Sunnier Days is the very personal name I have given to the ‘vehicle’ enabling me to make some of my ideas around disability a reality. Those close to me refer to my positive attitude, my love of sunny holidays and because my projects (the blog, work with Hackney council and DisabilityLib) are about improving things – Sunnier Days felt right and was born!

So what is this project about? You may remember last May I decided to find a venue, inspirational speakers and market an event for disabled people. My friends, family and blog readers gave positive feedback, however the guys in the BBC ouch chat rooms were more sceptical. I managed to get a great venue in Shoreditch – London, the BBCs disabled tv presenter Natasha Wood and disabled model Sophie Morgan, and 20 people attended! It was the first time I have ever done something like this. It was challenging, scary, great fun, uplifting and a big learning experience.

The feedback showed that there is an appetite for dissemination of inspiring and informative information to disabled people, their friends/family and professionals. The down side was the costs associated with hiring a venue, putting on catering and transportation to the event. I continued with my blogging, looked at social networking sites and pondered many other ways of providing a platform for debate, sharing and positive change around disability.

More recently the ability to run a seminar online was brought to my attention. Part of my new years’ excitement was around the prospect of running the Sunnier Days events (like last Mays), but straight to someone’s living room.

Having a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy I have been a member of the charity for my impairment since birth – www.jtsma.org.uk – (I was also on the board of trustees for 2 years). We have partnered up to launch this idea for their members and my blog followers. ‘Seminar in your slippers’ has been officially launched this week!

To see my cheesy promo video and to download the flyer with full details, please click http://www.jtsma.org.uk/seminar_in_your_slippers.html

Feel free to retweet this, email friends and phone anyone who might find this useful. I hope, even with a couple of tweaks from these 2 seminars, that ‘seminar in your slippers’ can become a great innovative way of delivering informative and inspirational details to the living rooms of the disabled community. Please do sign up, join us on the scheduled dates and provide feedback so we can achieve this!

Exciting times hey

By way of a little background to those who haven’t read any of my previous travel articles, this trip was part of my travels around the world during my time off from work. I work as a solicitor as at a commercial law firm in the City of London and took up the offer of extended leave when I was offered the permanent role in July. So far I had travelled to Scotland, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Poland, US and South Africa, and this Singapore and Bali holiday was to be the last leg of my travels before starting my permanent role in January.

I booked my flights with Singapore Airlines, who I have to say were really good and provided an excellent service.  I had a three day stop-over in Singapore before heading off to Bali. But when reaching Singapore a mini-disaster was encountered, where I discovered that my wheelchair charger was not working and couldn’t be easily fixed. This had the potential to ruin my holiday, as I am unable to walk at all, and I had only about a day of charge left in the wheelchair. I really did not want to spend an entire holiday trapped in a hotel room with a wheelchair on a low battery. In my jet-lagged state, I frantically phoned Otto Bock (the company which makes the wheelchair) HQ in Germany to find out they had a dealership or engineer in Singapore. The contact they provided was unable to help as he all he did was process sales orders for Otto Bock in Singapore. I then remembered that I had used the charger of a friend who is also a wheelchair user when we travelled to California, which was made by Invacare (another large mobility products company). I was able to track down an Invacare contact in Singapore by calling Invacare Asia HQ. Unfortunately, all this contact could do was provide me with the name of another contact, who in turn gave me another number to contact! This carried until person number 8 on the chain of contacts told me of a mobility store he know of which sold powered wheelchair and chargers. I went to this store the following morning, and was fortunately able to buy a replacement charger which worked. Disaster averted! Holiday saved!

Aside from the little drama when I first got to Singapore, I had a fantastic time in the city. I have some good friends who work in Singapore, and it was great to spend time with them. The ease of travelling to and around Singapore made it all the better. Singapore is an incredibly modern and efficient city, thus accessibility and facilities for wheelchair users are as good (or even better) as anything you could find in Europe or the US. I was able to easily find accessible taxis (http://www.smrt.com.sg/taxis/our_services.asp) and a hotel which had the wheelchair access and roll in shower I needed (http://www.meritushotels.com/en/hotelinformation/marina-mandarin-singapore/about). To my surprise, while in Singapore I also discovered that the metro was wheelchair accessible, which meant that I did not have to always book taxis, and hence save quite a bit of cash!

