing table for the bathroom; ideally, an adult-sized changing table. Idk yet if they can afford to remove the shower that's there now.

I am also going to double-check with the designers that all the proposed door widths are wide enough for a large wheelchair to get through. In this current scale, several openings appear to be too small.

The goal of the community space is to provide a mutual aid hub - providing food, supplies, space to meet, and emergency preparedness for the community!

Thank you very very much!! :)

- Jack

[aaaccessibletravel]

Diamond Beach (Breiðamerkursandur), Iceland. It's one of the furthest places away from where I could travel from Australia, as someone with multiple sclerosis. Don't let your disability stop you from going places!

[cryptid-tyson]

I think one of the worst aspects of being plural is when you're put in a situation where you have to put aside another headmasters dreams.

For example it's difficult to pursue a career in criminology, to be a voice actor, a musician, a soldier and travel the world all at the same time to make everyone in the system happy.

Of course choosing an education, career and life style can be difficult for everyone but there's something so heartbreaking when you're aware that you have to put someone else's goals above others.

(I hope I was able to word that correctly)

[crazycatsiren]

Airports: sensory hell, special interest galore, liminal space. 🧳

Where everything is real and nothing is real. Where time is an illusion. Where there are also many airplanes. ✈️

[thorough-witness-enjoyer]

This is definitely bouncing off of a post made by @eiramew about disability visibility in Destiny because I think having more disabled people that are an active and seen part of the story is essential.

Even with the idea that the light heals and remakes, I want to bring this comment Seth J. Dickinson made when someone asked if their disability could exist in Destiny’s power systems.

“The Traveler might need you the way you are” is actually so beautiful to me and I think protecting people others would consider “unworthy of the right to live” is what the Traveler champions against the philosophy of the darkness.

I could talk about this forever and I think I might soon.

[reasonsforhope]

By the time Sue Shusterman turns away from the bench at the overlook and back toward the trailhead, she knows the paddleboarders are out in force 300 yards away on the gleaming blue surface of Chatfield Reservoir.  

She knows the high runoff waters have flooded the roots of Chatfield’s willows and cottonwoods, and that the first spring-green layers of the foothills rise to the west like soft fabric. 

How she acquired these life-affirming memories is at first a mystery, since Shusterman is blind and is heading back toward the parking lot making her usual sweep of the path in front with her ever-present white cane.  

But then a friendly voice emerges from the phone that Shusterman is pointing toward the path from her other hand.

A little to the left to stay on the paved path. Looks like there’s a trail all the way down to the beach, about 75 yards, if you wanted to go. I’ll just be here watching, let me know if you need anything. 

The voice is from a live, trained human guide FaceTiming through Shusterman’s phone camera on the Aira ability-assist app. Sight-impaired people have been using Aira’s guides to make it easier to do anything from navigating an airport to filling out an online job form. Now, all 42 Colorado state parks like Chatfield are geofenced to allow any visitor to use Aira for free to stroll the trails with a helpful set of eyes. 

The Aira guides seemingly effortlessly offer what a blind hiker either needs, or wants. If there’s a dangerous steep drop-off on the right, they warn. If the hiker would rather know if the sneezeweed is in bloom or the sailboats are luffing through a turn, Aira offers that instead.

For Shusterman, trying Aira as an outdoors adventure for the first time, the allure was simple: “Independence.” 

“So she’s doing, I think, a phenomenal job of including the necessary safety things, but the perks of the scenery, too,” Shusterman said, as she paused during a conversation with an Aira guide based in Tulsa, Oklahoma. “She’s doing great.”

State accessibility officials recently announced the expansion of Aira to state parks grounds, after previously providing Aira free for other state-related functions such as navigating a government building or getting help on an online site or filling out forms. Colorado cannot control the cellphone signal, though, so parks officials encourage visitors to try Aira at a familiar or close-in park space before ranging farther afield with it. Popular parks like Staunton or Golden Gate contain pockets where signals are not strong. 

