and solutions to start again
It’s a fact: a disability diagnosis for a child often puts a halt to parents’ travel plans. With ADA policies and a society where inclusion is beginning to trend, why is this still the case?
We asked hundreds of disability parents to identify one thing that keeps them from traveling. The following is what we learned. Some of these things have easy, readily available solutions. Some of them are real issues that need to be addressed by the travel industry and beyond.
None of these answers surprised me, but the order of frequency did! I only included responses that were received multiple times, and they’re in reverse order – like a top ten count down.
**The title identifies “special needs moms” because it’s the most common identity used in google searches. This article includes disability moms and medical moms. Most responses were from within the U.S..**
10. A Travel Agent Who Understands Our Needs
This is a must. We don’t travel the same way as other families, so we can’t plan the same way. Thankfully, it’s also an easy fix. There are plenty of disability travel advisors who understand your needs and work closely with you to plan appropriately. Most agents don’t even charge anything for their services! They make a commission off of booking your travel.
If you’re looking for someone to help with wheelchair travel, check out Incredible Memories Travel or Travel for All. Both of these also help with a variety of disabilities and even dietary needs. Spectrum Getaways plans trips for families with autism.
If you’re the type who prefers to stay in control of the entire planning process, book through Wheel the World for guaranteed accessible accommodations and activities. You can also copy an entire accessible itinerary from a disability travel blog like Wonders Within Reach, Curb Free with Cory Lee, or Spin the Globe.
9. Access to Accessible Restrooms
An obvious necessity. While there are several apps for mapping accessible restrooms, WheelMate by Coloplast is the best I’ve found for actually having locations added in a variety of destinations. They have more than 35,000 locations across 45 countries. That means there are still plenty of gaps to be filled, but it shows options in most major tourist areas.
Many people will plan road trip stops around hospitals for bathroom needs, but that can be a lot of hassle. If you just need the accessible restroom, I’ve found hotels and big name truck stops to be a much faster in and out.
8. Access to Equipment
Hospital style beds, bathroom equipment for people with low tone, feeding tube poles, and travel seats – there’s a lot of equipment that simply doesn’t travel well!
All of these things, and so much more, can be rented through local medical supply companies. They can deliver directly to your hotel and have things set up before you even arrive. This is one that is great to have a disability travel advisor for – they know where and how to get you what you need. You can also google your destination, the equipment you need, +rental. That may take a few phone calls to figure out what you need, and it may be harder to pair up with your hotel.
7. Accurate Accessibility Information
Phew! Wouldn’t it be nice if we arrived to the attraction we were told was accessible and actually found that it was? Unless a location has been verified by an official organization, it can be hard to know what we’re really getting ourselves into.
The best ways to avoid misinformation are to stick with places that have been covered by other wheelchair travelers (like the blogs in #8), to plan through a disability travel advisor (recommendations in #1), or book through sites that verify accessibility (like Wheel the World, with their money back guarantee). You can also use apps like GoWhee that filter kid-friendly attractions by accessibility. Airbnb has upped their game with specific accessibility filters to search for what meets your needs. If that still makes you nervous, BecomingRentable has even more filters, including intellectual disability needs, and the platform is built on disability inclusion.
6. Accessibility
The lack of accurate information and the lack of accessibility may be two sides of the same coin. Some locations aren’t accessible. The key here is in not assuming that most locations aren’t. The truth is, even in the least accessible locations, there’s usually plenty available to still have a great time. A different vacation doesn’t make it less of a vacation. Focus on the things you can do, and enjoy those things. Even in my small town of historic buildings, where almost 50% of structures are inaccessible, we still enjoy going downtown and playing in the toy store, grabbing an ice cream, or hanging out at the local brewery. We even have inclusive features at our playground. My home will never make a list of accessible destinations, but anyone can have a great weekend here.
Use the resources mentioned above to find what is accessible, or feel free to start somewhere easy to navigate. I would suggest starting with accessibility approved destinations, and then branching out as you feel comfortable to find the accessible options in any location.