After three great days in Singapore it was time to catch the flight to Bali. As accessible transport and accommodation are not so easy to identify in Bali, Andrew and I managed to find a local tour operator called Bali Access Travel (BAT) (http://www.baliaccesstravel.com). BAT have a wheelchair accessible van with space for two wheelchairs and use two hotels in the south of Bali in a place called Sanur, both of which have specially adapted rooms. We spent the first few days exploring the island, which included a couple of road trips into the mountainous regions of the island where we were able to see the Kintanami volcano and Mount Agung. We also spent a fair bit time chilling out at the beach on the days when we had not hired the van.

During these first few days we also finalised our diving plans. We had arranged an adapted diving session through BAT who in turn used a local diving organisation called the Bali International Diving Professionals (BIDP) (http://www.bidp-balidiving.com). Our dive was to take place on the east coast of Bali at a resort near the small town of Tulamben. The resort of Tulamben is a popular Bali dive site as it is the site of the wreckage of a US Navy transport ship, the USAT Liberty, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine during World War II. As I had never been scuba diving before, my dive would be an introductory dive, whereas Andrew, who had been diving many times before his accident and had his PADI diving certificate was able to book a full dive session to see the wreck. As Tulamben was on the other side of Bali, we planned to stay there for two nights at an accessible guest house which BAT had identified.

When we arranged the dive, in all honesty we had no idea what to expect! We hadn’t a clue what “adapted disabled diving” would entail and what kind of accessible facilities would be provided. On arriving at the USS Liberty Dive Resort we realised that in Bali “adapted” meant that there would be lots of strong and friendly people provided by BIDP to help, but absolutely nothing in terms of accessible facilities! At the resort, there were lots of large stairways to navigate which required the help of the BIDP team and about four portable ramps. This was no simple feat as Andrew and I were in two heavy powered wheelchairs, and all this was just to get down to the beachfront. On a patio covered area of the beachfront, our dive instructors went through the safety steps, gave us a basic tutorial of how to use the equipment, and as this was my first dive, taught me how to equalise the pressure in ears. This tutorial also included learning some all important key hand gestures to indicate if there was something wrong!

The next challenge was getting changed into the wet suit. There was no accessible changing area, so we had to improvise! I took my portable hoist with me, so in the end, I got changed on the floor, with a member of BIDP team holding a couple of towels up to give me some privacy while my PA got me ready. The wet suit felt a little strange, but I was very excited, but was a little nervous about the next step, which was to lift me into the water.  Again, some improvisation was required. We basically put the hoist sling on me as if I was to be lifted by the hoist, but taking the place of the hoist would be six very strong Balinese guys and my PA, Jozef, who is also very strong. My two dive instructors were already in the water, and the plan was to lift me out to sea to the waiting dive instructors, who would strap the oxygen tanks to me while lying on back in the water. Here is a video to show you http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DLngk4jm2g&feature=player_embedded

Fortunately, all went to plan and I was safely lifted into the sea, where my two dive instructors attached the oxygen tanks to me, and I started breathing via these tanks. We then slowly went underwater with one of the instructors holding on to me, and the other always in front of me to check I was ok and able to equalise the pressure in my ears. Going underwater for the first time and breathing through the oxygen tank was an insane experience. The adrenaline rush was exhilarating and exciting, and I as became more comfortable with short and shallow dives, we were able to dive deeper to a depth of about 5 metres. Being underwater was amazing. The sea life was so colourful and beautiful, and I felt the most bizarre sense of tranquillity just watching shoals of fish swim past me. In the weightlessness of the underwater world I was able to move my arms and legs a little. Apart from when I am asleep, I am always in my wheelchair, so it was a great feeling to escape the confines of my wheelchair and have the freedom to move my body. This is a video of me underwater http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFDETicgipw&feature=player_embedded

In the final few minutes of the dive, I was able to see the distant outline of the stern of the USAT Liberty shipwreck, which was an unbelievable sight as it was teeming with coral and sea life. The dive unfortunately had to come to an end and sadly I had to head back to the surface. To get back into my wheelchair, a mass of people each grabbed a strap on my hoist sling and lifted me out of the water and back onto dry land.

