Vacations Can Be Accessible and Enjoyable (by Grace Dow)
Grace at Nauset Light Beach in July 2014, wearing a black and purple swimsuit.
This time of year brings back lots of memories of family vacations. Cerebral palsy means that accessibility is a priority on vacation. Our family enjoyed trips to Cape Cod, Maine, and New Jersey when I was growing up. Planning an accessible vacation can be challenging, but it is possible.
Finding an accessible place to stay is often difficult. Growing up, we often stayed with family members when we went away. Many of my relatives have houses that are older, and not built with accessibility in mind. It was easier to navigate inaccessibility when I was younger. However, it has become more challenging to stay overnight with my relatives as I have become an adult.
For example, as a child it was easy for someone to carry me upstairs where the bedrooms were. As I grew up, this became uncomfortable and dangerous. I became self-conscious about being carried in front of everyone else as well.
Staying in hotels can be challenging for some people. Many hotels have a certain number of accessible rooms available for guests, so be sure to check in advance. However, meeting accessibility standards and being accessible are often two different things. In my experience, finding a hotel room with a roll-in shower is particularly challenging. Always ask about these issues and others when you book an “accessible” hotel room.
Accessible tourist attractions are sometimes hard to find. I no longer enjoy going to the beach, despite enjoying it when I was younger. As I have grown, it is much more difficult for me to be carried on the beach. Mobility devices are typically not designed for use in the sand or other rough terrain.
Grace petting a dolphin at Miami Seaquarium in August 2016
Nowadays, I enjoy indoor attractions such as museums. One of my favorite museums is The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum located in Cooperstown NY. The exhibits are accessible, and the museum itself has plenty of room to navigate. Unfortunately, the town of Cooperstown doesn’t have many accessible restaurants or shops–so be sure to do some research in advance about the towns you may visit. Simply googling “accessible travel” plus your destination may yield helpful results.
I also enjoyed the Whydah Pirate Museum located in West Yarmouth MA, which is accessible. It was more interesting than I thought it would be. I enjoyed seeing old artifacts that were only discovered in the 1980s, after the ship’s remains were found.
I also prefer to go on vacations when the destination is easy to get to by car. Several years ago, I went to Florida with my mom and younger sister. We had a wonderful time, but the plane ride was hard for me. During the flight, the differences in altitude caused my spasticity to increase.
In addition, traveling on a plane is often challenging for disabled people who require mobility devices. Airlines frequently damage wheelchairs when storing them on the plane. I have never taken my wheelchair on a plane, because I don’t want to risk it getting damaged or lost. The U.S. Department of Transportation has a list here of the rights of disabled travelers using airlines, as well as additional travel resources. In addition, Amtrak has significant resources for disabled travelers.
Vacations are a wonderful way to enjoy the warm weather. Planning an accessible vacation requires creativity and research. You can find groups on Facebook to help you plan and give you ideas for fun vacations! An accessible vacation can leave you with memories that last a lifetime.
Grace Dow is a writer from Massachusetts who focuses on disability rights issues. In her free time, Grace enjoys seeing her friends and family. She also enjoys reading, and following her favorite sports teams.