For consumers buying access on their own, Aira costs about $50 for 30 minutes of assistance a month. Private employers and governments often buy package access to Aira and other accessibility apps for all employees to use. State accessibility coordinator Theresa Montano, who is blind and accompanied Shusterman on her Chatfield walk, said Amazon buys access so that sight-impaired shipping center employees can navigate steps to pack orders.

Montano uses Aira at her state job, saying the guides on the app can share her computer screen and help her get through an online task in 30 minutes that might take her four hours without help or through older accessibility tools. 

Adding Aira for state-owned lands was wrapped into the overall $250,000 budget for free Aira use on state property and with state websites. The additional utility is an obvious plus, Montano said. 

“This gives blind people the same opportunity to come and enjoy it by themselves or with their family if they want to, and be independent,” she said...

Shusterman walked away taking more from the big picture experience, rather than any particular scenic detail. 

“For me, it was, you know what, I could go for a walk on this path, and I could feel completely safe, and I would enjoy a nice walk and get some exercise, in an unfamiliar area,” Shusterman said. “It’s definitely a real confidence boost for me.”  

-via The Colorado Sun, June 11, 2024

[lethesbeastie]

I showed a few parts of this larger ref while responding to asks yesterday, so might as well post the whole thing akfhskfhskf

Version without texture overlay + character design thoughts and lore under the cut!

I'm gonna start this off by saying that I am not a biologist and that my attempts at speculative biology are operating by "rule of cool" in some parts of this design.

Wraith's design is largely based on cephalopods, with mimic octopus, bobtail squid, and cuttlefish playing a key role as design inspirations. My goal for their design in this form was to keep their anatomy and physiology as close to the typical structure of cephalopods as possible without sacrificing the necessary physical features that would allow them to adapt to life outside of the water. I wanted them to look alien, but still endearing, and to emphasize the fact that they are very much still a child despite their size and strangeness.

A quick note on some terms from the flavor text on the image:

Buccal mass: mouthparts of a cephalopod, including the beak and the musculature that allows it to open and close

Mantle: the main body of a cephalopod that protects and contains all of its major organs

Flavor text:

Arms Vs. Tentacles: on cephalopods, Arms refer to appendages which have suckers along the entire length of the limbs underside, while Tentalces only have suckers at the club-like end

1. Blue of blood shows through in membranes/thinner areas of flesh

2. Primary mouth/buccal mass

3. External gills

4. Siphon

5. Ridges flare when threatened

6. Tentacles and rear arm merge, acts as counterweight to aid in bipedal locomotion

7. Lower anterior arms merge to form legs; lack of proper bones means bipedal locomotion is unsteady

8. Upper arms adapted hands to better manipulate objects

9. The two rear-most appendages are proper tentacles, and are capable of manipulating objects almost as effectively as main hands

10. Two mouths, one form consumption, one for speech*

- 10A. Secondary mouth hidden by barbles, chitin** structure within resembles a fused set of teeth. This mouth can be used to eat, but there's a high risk of choking

- 10B. Resting position of beak in primary mouth, retracted into buccal mass

- 10C. Extended position of beak in primary mouth; capable of breaking down mollusk shells and biting through bone

11. Natural posture when unfurled

12. Defensive stance

13. The skin covering the mantel forms a cavity into which the head can partially withdraw

14. Capable of spitting ink from secondary mouth when in distress

15. Eyes are large with highly reflective pupils; excellent dark vision

16. Nictitating membrane rises to protect the eye when biting, may also rise when distressed

17. Retractable claws inside suckers

Extra design lore and speculative biology:

18. Blood is a deep blue, appears black under water, and turns clear as it dries. Texture is thick and viscous

** in the image I wrote keratin, but research has shown me that a squids beak is actually made of chitin rather than keratin! Keratin may still be present, but it's not the main polymer in the makeup of the beak structure. I know this is a silly fun character design, but I try to remain somewhat accurate with how I engage the biological aspects, so I wanted to correct my mistake

At the current moment of this design, Wraith is 11 years old, and stands at 5 ft 4 in [168 cm] when using their legs. They measure 6 ft [183 cm] long from head to tail when unfurled/in the water. Their height and size relative to their age is above average compared to humans, but is more or less in line with the normal growth rate for deep sea tritons, which are the largest of the triton variants. Their height out of the water is limited by their physiology; Wraith lacks proper bones, so maintaining an upright form requires a lot more effort and energy. They rely heavily on mobility aids (rollator, cane, wheelchair) if they'll be walking or standing for long periods of time in their true form.