For the rest of the day and pretty much the rest of the holiday, I was on an indescribable high. This was the most thrilling and exciting thing I had ever done, and I simply can’t wait to go diving again. We returned to Sanur from Tulamben the day after, and the last couple of days of the holiday were spent relaxing before commencing the very long journey back to London.

The Bali scuba dive was the biggest highlight of my travels, and I can’t strongly recommend enough anyone with a disability trying a scuba dive as long as it is a medical possibility. As I write this article, my work start date draws near, and in the next few months the only thing I will be diving into, is a busy office with a massive pile of work to do! But nonetheless my aim for 2011 is to hopefully complete my basic scuba diving certification and hopefully go another dive in the not too distant future.

Martyn’s blog entries provide a great account of our trip!

http://www.prioritytrust.org/blog/travel-planning-with-my-disability-its-10-times-more-important/

http://www.prioritytrust.org/blog/accessibility-in-las-vegas/

http://www.prioritytrust.org/blog/california-dreaming-teething-problems-and-jack-black/

And the BBC article……….

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12176854

In some ways this is no bad thing either. You can easily google for what the ILF is, their history and for policy documents on independent living. What is more difficult to find is the real way in which recent events affect an individual such as myself. While I am going about my intricately balanced but effective care based life, the seeds of doubt have begun to enter my conscious.

For those who haven’t read my blogs on my care: I require 24/7 care to enable me to hoist, dress, cook, clean and have personal care. My needs were assessed by my local authority who have an obligation to provide the services I require. I am also a member of the ILF who enable more severely disabled people to access additional funding, enabling a more independent life to be upheld. Through these 2 funding channels I commission and pay 3 people to cover my care rota through the year. Having this support ensures I not only eat, drink and wash, I am able to live a fulfilled life; both career wise and socially. Hopefully my blog captures this essence and inspires others to live life to the full too.

So when news arrives the ILF will be finished by 2015 my ears pricked up. I know there have been lots of consultations around government policies and budget spending, so I didn’t jump to conclusions. Then yesterday the fateful letter arrived explaining; they had written in June of potential changes, worked with coalition government on the options, Maria Miller announced the funds closure in 2015, they will be in touch to consult on how they will fill the void in 2011.

It is a good thing that as a service user effected I am meant to play a part in the next steps. However to take away half of my care package means I would ‘suggest’ to them (understatement of the century) something should replace the void. I can only see for the sake of simplicity that the local authority would just be expected to pick up the tab. However knowing getting the amount I currently have was difficult when I moved to London. Then with the recent government cuts for local authorities, is this really the case?

If the void is filled, I dont care in what way, I will be happy and continue life as I do. However having ILF stopped and being potentially moved to another framework is bound to cause teething problems impacting my life.

Should the void not be filled, the dread kicks in. With half the care package I would turn to my PAs and announce a pay cut. The likelyhood of anyone working 3-5 days straight for 24 hours is remote. They are great people and care for me deeper than just a job, but its not economically sustainable for them as people. So, then comes the point of would anyone of the right qualities work for this? No. Could I cope with less hours? As I need help to get to bed, to turn over in the night and to get up, I would need support for those hours. But then I need help in the day to use the loo, make drinks, food, go to work. This all before I might like to visit a friend every now and then… You can see the dilemma. At this stage I may need to move back to Cambridge after quitting my job and selling my flat, rely on friends and families good will, lose my independence and not be even a shade of my current self.

