We went on a trip this weekend. A sort of mini vacation. We took a long train ride to New York City and stayed for 3 nights in a hotel in the city. It is a trip we have been anticipating for a long time. We managed to do a lot in a 4 day weekend including see a Broadway show, going to the top on the Empire State Building and going to Times Square. All and all it was a great (but short) trip. There was something for everyone.
On our way back home I had the chance to reflect on the trip and how much of a challenge it was to travel with Daniel in his wheelchair.
It started at the train station to go to New York, Daniel was in his wheelchair but the train wasn't level with the platform so we needed to carry him up the stairs, then carry his chair then the luggage. That was the least of our problems. Getting out of Penn Station was difficult because there was only one elevator in the entire station (that I could determine). We searched and finally found it. That train station was nothing compared with the NYC Subway system which may or may not have an elevator (I am not sure because we did not see one). Jason had to end up carrying Daniel down the stairs, while he sat in his wheelchair. This occurred a few times. Then of course there are the Taxis and the sidewalks in NYC which are handicapped equipped but when crowded, it is difficult to push through.
I don't think I really realized the really sad thing about travelling with a child in a wheelchair until we were in the train station to come home. We needed an elevator again but the thing was that we did not know our train platform number until it came in. We asked for help and we were designated to a small area of the station which houses those individuals needing special assistance. We were passed on and given no information on where the elevators were located (seriously that is all we needed, we did not need help with our bags or anything else!). Finally when it came time to go to the platform, we were directed to an attendant who clearly wanted to be anywhere but there and he showed us that. It was horrible. Once we got down to the sold out train, our guide just found an empty spot on the train for our luggage and dropped us there. We had to sit for a while with Daniel on Jason's lap (even though we paid for a ticket for him). It all left a very bad taste in my mouth not just for our situation but especially for people with disabilities in general. There was no respect, no compassion, not even a little bit of sensitivity.
Daniel may very well learn to walk someday, but for the most part he will always have some challenges and now I know this is what he will need to deal with. For the time being we deal with it on his behalf. For the time being I will do everything in my power to change things for the better for Daniel and for all the other people with disabilities who want to travel the world.
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Lara: I feel your pain. Get in touch with Both the train system (not sure who you used...Amtrak??) and Penn Station and NYsubway systemand let them know what happened to you AND send a copy to the mayor of NYC and the governor of the state. This type of handicap discrimination is not acceptable and these companies and the mayor's office do want to hear when there are issues. They want to make it better but they need to hear about it. I wrote letters to Philadelphia when I had a terrible experience with my mother in 2002 and they listened and did fix some issues like the elevators. So sorry you had to experience the issues.
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