Anticipating a relaxing Florida getaway, my husband and I checked into a luxury resort hotel. Our warmly lit room overlooked the lush landscaped courtyard. Jim turned on the music. Picking me up in his strong arms, he tossed me onto the bed.

Stop. Rewind the image flashing through your mind. The episode was not a romantic rendezvous. As I clung to the headboard, Jim lifted me from my wheelchair and flung me onto the 4-foot-high bed.

The year was 2002. The new, 1,400-room hotel was designed to accommodate convention business. Our room complied with standards outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act. It even had a roll-in shower. The problem? Someone forgot to tell the interior decorator that elevated beds, while stunning, are not a practical choice for people who use wheelchairs. To transfer from a wheelchair to a bed, you need the two to be approximately the same height.

Waving a coat hanger above his head, Alan Tholkes tries to nudge the handheld shower sprayer from the clamp that holds it just out of his reach. The founder and CEO of two companies, Tholkes struggles with the most fundamental need of a business traveler: taking a shower. When he checks into a hotel room, he never knows if it will meet his needs.

“There is no consistency. I find that out of every 100 hotels, only two or three are done well,” said Tholkes. He explained that the shower usually doesn’t include a transfer bench, or if it does, it isn’t stable. And even when he is able to get a room with a roll-in shower, the housekeeping staff often places the shower head in the highest position.

Going to bed, taking a shower, eating breakfast and navigating a hotel lobby are rituals familiar to the typical business traveler. For the able-bodied, these activities may seem mundane. For a person with a disability, they can become daunting obstacles.

A Potential $26 Billion Market
U.S. residents with disabilities took 31.7 million trips and spent $13.6 billion in 2001. A landmark study conducted by Harris Interactive in 2002 for the Chicago-based Open Doors Organization and cosponsored by the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality and the Travel Industry Association of America estimates the income from this population could potentially double if the travel industry took steps to meet the needs of disabled travelers. For hotels, this includes locating accessible rooms near amenities, and training staff members to be more accommodating. Airlines could benefit from a simple “meet and greet” program designed to expedite check-in and boarding and a preferred-seating plan.

The study measured general travel behaviors, including how often people with disabilities travel, with whom they travel, how much they spend while on the road, the mode of transportation and accommodations used, and on which sources of information they rely to make decisions.

“These statistics demonstrate that, if properly reached, people with disabilities can be an extremely profitable marketing target,” said Eric Lipp, founder and director of Open Doors Organization. “This study will teach the travel, entertainment and hospitality-related businesses more about the size, revenue opportunities and preferences of people with disabilities. Further, this information will enable businesses to determine how best to meet these needs in order to realize revenue growth among a large but relatively untapped market.”

ODO teaches businesses how to succeed in the disability market. Lipp, who wears a leg brace and walks with a cane, finds there is still much the travel industry can do to meet the needs of the disabled community.

“Every city should have access guides,” he said. “Airplanes need accessible bathrooms. Cruise lines could install adaptive equipment in the workout rooms. Hotels need to learn their own properties and orient their guests.”

Defining Accessible
As the editor of Emerging Horizons, a magazine about accessible travel, Candy Harrington covered the topic for a dozen years. The author of Barrier-Free Travel: A Nuts and Bolts Guide for Wheelers and Slow Walkers, Harrington believes one of the biggest problems within the travel industry is the terminology. She advises travelers to ask for details when determining the accessibility of a property.

“Today access can vary widely from property to property, depending on when and where it was built, how big it is and even who owns it. So for example, you can have two properties side by side (maybe built or remodeled at different times) that look the same from the street, but that have drastically different access standards,” said Harrington. “One property may have an accessible guestroom that has a roll-in shower while the next may have an accessible guestroom that has a tub/shower combination.

“The term ‘ADA compliant’ is pretty meaningless to the average traveler. It implies that they (travelers) know the code backwards and forwards, which in most cases they do not,” she said.

Americans with Disabilities Act
“Although people argue about the differences the ADA has or hasn’t made, in reality it has made domestic travel a possibility. Today you can reserve an accessible hotel room, rent a car with hand controls and take a wheelchair-accessible shuttle to your hotel. You just could not do these things in pre-ADA times,” said Harrington. “Twenty-five years ago, you really didn’t see many wheelchair users out and about. Look around — today you do.”

Steve Mydanick, director of corporate affairs for the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality, agreed.

“Twenty years ago, if you used a wheelchair, you couldn’t get on a cruise,” said Mydanick, who credits SATH with educating the travel industry about people with disabilities and their desire to travel. “We’ve come a long way. The cruise lines didn’t put accessible cabins in to be nice. They did it because their bottom line is going through the roof.”

Royal Caribbean International access specialist Laura Amor said requests for accessible rooms are on the rise. To accommodate the growing demand, Royal Caribbean spent $ 6 million over the past three and a half years to improve the accessible features of its ships. From swimming pool lifts to Braille menus and lighted doorbells to more-accessible restrooms, the company is committed to the market.

Change is in the air. The city of New Orleans fitted its historic streetcars with ramps and Disney World hotels are building zero-grade entry pools. In Napa Valley, garden beds are raised so that everyone can touch and feel the plants and trees at Copia, an interactive museum where visitors investigate the culture of wine, food and the arts. Avis Rent A Car offers vehicles with spinner knobs, transfer boards and hand controls for customers with special needs. Estate Concordia, an eco-resort in development on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, is being built with inclusive design at its conceptual center.

Domestic Travel
Andy Vladimir has gone scuba diving in St. Thomas, watched Vanessa Redgrave perform at England’s National Theatre and spotted bears in Grand Teton National Park in northwestern Wyoming. He uses a scooter to get around, and cannot walk or climb steps.