So whether an answer is found or not, there are a lot of worries and concerns I have right now. With 4 years to go I need to win the lottery or get rich quick. However apart from those options its a scary prospect right now.

What do you think to this and various other recent government announcements?

Arriving at the Best Western hotel, which Srin booked while we were in San Fran, we hit the same initial problem. Yep, the shower was not a roll in. On asking at reception there was nothing they could do and blamed hotels.com for the mistake. This was a moment I am well used to and Srin agreed that with 4 days left, bed baths would suffice. Srin complained after the trip and hotels.com apologised and gave him a voucher. He suggested we use this for a weekend travel next summer, maybe to Amsterdam.

Having the usual teething problems and mass unpacking session, we were struck by something new – sun and warmth. Having been so ill before the trip and with winter in full swing back here, it was a must have for me. Overall I was apprehensive (and it came to be true) that LA was more about areas with history, than something more specific or tangible. This history was also more around entertainment, movies and TV than politics etc. However we were all tired and well travelled so I think sitting on the beach, looking at the cool views of the coast and cruising through Hollywood/Bevery Hills/Sunset Boulevard etc was perfect. Checkout some of the pictures http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn_sibley/sets/72157625513550662/.

The first full day we hit Malibu beach and Santa Monica Boulevard. The home of Baywatch and lyrics of Sheryl Crow, we were really living the dream. The Sunday we took a short drive up the amazing Pacific route 1 (which goes through San Fran and up to Canada). The views here were stunningly beautiful and we sat with our lunch feeling so inspired by the drive. Afterward we drove down Hollywood boulevard, but didn’t do the walk of fame because the xmas lights were being switched on in front of crowds of people. Having asked one cool copper where, we hit Hollywoods viewing platform at the Griffiths Observatory. This is where on the video I got carried away and did a cheesy martynsibley.com plug.

Monday we found Rodeo drive, Beverly Hills, Bel Air and Sunset Boulevard. We did a piece on the video for the Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I wanted a cocktail on Sunset Boulevard and knew it hit Malibu beach from a couple of days earlier. Having drove for 30 minutes around 4.45pm towards a beautiful sunset, not a bar was in sight. We found out the lively part was eastwards (the other direction) on Sunset Boulevard which was gutting. The good news was we reached the beach on our last night for this picturesque sunset and poignant moment for the trip.

We then headed toward Manhattan Beach, near to our hotel, for the last evening. One of my best times in LA was this area. One of the nights, we all had our favourite meal in an Italian/Greek restaurant there. We also found a truly American bar with sports memorabilia and a pool table. The people there were welcoming and it reminded me of a West Coast ‘cheers’ bar. I asked if Tina’s Margherita could be powered up with a little more alcohol. I thought the bar tender was mortally offended, but as I was chatting to Ted and Pete (my 60 year old mates I made through booze) the bar tender came around. Next thing he’s pouring extra shots and telling us we were cool UK/Austrian peeps. This night was also when I taught Srin he could play pool, checkout the photos of the grudge match. Tina and I vs Srin and Hugh. We drew 1-1.

Now the other almost spiritual part of the trip related to my teenage years. Please do not laugh but I was a bit of a wannabe gangster when I was 12 or so. The first album I bought was Warren G, Regulate and had to place my thumb over the ‘parental advisory’ label. Needless to say, loving my west coast rap such as Dre, Snoop etc, we had to visit Compton, Inglewood and Long Beach. We found KDAY 935 radio station for the pilgrimage to Compton on route to Manhattan Beach. Srin couldn’t believe I knew every lyric. My hairs on my arms stood up and I was buzzing. Sad but true. I was really living the dream at that point. “Westside!!!”.

On the last day I grabbed some souvenir presents for people back home, lapped up the last rays of sun, and felt a little nostalgic. I also turned my attention back to the UK and how to apply some learnings on the trip when home. At the airport we were delayed by 2 hours because of the snow back home. Security was a bit crazy, having to get touched all over and be swabbed for explosive traces, but hey its 2010 right. Tired and going through the mental preparation for flying – will they lift me ok, will my chair be ok, will my bum last the journey etc. Jack Black then comes through the doors. We all had to double take the situation.

