Air Travel Tips for Travelers with Health Issues or Disabilities
By Helen Hecker

Travel by air for people with health issues, handicaps, disabilities or special needs, can be challenging. The following air travel tips will help make your flight and trip, whether domestic or international, easier, cheaper and safer.

When making your travel reservations, request any carts, wheelchair services or any other transportation you’ll need. Fully describe your limitations and needs. Get your airline ticket and boarding pass well ahead of time so you don’t have to wait in any lines. You’ll be able to arrange travel at a discount, get better travel deals, and avoid last minute travel headaches.

Talk with your airline representative or travel agent regarding the type of restrooms that are on the airplane. Call your airport and find out as much information as possible about the restrooms and handicapped parking at the airport.

You’ll need to find out how you’ll be boarding the airplane at each of the airports involved in your trip. You may need another type of airplane or alternative route so you’ll have Jetways, or jet bridges, into the plane from the airport and not have to worry about stairs.

One year my mother and I were going to fly out of the San Jose, California airport and discovered after we arrived that we had to go outside on the ground level with the wheelchair to the tarmac. Four airline employees had to carry my mother in the wheelchair up the steep steps to board the plane. This might be impossible if there are weight issues.

Think about what seat arrangement will work best for you needs. Would an aisle seat make it more convenient to get to the restroom? You’ll want to avoid sitting in the emergency exit row. The passengers in this row may be asked to help others in an emergency situation.

Let the airlines and flight attendants know if you have any assisting devices. Find out the best way to store them so they arrive without damage.

Always keep in mind what you can do easily and without assistance, as well as situations that would require help.

Can you transfer to seats by yourself? Will you need a transfer board or assistance from airline staff?

Consider hiring a travel nurse if you have serious health or medical issues. There are traveling nurses networks.

Can you describe your wheelchair, scooter or walker, dimensions, weight, type of tires, type of batteries, etc.? You may need to take along spare batteries. You also may need to rent or buy a travel wheelchair.

Make sure to mention to your travel agent or airline representative any assisting devices you may need or already have like canes and crutches. Do you need a slow pace or are you a slow walker?

If you will be traveling through different time zones, how will jet lag affect your situation?

Consider how the following will be of concern during your trip and discuss with your travel agent: upper body strength, communication ability, speech issues, voice issues, vision problems, hearing problems, heat issues, medication needs, oxygen requirements, and dietary requirements such as gluten-free meals.

Try to arrange or book your air travel through experienced travel agencies or tour operators that specialize in disabled travel. There are a large number of agencies throughout the U. S., Canada, Europe, Australia and many other countries.

Just in case you need them, it’s also good to know if there are any travel agencies that specialize in disabled travel at your destination, for return travel, local resources or travel services.

At the airport let airline boarding personnel know that you may need extra time to board the plane. Sit close to the door at the gate so you’re called first and then board at a comfortable pace.

After the plane has landed, never get off the plane until you see or have your assisting device, wheelchair, travel wheelchair, etc. Flight attendants have to stay on the airplane until the last passenger leaves. They will help you while you’re on the plane but once you’re off the plane they won’t be able to help you.

Make sure you carry your medications and back-up prescriptions with you onto the plane, along with doctors’ names, addresses, fax numbers for faxing prescriptions, phone numbers, medical diagnosis, names and dosages of medications you’re taking and any allergies you have.

Photocopy passports, airline tickets, American Express Travelers Cheques, credit cards, any important papers.

Carry your health insurance information with you on the plane. Know what you’ll do if you encounter a health problem or medical emergency on your trip. Get travel insurance to ensure less costly medical assistance. These emergency bills may not be covered under your health insurance policy. It’ll ease your mind to have this back-up travel insurance and prevent costly emergency medical charges on your trip. Emergency medical costs can run considerably higher than standard medical fees.

These air travel tips should provide good insurance and help make your airplane travel, with health issues, handicaps, disabilities or special needs, easier, safer and cheaper.

For more information on air travel tips for the disabled and travel tips for people with health issues, go to www.AllAboutDisabledTravel.com a website specializing in travel and transportation tips, advice and resources including information on travel nurses and travel insurance

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29th January 2007 07.30am

The day begins with the knowledge that the first scene of the movie has been shot and canned. Not much in my mind to write so here's the first pictures. Keep watching this space.

Whose filming whom?

If you are a teacher of the English Language do not even bother to correct my title, “Who’s filming who?” will not scratch the depth of misunderstanding of the reason this title dropped into my head. I remember many years ago walking into the lower-school staff room, an ex-industrial executive on the first rung of his new career as a Technology Teacher. In the room were a couple of language teachers who glanced together at me and immediately dived into their conversion in French, not knowing that I am fluent in that dreadful language that give even the meagre table leg a sex. Don’t go emailing me about your favourable opinion of the French tongue remember I am in Character for 40 hours per week and it is sure to rub off a bit. They actually said in French, “Oh here’s that new Technology bloke, all spanners and hammers, lets take the Mickey out of him and he doesn’t know it is happening!” I of course took this as a grand opportunity to make certain waves in that staffroom and let them dig their hole before I deliver the shovel to bury themselves. It took about ten minutes, they were deep enough, the audience could not have been chosen better, my new head of department, the Lower school deputy head and both of them had no French in their lives. So the insults about, being grease monkeys, intellectual ability and coping abroad with tourist phrasebooks had their inevitable airing.

Now it was my turn. I rose from my low seat, pretending my back was hurting and on one fluent mouthful of glorious mocking French I blurted out: “Oh my aching back, it must be all that spanner-work and hammering, excuse me folks I wish I cannot stay and talk I have intellectual stimulus to prepare because my subject is so popular and yours isn’t”. I then left the room with a fist in the air and a silent cheer.

I found this intellectual snobbery existed at all levels of communication, even amongst my best friends whilst hiking up and down the steep hills of the Yorkshire Dales. An ex-teacher of English correcting my usage of verbs, a History teacher correcting a date or a name so minutely it caused anger. And even filming the movie at Samlesbury hall a passing visitor noticed that the spelling of Piece should have been Peace. I replied that the cue card is to cue the actor and if it works for him it is correct. I sometimes misspell word on purpose. One of the young girls playing the female roles declares she could not pronounce “Alyssa” the way intended as “Alisa” sounds. So I asked her how I could write it so that she could read it with the same sound, to which she replied “Alleeesa”. So in my world of reality, this spelling is right for the situation.

Editors Note

I am sad to say that this is the last issue in which we will see our popular Recipe Corner.

It has run its course and I am finding it hard to find new recipies for inclusion each month.

I have had fun bringing you a taste from the past and hope you have enjoyed trying out the tid-bits that were on offer.

On a brighter note, next months issue sees a start of a new 13 part series about Medeival England. We start with William the Conqueror and end with The War of the Roses. This is not intended to be a history lesson but a brief account of events surrounding the era.

I hope you have enjoyed reading issue 27 and If you have any suggestions or comments about any part of the newsletter then please feel free to contact me.

As always, if you have a story,photos or questions you wish to ask or share with our readers then please email me and I will be happy to include them in our next edition.

All submissions should reach me by no later than the 20th of May