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Getaway : Beyond The Front
Gate
15 August 2005
The world outside the often-fractured disability
community is at last waking up to the reality
that our sector is an untapped resource
of fiscal income. Those in the business
of tourism are being aroused by the ringing
of cash registers as they begin to realise
what we always have: People with disabilities
have a life as well!
Unlike providers of our essential equipment
(wheelchairs, ventilators, commode chairs
etc) it seems the tourism sector are not
in a situation of closed-shop anti-competitive
behaviour so that we are able to flex a
bit of choice in the market place.
This is all good news for those of us who
want to get beyond the front gate and experience
something in travel. A growing awareness
of our needs pushes our ability to experience
travel and to enjoy smooth pathways when
doing so.
An example of this growing expectation
occurred recently when I was asked again
by Channel Nine's Getaway program to appear
and give some travelling tips for people
with disabilities. I was asked to appear
on the show because their audience demanded
it by simply requesting more information
about accessible travel.
 The
very lovely Catriona Roundtree interviewed
me as to what it is that people with disabilities
should do when preparing for a journey away.
Despite the hidden hope that perhaps we
might do the whole interview on location
at Uluru or the Great Barrier Reef I was
quick to learn that the program would be
confined to my backyard: Sydney! Nevertheless
it was a great day out.
As I have said in various articles found
on this site, the key to a great journey
for people with disabilities is research.
We have to know what transport, accommodation
and sites and activities are accessible
and meet our needs in the destination of
our choosing before we get there, otherwise
we simply leave ourselves open to an expensive
disappointment.
As you will see if you get to watch the
program I took Catriona to a city hotel
and then to Manly in order to illustrate
a few points.
Firstly, accessible accommodation can mean
different things to different people. It
is firstly important to understand what
accessible means to you. If this means that
there is no step into the shower and that
the bathroom has plenty of room as well
as the bedroom being spacious then you have
to be specific with your inquiries. If you
think you have found the right accommodation
on the net or in a brochure take the time
to contact the hotel and get them to confirm
it has the accessible needs you stipulate
in a question answer format in an email
or fax.
Secondly, decide what it is you want to
do in the destination of your choice and
then look to see what accommodation might
be available close to it. For example I
was fortunate enough to have a trip with
a couple of mates recently to Brisbane to
watch the Wallabies play France.
Therefore, I investigated what hotel was
within walking distance to Suncorp Stadium.
This then meant that my mates and I were
able to easily walk to the game and enjoy
the thrills and spills of the encounter
and wander home again afterwards without
the dreadful predicament of trying to organise
transport around a busy stadium. It saved
time; money and heartache so that we had
an absolutely wonderful time. Similarly
when I have travelled to cities overseas
I have endeavoured to find accommodation
that meets my needs as close to the city
centre as possible (if that is where it
was best to be to enjoy that city's sites)
for the same reasons.
For example, when I stayed in Madrid in
Spain I was within walking distance to all
the major galleries and sites thus removing
the angst of regularly requiring accessible
taxis, buses or trains. However, I already
knew, when arriving in London, that in order
to get from Heathrow Airport into the City
Centre that there was a connecting bus with
access that would cost around six Australian
dollars rather than having to rely on a
taxi which would have cost us well over
a hundred dollars. Again these things came
down to research.
Catriona and I visited the Avillion Hotel
in the CBD of Sydney in order to exemplify
what an accessible hotel involves. It has
a very good, large bathroom with a shower
and toilet with grab rails. There was adequate
room in the bedroom for a wheelchair user
to move around and the staff were quick
to offer assistance or meet a customer's
inquiries very quickly. The great aspect
to the hotel is that they have six accessible
rooms and as far as city hotels go it is
certainly at a competitive rate.
In order to illustrate what accessible
transport involved Catriona and I caught
a Sydney Ferry to Manly on what turned out
to be a rough day at sea! It was nevertheless
a great journey and the winter sunshine
in Manly by the beach provided the perfect
backdrop for our discussion.
I am delighted to say that I will be appearing
on Getaway on the week of 15 August 2005
which is by chance cerebral palsy week!
A few recommended sites creating accessible
tourism pathways:
Avillion Hotel
Cnr Pitt & Liverpool Streets, Sydney.
pH 02 8268 1888 Fax. 8268 1569
Email: res@avillion.com.au
Internet: www.avillion.com.au
4 ½ Star Hotel. - from $160/night
The main entrance from Pitt Street is accessible.
There are 6 accessible rooms.
South Africa - www.rollingsa.co.za
United States - www.rollingrains.com
Europe - www.ossate.org
Thailand - www.wheelchairtours.com/aboutus.htm
Greece - gogreece.about.com/od/disabledtravel
Travelling with oxygen - www.oxygen4travel.com/tips_air.html
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