Jack Black was amazing! I spoke to his wife, while the others chatted about movies with him. She was really cool too. Then I seized the moment and asked if I could be cheeky by filming him for my blog. He said sure and asked what it was for. I explained it was for disability and he launched into 4 takes as per the end of the trips video. I have since cut the smoothest version which is here http://martynsibley.com/jack-black-singing-martynsibley-com. Amazing. He took my card and said he will look me up on Facebook, fingers crossed. I grinned the whole flight home.

On landing in snow and 0 degrees after being awake 24 hours was hard. To add to this the car broke, again. Srins dad kindly dropped us off at the Long Stay car park to save my hands getting the ‘claw’ from the cold. We threw the bags in after he headed, I hit the button and… nothing! I was pretty close to panic with no sleep, the cold and my health. Fortunately the customer service office provided warmth and an eventual jump start. I slept so well that night and realised all is well that ends well. I may at some stage look more broadly at the US vs UK for disability, but for now this ends the personal accounts of this trip, an absolutely great one too J

We had managed to book the Vegas rooms before leaving the UK too. We went for the MGM Grand on the strip. With so many rooms, 2 theatres, casinos, shops, swimming pool and many restaurants, ‘grand’ doesn’t begin to describe it. We hit our first disability related hitch on arrival. The valet parking wasn’t totally geared up for side ramps, but we sorted them out. Then the showers in the ‘accessible’ room had steps. I learnt some valuable tips from Srin on this trip. I have always had such a positive attitude, but sometimes to my detriment. I have never complained about anything, but realised sometimes it is a principal thing when you are treated incorrectly, especially due to disability. As Srin had lugged his shower chair all the way there, a roll in shower made sense. So we went to reception and explained. They were great. They placed Srin in the fully accessible room and due to a shortage, Tina and I were bumped into the ‘Celebrity Spa’ room. Most luxurious! Ironically it also had a roll in shower. Due to lack of head support, I used 2 MGM grand plastic bags over a pillow, innovation in disability hey… Then the transformer that allows UK wheelchair chargers to work in the USA broke down. Srins wouldn’t work, but before we headed to spend $200 on a new one, we managed to use mine. This meant doubling up on charging, but we made it work. The A-Team of disability collaboration J

Having settled in, we just wandered around the hotel and marvelled. It is honestly something I have never seen in my life. So many lights, machines, noises and atmospheric touches, all arranged to encourage gambling and money making. Cynical I know, but it is true and spectacularly clever how it is carried out. Having slept well after the journey we used the following day to explore the strip and hotels. With so many sights within one road, that one day wasn’t enough, but we ticked off the main places. We used the very accessible monorail, due to the freezing temperatures. We were unlucky with the weather in San Fran and Vegas, apparently we brought the UK climate with us. Highlights of the day were the sight from the top of the Stratosphere hotel, Hugh doing a Base Jump from the bloody building (twice), seeing the Gondolas at the Venetian (Venice replicated inside a hotel) and enjoying a good drink with the guys.

Our second (and last day) in Vegas we crammed a lot in. We took the car out to Arizona, so we actually hit 3 states in a week. This was to see the Hoover dam and Lake Meade. I gave a little spiel on the video about how it was man-made to tame the Colorado river in the early 20^th century. The view was spectacular. Then we made it back to our hotel to watch Cirque du Soleil. I lost myself for this hour and a half. A magnificent show of mystery, dance, acrobatics and escapism. So cool! We then used the last few hours for a couple more drinks and some GAMBLING. To be honest I am not a big gambler nor rich to squander my $$$ but “what happens in Vegas…”. Srin hit the roulette table, we all tried the slot machines and I did some Texas hold ‘em Poker. Having won my first hand I got a little cocky and then lost it again in a blink. Think I will stick to Poker with a £10 in each, winner takes all. Less financial risk this way

