Candy Harrington is the editor of Emerging Horizons, a magazine about accessible travel for people with disabilities, and the author of “Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts & Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers.” She also writes articles and columns for many other disability and travel magazines, and lectures frequently on accessibility issues.
A professional travel writer for most of her career, Harrington has specialized in covering accessible travel since the early 1990s. She says she founded Emerging Horizons “so that people would have a realistic view of accessible travel options.” Harrington travels extensively for her work, conducting on-site research into accessible travel options for lodging, transportation and travel activities.
I interviewed Harrington on the eve of her departure for New Mexico to conduct more research on accessible travel.
Q: What led you to start writing about accessible travel, and eventually to found a magazine and to write a book dedicated to that subject?
Harrington: I've been a travel writer for over 30 years, and about 12 years ago I just decided to focus on this aspect of travel. I've always done a lot of consumer information pieces, so this subject was ideal for me. It just seemed like an interesting area to focus my efforts and, to be honest, nobody was really doing it at that time. I guess I did it because it was a challenge. I wanted to publish a quality magazine about accessible travel.
The book is the result of my experience with Emerging Horizons. I learned a lot over the years and I got a lot of the same basic questions, so I realized there was a need for this type of comprehensive resource on the basics of barrier-free travel. I'm also lucky because, thanks to Emerging Horizons, I've had interactions with a wide cross-section of travelers over the years, and I was able to incorporate a lot of their tips and suggestions in the book.
Q: How have travel opportunities for people with disabilities changed or improved in the years since you started the magazine and wrote the first edition of the book?
Harrington: Well, I will definitely say there is improved access, and there are more accessible travel options today. When I first started, I had to really pound the pavement to find things that were accessible. Today, I have way too many to cover. I get to pick and choose. I think a lot of people in the travel and tourism industry are realizing the spending potential of our aging baby boomer population.
Q: What are some of the best accessible travel opportunities for people with disabilities?
Harrington: The great thing about it is that you have a choice. Pretty much whatever your interests are, I can recommend an accessible travel option. It's not like your only choice is a theme park. Now, sometimes you really have to research things to find appropriate activities in your destination of choice, but that's what we do. I spend about 30 percent of my time on the road, doing just that.
Some of my favorites include the Rocky Mountaineer rail trip between Vancouver and Calgary, museum hopping in St. Petersburg (Florida), hitting the tourist highlights of London, St. Tammany Parish (north of New Orleans), Ohio Amish Country, cruising the Columbia River on the Queen of the West, kayaking in Maui, birding in South Texas, hiking in Yosemite . . . I could go on forever.
Q: What are some of the most common accessible travel barriers still facing people with disabilities?
Harrington: The biggest problem that exists worldwide is the lack of accessible transportation. Now, some places are great. Take San Francisco, for example. There you'll find accessible taxis (ramped vans that you can roll onto if you are in a wheelchair) and a pretty accessible public transportation system. Not all cities are like that. Still, there are work-arounds, and many people just take their own vehicles.
In some of the third-world countries, well, you can do it, but you will have to accept help and in most cases be carried up and down stairs. But generally speaking, I'd say that the lack of accessible ground transportation is the biggest barrier to a truly seamless accessible travel experience.
Q: What are some of the greatest travel challenges still facing people with disabilities?
Harrington: I'd say communication is the biggest challenge. For example, you can't just ask for an accessible hotel room; you first need to determine what features a particular accessible room has. Even within the U.S., access can vary from property to property, so even the term "ADA compliant" is pretty meaningless. Access features can vary depending on when the property was constructed, where it is located, and how large it is. So, for example, if you need a roll-in shower, you have to ask for an accessible room with a roll-in shower. Not all accessible rooms have this feature, and if you don't ask for it, you won't get it.
In Europe, if you ask for an accessible room, you'll get a room with wide doors and an accessible pathway. If you want a roll-in shower or a raised toilet, you have to ask for an adapted room.
In most cases, you are dealing with reservation agents to determine the true access of a property, and unfortunately there is a lot of turnover in that entry-level position, so it can be frustrating at times. But you just have to keep asking and rephrasing those questions, and if you get the feeling that you are not communicating or that the reservation agent does not know what they are talking about, then just move on to another property. Always trust your instincts. Unfortunately there are a lot of flakes out there.
What general accessible travel rules should people with disabilities follow? And what are some of the guidelines from the Americans with Disabilities Act? See page 2...
