Wheelchair Travel During COVID-19


wheelchair-travel-COVID

I have been a manual wheelchair user for over 25 years and have traveled in one for almost as long. 2019 was an epic year of travel for business, taking me to destinations all over the continental US such as Washington DC, New Orleans, Miami, Orlando and Los Angeles. Internationally, my work at Open Doors Organization took me to places like Amsterdam, Berlin (twice), Dubai, and London (twice), and I got to vacation all over Italy as well. I flew home from Berlin on March 8 just before Europe shut down due to COVID-19.

Then it happened, the world, my world, of travel and adventure, shut down, too.

After a few months of staying at home, my wife and I took our first post-COVID trip in August 2020 to Upstate New York for my annual family reunion on Lake George. The biggest changes we saw, aside from the limited number of travelers, were the attitudes of people and employees and the cleanliness of the airports and airplanes.

The people who were willing to fly were so excited to do so that they seemed grateful instead of exhibiting the typical stress often associated with air travel. The employees were so glad to be working that they were grateful for us as well. The cleanliness of everything was obvious and refreshing, and everyone who boarded the plane received an alcohol swab to do additional cleaning if desired. Since that trip, I have also been back on the road for ODO, traveling to New Haven, Miami, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, Chicago and New York. Due to the lack of crowds and how clean everything looked and smelled, I have actually felt safer than ever.

COVID didn’t change wheelchair travel too much

Traveling in a wheelchair, for me, did not change all that much due to COVID, although there were a few things to consider when I was out there. First, how safe was I going to feel going through an airport and sitting on an airplane with other people? Since everyone was wearing masks, that was not so bad.

I have always needed physical help to board the aircraft due to my paralysis, which means being in awfully close contact with two helpers. I typically transfer from my personal chair to an aisle chair, and then the helpers give me a ride to my seat. Thankfully, everyone who has helped me onto a plane in the last few months has worn both a mask and gloves. This made me feel better about having direct contact with strangers during a pandemic.

For those wheelchair users who need a full lift and transfer, this gets even more up-close and personal. Luckily, airlines are now starting to use transfer slings and other transfer devices such as the Eagle Lift that minimize direct contact. Be sure to ask if your airline has these tools available.

Another big change I have been seeing at airports since the pandemic is the upgrading of TSA security checkpoints to allow for a touchless travel experience. Airlines have also improved reservation and check-in procedures allowing for less crowding at the airport and a more seamless day of travel. For travelers with disabilities, these are both welcome improvements as they help to provide a higher level of independence throughout the travel experience.

My second big concern in traveling was finding somewhere safe to sleep. At my family reunion, I was able to quarantine at a lake house with a private beach for the week, making things extremely easy. All of my other trips, however, would require a hotel stay. Just like the airports and the airplanes though, the hotel rooms I have stayed in were all spotless. Thanks to their new cleaning techniques, such as leaving newly cleaned rooms vacant for 24 hours after cleaning, and the complete lack of crowds, these properties have made me feel very safe. One of the major hotel chains even uses a seal that is broken when you first enter your room, reassuring you that nobody has been in the room since they cleaned it.

The only big downfall is that nearly all of these hotels have suspended food and beverage services until it is cost effective to run them again. With lodging numbers still exceptionally low, this is likely to take a while. Luckily, most destinations have had some local dining options open. I also ordered in several times using Uber Eats and other online food delivery systems.

My final area of concern was transportation between airports, hotels, restaurants and work sites. Typically, I like to use a transportation network company such as Uber or Lyft as this works great for me with my manual chair. I also love that no money changes hands so there is minimal contact with the driver. The biggest change here was getting used to transferring into the back seat. Usually, I ask to sit in the front to make for an easier transfer with more legroom, but because of COVID this not an option anywhere.

Depending on the city, some TNC drivers had constructed clear plexiglass or plastic barriers between the front and back seats, and the drivers everywhere have been very respectful about wearing masks during the trip. I have also taken the train between sites and had a similar experience to air travel. Amtrak, for instance, is still only running at about 30% capacity, so trains and stations were noticeably quiet, and it was quite easy to keep socially distanced from others. With the new Amtrak app, I was able to book online and had a digital ticket to scan.

While things may go back to “normal” at some point, it is more likely that a “new normal” will be our reality with some of the changes due to COVID likely to remain. I believe the cleanliness of transportation options and hubs will continue to be important both in itself and for public perception. People need to feel safe while traveling. The touchless experience at airports will likely also remain in place with eventually even paper bag tags being a relic of the past. I hope that other forms of transportation will follow suit in this area. Lastly, all of the plexiglass barriers we see at service counters, protecting employees, will likely stay as well.

All of these improvements should help to get us back to traveling with the freedom that we were so used to before the world shut down. Hopefully, sooner than later!

Craig P. Kennedy, a program coordinator and trainer with Open Doors Organization, has more than 20 years of experience working with people with disabilities, disability travel and tourism, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Along with his wife, Andy, Kennedy is a published author and co-founder of Access Anything, an adapted travel resource company. He has spent the last 20 years motivating people with disabilities to look beyond their perceived abilities and advocate for their rights as both people and travelers.


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Lisa cooley
Lisa cooley
2 years ago

Make travel less expensive by giving travelers who have disabilities discounts for themselves and their attendants.