With the bags packed and ready to head to LA, there was one final drama in Vegas. The MGM grand is known for famous boxing matches. Hugh is also a keen boxing fan. Having gone off for a wind down drink after helping Srin to bed. He returned 4 hours later a little sheepish. Srin had been worried about the time he was gone and the story transpired that a random drunk guy ended up taking a swing at Hugh. He grazed his face but Hugh dived away. In an act of self defence Hugh planted a swing of his own on the guy too. Security swooped and asked Hugh to explain the events in front of CCTV footage in a quiet room, hence the delayed return to Srin. Pretty crazy stuff but all is well that ends well. Tina did a good share of the driving to let Hugh recover from the trauma and we headed to my ‘West-side’ pilgrimage the following morning. Pictures of Vegas and the rest of the trip are on http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn_sibley/sets/72157625513550662/

With warmer climates and the promise of stardom, tune back in next time for Los Angeles, my meeting with Jack Black and a cold/snowy return home!

It is not unheard of to say planning is key, but with my disability and additional needs it is 10 times more important. Having completed my trip of a lifetime to Australia 5 years ago much of the steps were the same. However this trips original idea was conceived back in May at the Sunnier Days event I ran http://martynsibley.com/video-of-sunnier-days-event-3. My friend Srin said during the seminar he was planning a trip to South Africa for his social enhancement. I mentioned my interest to join him. Soon after I coincidentally had a catch up call with my ex girlfriend and now good mate Tina. She said if I needed help with care she would be happy to assist. Unfortunately the trips costs ran away and we knocked the safari on the head, but stated a trip of some description would happen that would be hardcore!

We looked at Brazil and Cuba first. The problem here was access but more so the time we had before November to nail it. Cuba did not even have an accessible vehicle anywhere. I will make one of these destinations happen in future but nonetheless they were dropped for now. Having been to New York, Florida and DC we felt confident in USA access, plus the west coast was unexplored terrain. Suddenly San Francisco, Vegas and LA looked do-able but challenging.

When booking a holiday I go about it as anyone else, but as you saw sometimes I have to take practicalities into account and be flexible. Once we knew California was the one, we checked flight prices. Airlines are obliged to cater for wheelchair users but if the prices are similar the bigger airlines are safer bets for service. So we went with BA as it was a good price and a direct flight. As soon as you have booked your flight, go through the airlines website pages to indicate your disability and needs. Information required varies and often a phone call may be necessary too. For me they need to know my chairs dimensions, that I need the chair until boarding at the gate, I need assistance lifting on the plane and that the chair has dry cell batteries.

Regarding accommodation, having been messing about with the destination for too long and knowing the USA was good for disability, we were quite relaxed about not booking everything before we flew. We booked the San Francisco hotel straight away. Using the normal rule of location and price like anyone else would, a couple were identified. Then using their website and making a couple of calls we ascertained whether they had accessible rooms and roll in showers. We stayed at http://www.sfocp.com/. Simples.

Transportation in the past has been accessible taxis or public transport. In America you need the freedom of a hire car anyway, but with a wheelchair its the sensible option. We tracked down 2 companies using google (“wheelchair accessible vehicle hire”) and http://www.wheelchair-getaways.com/ could take both wheelchairs for £1000 less than their competitor. Their service also enabled us to have the car delivered to San Francisco and leave it on our departure day at LAX airport. The car door jammed on day 2 and they were amazing by coming out on a Saturday and giving us a replacement. This one also had some issues and they allowed us a better (third car) before the 10 hour Vegas journey. Not ideal but the company ensured it didn’t ruin our trip. So Srin and I were both fully transportational, while Hugh (Srins PA) and Tina were insured and ready to drive on our Cali road trip.

