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    Most Recent Posts
    JM  says:
    Does she use a power chair?  There is a power chair soccer team in Northen NJ--I don't know where they are based out of.  If she were on...
    Topic: Activities for a 12 year old in a wheelchair?
    on Wednesday, May 22, 2013 1:48 PM EST
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    Mark  says:
    My advice is to find something she would like to do. Try going to the mall and trying on clothes. Go bowling or fly a kite. Go to the zoo. She IS...
    Topic: Activities for a 12 year old in a wheelchair?
    on Tuesday, May 21, 2013 8:32 PM EST
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    Margaret says:
    Hello, I am looking for activities for a 12 year old girl who is recently in a wheelchair.  She is paralyzed from the chest down with limited fu...
    Topic: Activities for a 12 year old in a wheelchair?
    on Sunday, May 19, 2013 7:35 PM EST
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    Sports / Recreation / Travel / Hobbies
    From wheelchair basketball to conquering the Coliseum, what are you doing to fun?  
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    52 Posts
    Tips for Airports and Flying on an Airplane with Wheelchair
    By Wheelchair Traveler   
    Here is a video I created that talks addressing the issues of airports and flying on an airplane with a wheelchair, which includes check-in, security, gate-checking wheelchair, aisle wheelchairs, boarding, and more...



    Here is another article on flying in a wheelchair and at the bottom are a few others including tips for power wheelchairs and packing.

    wheelchairtraveling.com
    making adventure accessible
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    Visit zuzu's profile
    104 Posts
    zuzu  says:
    I ran across this article today about airports who are "cracking down" on people who are requesting wheelchair assistance but aren't legit.  Though it doesn't exactly apply to most people here, it can have an impact on the disabled community as a whole.  There are a lot of people who have Handicapped Placards who may get out of cars after parking in spaces then walk into a store and not "seem" as if they have a physical disability.  Likewise there are people who may request a wheelchair for assistance in getting through an airport to their gate, then are able to get out of the chair to board the plane and not look as if they are having any problems.  How someone "looks" or "appears" to others shouldn't be the criteria for whether or not someone needs wheelchair assistance or a Handicapped Parking space.  I have medical problems that qualify me for a Handicapped Placard and there are often times when being able to park in that space would help me tremendously.  I choose not to get one for personal reasons (but I DO use the wheelchair accessible bathroom stall when it's urgent for me to "go" and that's the only one open).  There have been a few times lately when asking for wheelchair help in an airport has crossed my mind, since arrival and departure gates seem to be in separate states, my body can't move fast enough for the time allotted, and going from one end to the other causes a great amount of pain and just slap wears me out.  I know there are people who abuse services like this, which is one reason I've not given in to asking when I have a legit need.  But I think giving people the service of movement from one gate to another is important unless they plan to move plane connections closer to one another.  What they should change is the practice of allowing airport only wheelchair users to go to the front of the line, board first, and other special perks that encourages cheating.  That would cull out people who abuse a system and still protect those who use chairs for daily needs and need extra boarding time and assistance to get their chair loaded on the plane and with seating before other passengers start to board.  So here's the article for you to read - http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324503204578316110013488332.html

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    zuzu
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    Visit JLo's profile
    210 Posts
    JLo  says:
    I just posted about this as well!

    I was pretty disgusted just reading it seeing that statistics clearly show able-bodied individuals are clearly taking advantage of using the wheelchair for people who truly need them. Zuzu you are totally right, I don't think it applies to our community but it surely affects them. As you mention, there is a strong possibility people who request the chairs are those who may not "appear" to be living with a disability; however I would almost bet a nice majority are those who are really have no need whatsoever for extra assistance.

    There are so many complaints as it is for those who use wheelchairs while traveling, I hate seeing yet another problem occur.
    Posted:   
    Janelle
    Communications Coordinator
    Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation
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    Visit Stephen's profile
    23 Posts
    Stephen  says:
    hah- one of my pet peeves. The probelm is not the availability, it is the doctors who will give ANYBODY with a hangnail a plackard. I see people getting into a handicap-parked car sometimes that have to move their basketball out of the seat to get in. I DO call these people out now. And there is an application for Iphone called Park Mobility you can download that alolows you to report them, and also allows you to look for available spots. My wife and I feel that they should put the handicap parking spots in the middle of the parking lot so that they wouldn't be as attractive to cheaters. We simply neeed the space to get her wheelchair out.

    I was on a fiight to West Palm Beach once, and they asked if anybody needed early boarding assistance. Almost the entire area of well-tanned rich people stood up and got in li9ne. I bet they all have handicap placards at home too. Anyway, the only one who didn't stand was a little old lady with a walker. I was concerned that perhaps she need assistance so I asked. She told me sho was just fine and could take care of herself. hah.

    I noticed that in Obamacare, they have now made it so that a handicap does not have to be VISIBLE to be considered existent. That means a lot more people lining up for already limited services. This will most definitely hurt the true handicapped population as they let more pretenders who simply want something for free into the fold. prepare to stand in line. Many out-of work individuals are looking to their doctors to provide handicap benefits that take the place of unemploymnet benefits. Hey- its a living, so to speak.
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    Visit Tiffany's profile
    7 Posts
    Tiffany  says:
    When she transferred from the aisle chair into the airplane seat did she sit on her Roho cushion? I am a quadriplegic and going to be a first-time traveler since my accident and I have a history of pressure sores so I was thinking I would sit on my wheelchair cushion. I was wondering if anybody else does the same thing when they fly?
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    Visit Wheelchair Traveler's profile
    52 Posts
    Oh yes Tiffany! Every time... I sit on a ROHO on airplanes, while driving, on my shower chair, if I get on the floor, etc. This is CRUCIAL to keeping skin and butt bones healthy so there are no pressure sores.
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    wheelchairtraveling.com
    making adventure accessible
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