5. Finances
This hits the disability community harder than anyone else because our stack of bills is already endless.
We use HomeExchange to stay for almost free and credit card sign on bonuses to fly for free.
There’s a great article on this coming in the next issue of Accessible Journeys (I’ll link it here when it’s live). In the meantime, let me flip the script on this. Instead of focusing on saving money on travel, what if we start by eliminated the bills that keep us from traveling? Intensive PT is a big one for us, but I recently shared an article including grants to get it 100% covered. Advocacy Abby shares grants daily for every need imaginable – from therapies and equipment to vans and home modifications.
4. Adult Size Changing Tables
This map shows adult size changing tables across the U.S.. There’s no denying we need more of these, but it’s a start! I haven’t found any international mapping. Please share if you know of something!
3. Accessible Plane and In-Flight Restroom
How do you get your child through a 12 hour flight without using the restroom? People have come up with all sorts of innovative solutions, but the reality is this is an airline improvement that needs to be made. There are policies in the works and we’re all hoping it gets better!
If you ask, most flights will let you lie down in the back flight attendant area to change. My son travels with a foley bag. Many people double diaper. There’s no ideal way around it, but there are ways.
2. Wheelchair Damage
I’m not surprised this was near the top! CNN reported the US Department of Transportation as having a total of 11,527 incidents of damaged or lost wheelchairs in 2023. That’s out of the people who were bold enough to risk traveling with a chair. This is why people stay home!
There are policies being voted on, and policies we can sign, but the risk is terrifying.
While there’s no way to guarantee safe passage for your chair, there are precautions to help. It’s not commonly known, even by most airline staff, but major airlines have a wheelchair storage closet on board each flight that accommodates most manual chairs. These would easily fit a pediatric manual chair. This just requires a conversation upon check-in, asking to keep your chair on board.
If you’re traveling with a chair that can’t fit on board, be sure to remove any extras and complete any disassembly required on your own. Take as much of it on board with you as you can.
Depending on how often you travel, it could be worth purchasing a back up chair or renting what you need upon arrival. With a model number, SpinKids can get you a chair that meets your kid’s needs and size requirements and there are options starting in the low $200’s.
1. Accessible Transportation
Did you expect that to be number one? Of all the things keeping families with disabilities from traveling, this is the biggest hindrance.
We’re tired of trying to find a wheelchair accessible Uber and having none available. It’s too much hassle to navigate the limited accessibility of a metro system.
We rent a vehicle whenever we can. It’s our biggest travel cost (but keep in mind we typically pay nothing for accommodations and airfare per #5). A google search for wheelchair van rentals in your destination will usually be sufficient, but this is another easy one to do through a disability travel agent.
When we don’t have our own vehicle, we use the bus and do a lot of walking/rolling. The metro is too hit or miss, but most bus systems, especially in the U.S., have plenty of accessible route options. We’ve found Citymapper to be a great option for finding accessible routes independently or via public transportation.
And more…
Other issues that came up less frequently were:
Knowing were to find a specialist in case of an emergency – we ask our home specialist and he gives us a list of where to go and where not to go.
Accessible beaches – here’s a great list for the east coast, but more and more beaches are becoming accessible. A google search for your vacation spot is likely to find an accessible beach nearby.
Bringing supplies on flights – there are actually pretty flexible policies for this. You’re allowed extra baggage, medical equipment travels free, and necessary liquids aren’t a problem. Call TSA Cares at (855) 787-2227 in advance with any concerns.
Adaptive vehicles and RVs cost too much – yep. Save money in other areas, like grants for medical needs, so that you have more flexibility.
Having a nurse with us – there are several agencies that offer travel nurses. Check out Travel Angels or Medical Travel Companions.
Safe spaces to play – work with your disability travel agent to find the perfect attractions for your family
Can We Go, Now?
There are a lot of obstacles to disability travel, but there are also a lot of solutions. I hope something on this list helps you to get started towards a new adventure!