Packing is always a little stressful. I boil it down to the essentials on a list and anything else can be bought and replaced. However being disabled means the essentials are sizeable. Srin brought his mo-lift hoist and shower chair. I have often hired a hoist after googling local organisations and managed without showering. Being a longer trip, bed baths would have struggled to keep me from smelling so I was glad of the shower chair. I had to remember my sling for the hoist (the material placed under me, attached to the hoist – a crane type machine to lift me), the knee pad to stop my knees getting pressure sores at night and my chair charger. I just kept my luggage within the weight limit but I know Srin struggled. If issues arise at check-in explain to the people there are disability aids present, they should make special allowances for you.

To be honest parts of the journey itself is harrowing, but I have learned to pre empt issues and chill out as much as possible. Up at 5am, I drove Tina and I to Heathrow (having worked all day and delivered a training session in the evening the previous day). We managed with the luggage getting on the bus from the car park to terminal 5. The boarding went ok but as the video shows I am a little vulnerable here. The 11 hour journey on a different seat hurts my bum and I need help eating and moving. Tina was ace. So after nearly 24 hours I was back in my own chair and acquainted with Srin and Hugh in California.

Tina had not met Srin or Hugh, I hadn’t met Hugh and so we were 4 people thrown together by fate. Srin and I have SMA and met at a http://www.jtsma.org.uk/ conference where we arm wrestled years ago. We hadn’t ever spent so much time together either. It all clicked straight away though. We took a ride into San Fran that evening to a cool organic restaurant. However Tina and I hit the sack by 9pm and knocked out.

The next morning we had the car issues as mentioned but we still managed the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and the Pacific ocean at Golden Gate park. The video indicates the view but wow. I had goosebumps all day long. I love travelling for that feeling of new experiences, new people and new thoughts. These kicked in straight away I can tell you. Any stress from London, work, chest infections etc dissipated.

On the Sunday we took the most amazing trip to http://www.yosemitepark.com/. Tina was very excited as she is a keen climber and had heard lots about this place. Unfortunately November means there is snow there, being a mountainous terrain. So having marvelled at the views we hit a sticking point. We were unable to enter the actual park without snow chains for the car. Costing $75 we felt it might not be worth it and it all sounded quite treacherous. Suddenly we all came over brave and said we’d come all this way and should bite the bullet. Check out the pictures on flickr! Luckily the resident Austrian knew how to attach them as the 3 brits had no clue. http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn_sibley/5227496828/in/set-72157625513550662/ I can say it was totally worth it. We saw the rock face El Capitain through the beautiful falling snow and astounding waterfalls. We were all in awe.

On the way home the first running gag occurred. All road trips need them. A cute waitress was asking after our accents and where we lived. She then came back and said – “can I ask you a question”? we said of course. So she proceeded to ask if London is a big place in England. Bless. The rest of the trip we would ask each other, if we could ask a question. Silly but got a giggle everytime. On the Monday we explored more of San Fran. That evening we met my dads friend from school days who lives out there now. He took us to an amazing Japanese restaurant http://www.benihana.co.uk/ where they juggle, cut and cook the food in front of you http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn_sibley/5227592104/in/set-72157625513550662/.

Overall San Francisco was very good for wheelchairs. Having the car solved transport issues but I think in the city we would have managed. Most buildings were accessible and the people were great. It is known for being a liberal and open city and I really felt that. I love diversity and openness. I really felt San Fran offered this and our stay there was magnificent. Final analysis after part 3 but needless to say we left happy and set for our 10 hour road trip to Vegas on the Tuesday. Brace yourselves for this one.

It terms of adaptations, I really couldn’t find any flaws with the cruise liner. It was easy to move around the ship, getting on and off the ship at each port was straightforward (although the ramp could be a bit steep depending on the tide) and my cabin was of a good size and with all the adaptations I need like a roll in shower and space under my bed for the hoist.  The thick carpet in the room made moving the hoist around a little difficult and the swaying of the ship when in the choppy waters of Bay of Biscay was a bit uncomfortable. But on the whole, you could see that P&O were accustomed to passengers with disabilities and considerable thought had gone into the design of the adapted cabins.

