I have been working recently with a travel company that wants to be an affiliate of Accessible Chicago.

Kudos for the Accessible China. Looking to travel to China?

As you know my daughter Helen, the inspiration for this site passed away in April, 2007.

While taking a hiatus this summer to reconsider the purpose of this website I received a press release on San Francisco's Access Guide. The Mayor's Office and the Convention Bureau of that great city created the Accessible Traveler's Guide. Accessible Chicago is about opening up Chicago to those with physical challenges. We need a guide like the one San Francisco has produced by the Mayor's Office which gives the information so desperately needed. Accessible Chicago still would be different in that it would contain the personal experiences of those who would use the guide. Hopefully, the MOPD, which has made great strides in making Chicago a wheelchair friendly city, will fund a guide like the one in CA. Below is the press release I received

Recent entries on my blog have focused on the lack of information for the disabled traveler with on-line travel websites. I complained about Hotels.com, which does not offer a traveler with disabilities to choose a hotel based on accessibity for wheelchairs.

Recently I had the opportunity to work with a wheelchair van dealership. Unfortunately, I was selling our wheelchair accessible Chrysler minivan after my daughter Helen died in April. The manager was telling me that his company is growing by leaps and bounds and that he would have no problem reselling the minivan to a family in need. He said his typical customer would be a family that wanted to get their parents around easier and faster. With the aging population more and more families are buying these vans.

I received this letter today from a Accessible Chicago user: "First of all what a great idea and a great web site.  I have MS and must  use a transport chair to get around outside the house.  Are you interested in getting information about places that work and don't work for wheelchairs in Chicago?  I have mostly good and some disappointing experiences in the Chicago area."

It is with a very sad heart that I have to tell my Accessible Chicago users that my daughter Helen died on Saturday April 21, 2007. Helen was the inspiration for this website, and her passing brings home the importance of getting those with disabilities out into the world to enjoy each day to its fullest. On her last day I ran with her in the jog stroller to the store, and she went on a class trip to Woodfield Mall. Helen died quietly some time during the night. Please remember her in your thoughts and prayers.

I had a positive experience with Orbitz travel website recently that I thought I would share with my users. I wanted to test the notion that firms in the entertainment and service industries do not currently offer the term wheelchair accessible as a selection criteria. For example, Metromix in Chicago can offer entertainment selections based on what types of bands you want to see, what neigborhood you want to go out in, but they do not offer a selection that would bring back an answer based on whether the user wanted wheelchair accessible seating, parking, or a wheelchair ramped entrance. Another example is Expedia.com which lists the following amenities, but no "Wheelchair accessibility" option to click on.

• Air Conditioning
• Fitness Equipment
• High Speed Internet Access
• Room Service
• Swimming Pool
• Pets Accepted
• Free Parking
• Complimentary Newspaper
• Complimentary Breakfast
• Hair Dryer
• Spa Services
• Restaurant in Hotel

I went to Orbitz' website and in their hotel selection, they offer a "wheelchair accessible" option as one of their user selection criteria, so I wrote to them and thanked them for their insight on the subject. Good job Orbitz, I think you are ahead of your time. Hotels.com allows users to see if a specific hotel room has wheelchair accessibility once you have selected the hotel, but does not  allow a primary search to be done on it delivering only those hotels with special needs services. With 1 in 12 Americans having some type of physical disability or impaired motor function, I cannot understand why a major internet travel site allows a search for a hair dryer and no search for "wheelchair accessibility".  

Recently I had the opportunity to speak at a support group meeting made up mostly of parents with attention deficit disorder. Although the primary focus of Accessible Chicago is for those with physical disabilities, a parent at the meeting asked about great places to bring her child with attention deficit disorder or ADD/HD. Although her child does not have the same challenges traveling as those with physical disabilities do, (ie. finding ramped entrances, elevators, or accessible washrooms), he cannot wait in long lines, gets bored easily and needs less structure when site seeing. With that in mind, I recommended the following disability travel sites in Chicago for those with ADD/HD.