An associate professor emeritus at Florida International University’s School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Vladimir coauthored The Complete 21st Century Travel & Hospitality Marketing Handbook. He has myotonic dystrophy, a form of muscular dystrophy that affects muscles and many other organs in the body.

“The biggest problem in getting around for persons with mobility difficulties is, of course, getting around,” said Vladimir. “U.S. destinations including Hawaii, Alaska and Puerto Rico all abide by the ADA. Traveling to places like Anchorage or Fairbanks is fairly easy — there is even a domed train that has an elevator so you can enjoy the view.

“Hawaii is one of the most accessible places you will ever find. All the buses in Honolulu are accessible and the curbs are ramped. In the Caribbean, the U.S. Virgin Islands have the only official transportation modes for persons with disabilities: a van supplied by the government and an accessible tour trolley.”

International Travel
Different countries have different definitions of accessibility.

“Most First World countries have some sort of access or human rights legislation,” said Harrington. “Of course, this varies from country to country, as do access standards. Even in some Third World nations there are pockets of accessibility.”

Britain has made huge strides in accessible tourism. In 2004, the country implemented its Disability Discrimination Act.

“England is very accessibility conscious,” said Vladimir. “All of the National Trust properties, formal gardens and castles have been made as accessible as possible.“

“The U.K. is one of the few places, besides Las Vegas, where I’ve found hotels that have ceiling track lifts (mounted into the ceiling to lift a person onto a bed) — something that goes well beyond any access codes,” said Harrington.

Before the Olympics and Paralympics in Greece last year, Athens got a face-lift that included the construction of an open-air elevator to hoist visitors with disabilities over the 82-foot-high northern wall of the Acropolis. In Paris, accessible taxis allow passengers to roll a wheelchair into a minivan.

In the European Union, about 37 million people are disabled — a population segment that’s expected to increase as the average age of the population increases.

“Many disabled people are keen to travel, but wide variation in the level of access within destinations and across the EU generally, combined with poor information and negative experiences, discourages potential customers. Improved accessibility will not only result in economic benefits to the tourism industry but will also assist the move towards full social integration,” according to a study called “Improving Information on Accessible Tourism for Disabled People,” on the European Union’s Web portal, europa.eu.int.

Educating the Professionals
The Travel Institute, a 40-year-old organization based in Wellesley, Mass., that provides education and professional certification for travel agents, implemented nine new Lifestyle Specialists courses last year. The courses reflect important trends in consumer travel planning, including: Adventure Travel, Diving, Gay and Lesbian Travel, Golf, Honeymoons and Destination Weddings, Luxury Travel, Spas, and Yacht Charters. In June, Accessible Travel was introduced.

The Accessible Travel course covers the size and scope of the market, the proper etiquette for serving travelers with disabilities, and what to look for in assessing various modes of transportation, lodging, destinations and attractions. The course also provides practical, effective marketing techniques and travel preferences designed to help travel agents, tour operators, suppliers and destinations meet the needs of this market to establish a loyal, repeat customer base. The course was written in collaboration with SATH.

“Accessible travel is a niche market that cuts across all niche markets. If you learn to serve the accessible-travel market, it can help in every other area of travel sales. Accessible travelers’ needs cross all types of travel and all destinations,” said Roberta Schwartz, SATH’s director of education.

Legislation and organizations such as SATH have improved traveling for people with disabilities. As lifespans continue to increase, it is only logical that the size of the disabled market will grow larger. Communities and companies are wise to consider the needs of this untapped market. Someday, with awareness, understanding and change, the world will be accessible for every person.

“The travel professional needs to assist those with special needs,” said Steven Coy III, Travel Institute manager of marketing communications. “Accessible travel isn’t just people with wheelchairs. It includes slow walkers or those who use oxygen. The course is very popular — especially with those who work with mature clients. Traveling for persons with disabilities used to be limited. Now, people can go almost anywhere.”

Disability Etiquette

“When we were children, most of our parents taught us not to stare at people who were different because it is rude. As adults, those early lessons have translated into, don’t look.”

That astute observation comes from Cheryl Duke, president of Virginia-based W.C. Duke Associates. Duke’s company teaches Opening Doors, a disability etiquette program designed for service industry employees. Companies like Microtel, American Express, and Harrah’s Entertainment have benefited from Duke’s expertise.

“People will look over, around and through me, but not at me,” said Duke, who has degenerative arthritis and uses a scooter to get around.

By contrast, Duke advises able-bodied travelers to acknowledge that a person has a disability rather than trying to pretend it doesn’t exist.

“You can never blend in when you have a visible disability,” she said good-naturedly, likening the attention-getting aspect of having a disability to the draw of celebrity.

Confused? It’s all about good manners. These tips from United Cerebral Palsy and Opening Doors help sort out the do’s and don’ts of traveling or doing business with an associate with a disability:
When talking to a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or a sign language interpreter.

Do offer to shake hands.
Ask the person with the disability if assistance is needed. If your offer is accepted, listen or ask for instructions.
When meeting a person who is visually impaired, identify yourself and others who may be with you. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.
Do not lean on a person’s wheelchair. Do not pet or engage service animals.
Listen attentively when you’re talking with someone who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish, rather than correcting or speaking for the person. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or a shake of the head.
When speaking with a person who uses a wheelchair or crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to converse.
To get the attention of someone who is deaf, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly and expressively to determine if the person can read your lips. Not all people who are deaf can read lips. For those who can, be sensitive to their needs by keeping obstacles away from your mouth while speaking.
Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions such as “See you later” or “Did you hear about that?” that seem to relate to a person’s disability.