At all stops apart from Florence and Rome, the port area where the ship docks is pretty much a short walk from the port’s town centre, again making it relatively easy to wander around. However, some of these ports, especially Gibraltar and Ajjacio were very hilly and cobbled, with many roads lacking drop downs. Cruise operators organise tours at each stop known as a shore excursion. At some ports, P&O were able to offer wheelchair accessible shore excursions using adapted vans. I went on such excursions at Rome and Florence. Although only whistle-stop tours through cities that you could easily a couple of weeks enjoying, it was a lot of fun visiting the picture postcard attractions such as the Leaning Tower of Pisa or the Coliseum in Rome.

Cruise liners are essentially floating hotels with tons of food and drink available. They are a very relaxing and somewhat indulging experience. There is quite a bit of dead time while at sea where you have to keep yourself entertained. I usually prefer holidays that are a little more “busier” and hectic, rather than one where you end up spending a lot of time sitting around. But the ease of travel and the ability to see so many great places in one go more than made up for the occasional lack of action! While there are many activities available on the ship, I did find myself enjoying nothing more than reading my book on the ship deck. There is something incredibly beautiful and hypnotic about the open seas, which is very difficult to describe in words. It was very easy to simply stare at the sea and watch the world go by.

A cruise holiday from an accessibility perspective is pretty easy and straightforward. I would definitely go on another, but maybe somewhere a little further afield!

If a cruise ship holiday lacked a bit of action and adventure, the next trip I went on to South Africa was nothing but action and adventure!

I love going to the US. Everything always seems so straightforward and simple when it comes to all things “disability related”.  I have been to the US many times before and I find people over there just seem to “get it” when it comes to disability. By this I mean staff at airports know exactly what to do, finding wheelchair accessible cars or taxis is easy, hotel staff know exactly what a wheelchair accessible room is and wheelchair access is the routine norm rather than the exception, and I could go on with many more examples.

Orlando was great. It’s a place that brings out the kid in me that never quite grew up (and probably never will). I loved the beautiful weather, the pristine beaches, the ample quantity of food portions and the unashamed cheesiness of the enormous theme parks. I was even able to go on some of the rides in the theme parks (albeit the less cool and scary rides!), which were adapted to allow a wheelchair to drive right onto the ride.

The only little hiccup was on the first day, when I realised that a UK wheelchair charger requiring 220V supply does not work in the US where voltage supply is 110V. Even though I had been to the US before, previously I had always rented powered wheelchairs and hoists locally. This time however, I brought my own ‘Molift Smart’ portable hoist and Ottobock ‘A200’ collapsible powered wheelchair.  However, this being America, there existed a solution, and we found an electrical store which sold a step up transformer. Problem solved! Panic over! Holiday resumed!

Going to a country where accessibility is the norm rather than exception is a great experience. I did wonder why this was though. Some tell me that this is due to the pervasive and onerous nature of the Americans with Disabilities Act (as I write this post, I am yet to have read  the Act in any detail so can’t really say whether I agree with this or not), others tell me Americans in general are more willing to stand up (excuse the pun) for their rights and hence service providers have to ensure that any service they provide to a person who happens to have a disability is up to scratch. I am not sure what the answer is, and if there is an answer, it is probably due to a multitude of reasons. But what is interesting and somewhat ironic, is that in a country where state intervention and legislation with respect to social issues, which may place further obligations on the citizen or on a business are generally frowned upon (see Obama’s struggle with healthcare policy for a good example of such recalcitrance), the US in my opinion is far more accommodating for the disabled traveller than pretty much any part of “social” Europe. See my previous blog post on a trip to Brussels for a good comparison.

By writing this article, I have probably inflicted upon myself the bloggers equivalent of the “commentator’s curse” whereby next time I travel to the US it will be an utter wheelchair inaccessible disaster! Let’s hope not though as I am planning to go to California in November!!

The next leg of my travels is a two week cruise around the Mediterranean stopping off at various places in Spain and Italy, and no doubt will have some thoughts to share when I get back.