The changeling magic that enables their shape-shifting provides a level of structural stability to their body when in disguise that makes life outside of the water easier, but they still require more rest and breaks from standing than other able-bodied children of their own age. The form that provides the most stability is their "default" triton disguise, which they've carefully tailored to be as comfortable as possible so they can have a more active lifestyle. Smaller disguise forms are easier to manage, as the compression of their body makes those forms more stable to hold. Their triton disguise form measures out to only 3 ft 5 in [103 cm] tall which is much easier for them to maintain out of the water.

[extreme-dyke-syndrome]

DO YOU WANNA HELP YOUR DISABLED NEIGHBORS?

Rake up the wet leaves before we eat shit on the sidewalk! Your city or town should be doing it, but why would they??

[giantkillerjack]

LOOKING FOR FEEDBACK FROM WHEELCHAIR USERS

EDIT: this post is out of date. The current version can be found here.

TL;DR - Any kind of feedback you can provide regarding what YOU want and don't want from a wheelchair lift experience would be super helpful!! -- AND/OR, I'd also appreciate any input you might have about what a community space would have to be like in order to be inviting and welcoming to you!

Any input - small or extensive, general or specific - would be SO appreciated!! I'm hoping to deliver this feedback in the next couple days.

More info under the cut:

Hi, y'all! So I've been doing some work for this really awesome co-op project that has managed to purchase a small apartment building in our city, with the goal of providing our community with affordable housing, emergency preparedness, and an accessible community space!

Currently, the building is NOT wheelchair accessible, but they are seeking to rectify that issue, starting with the community gathering space in the basement. Funding is tight, so they really only have one chance at getting this right.

In the long-term when they have way more money, they aim to have full building accessibility, including an elevator.

But in the short-term, the proposed plan is to replace a set of stairs going down to the basement from the outside with an enclosed wheelchair lift.

If you check out highlighted yellow parts of the diagram below, it illustrates what the plan is. (Ignore all the other labels in the "BEFORE" part; it was just the best diagram I could find that included the stairs on short notice.)

There has also been some talk about widening all the hallways in the basement, which I plan to voice my strong support for.

Thus far, I am aware that some wheelchair lifts can only be operated from the outside, and that this is stupid. But I imagine there are a LOT of other pitfalls/needs that I'm not catching as a person who does not use a wheelchair! (I am trying to get a motorized chair, actually, but until then, I use a rollator or a cane. I've never used a wheelchair lift.)

Any feedback you could give me would be really appreciated! What should we avoid? What do you wish existed? What does it look like for you to feel comfortable in a space? How can we make this community space accessible for YOU??

Thank you very very much!!

[prince-ofthe-stars]

Hi everyone~

It's my birthday month, and I'm trying to save up for a new laptop. As someone disabled, I heavily depend on my laptop for job search and meeting requirements for continued access to support services.

If you're able, I'd greatly appreciate any help with this goal 💕

Here's my paypal

[plounce]

thancred can no longer teleport - thats why he was stuck in the dravanian forelands, after all. however i do think that other people can teleport him - we see him get teleported in early endwalker, for example (via an experimental technique - but still, that was someone else tping him). so i imagine that as long as he's close with someone and they intend to take him along, he can click "accept teleport" like we can and be swept away. he just can't make his own flow of aether go outward like that. but if other people's aether goes to his, he can hold onto it. like how he can use the special cartridges but other people have to charge them for him. hey wait can we read this as another metaphor for his emotional constipation and need to connect/rely on others. hang on