Progress

The following article inspired me. I frequent the Amtrak so often all the conductors and some of the attendant's know me. I've seen how able-bodied traveler's comfort and enjoyment are a priority among the staff, and that needs to extend to people of all abilities. Some changes have been made to the infrastructure that in many cases predates an age when people with mobility concerns went anywhere. They have provided folded metal ramps that the disabled then have to inform the conductor they need set out for them. And there are questions while booking train travel that allow you to specify when and where you need assistance (i.e. on the train, just at the station, that kind of thing)...but such accommodations are NOT being made to airline travel Service animals of all kinds are permitted, oddly. But if I trust my walker to flight attendants I must first endure their disapproval (they let me know through eye rolls that it's an inconvenience), and then I can only say a prayer that the ground crew doesn't toss my walker around with such wild disregard that it gets damaged when being stowed. As far as I can tell, cruise ships are slowly considering the needs of all its passengers so that they too may enjoy the experience. But they were never THAT inaccessible to begin with, being more than spacious enough to admit wheelchairs. The biggest changes I've seen are the addition of accessible bathrooms, which the wheelchair-bound must be SO grateful for. Although I can't help but wonder if those tiny little inside cabins permit transfer from a regular wheelchair to a shower one, which requires the room be at least two wheelchairs wide. I would hope so! Anyway, enjoy the article below, and let's all keep our fingers crossed that travelers of different abilities are are prioritized some day.