If you have a disability, you’ll likely feel tempted to stay in your geo - graphic “comfort zone,” where your doctor, therapist, and whatever else is close by, even if you know intel - lectually that there’s a big world out there. But don’t let that get you down! It’s possible to see the world if you have a disability. I know that from experience on two fronts: traveling as a person with Cerebral Palsy, and traveling as a person with OCD. I briefly mentioned my Europe trip in a previous issue, but this time I’d like to hone in on that.
When we got to Europe, one of the first things we noticed was how helpful everyone was. There are a lot of instances of this, each small on their own, that stick out to me.
First, my travel party and I flew from Kalispell to Seattle. The flight attendant, Kathy, was really helpful.
One thing that I liked about our later Alaska Airlines flight from Seattle to Portland was that the seat backs had phone charger sockets in them, with a green light to indicate where it was. This was really helpful for me, due to my impaired vision.
My party spent some time in Portland, then took a plane back to the Seattle airport to transfer to our Seattle-London flight. In the PDX airport, I was allowed to skip to the front of the pre-boarding line.
LONDON
London was really great! It was pointed out to me that the Coronation area on the north side of the mall (which was unfortunately packed already; my friends and I had to watch the Coronation on TV at a pub) had accessible bathrooms, first aid, mental health first aid, and a quiet area in case you’re overstimulated.
In the Piccadilly underground line (which people call the “tube”), there was an announcement to the effect of “if you see someone with a disability, offer them your seat as a courtesy. Don’t make them ask.”
On the way to the mall, a security guard helped me get off the escalator. I found this unexpected, but definitely kind.
We went to the theater once, and I got to skip the line due to having a visible disability.
PARIS
For the 45-minute flight from London to Paris, I took Airbus A319 and sat in seat 14B. There wasn’t much leg room. Our first stop when we landed was Disney Paris, which was really fun. The disability pass (a priority access card/pass) got me a discount on Simba ears. I could skip lines to rides & shows.
In Paris proper, we took a trip to the Louvre, where the staff let my travel party bypass much of the line to get in.
The Charles de Gaulle Airport has a long walk from the plane to the baggage area, which I wasn’t a fan of. Long walks can be tough if you have mobility issues. When I went to Moulin Rouge, my table was far away enough that I couldn’t see the show clearly. I asked the staff if I could use my phone as a magnification device if I promised not to violate the “no filming or photography” rule, but they said no. After the show, my travel party went to a nearby restaurant a block away called Pojo. The owner was gracious and accommodating, and the food was delicious!
BERLIN
Next up on our trip came Berlin. At the airport, while waiting for our flight to board, a woman offered me her seat when she saw my crutches. When I walked into the bathroom entry (there was a divider between the men’s & women’s sides), a different woman pointed me to the handicapped bathroom.
The flight itself took about an hour and a half. I was in seat 17A on AirFrance flight A220. There wasn’t much leg room.
MADRID
To get from Berlin to Madrid, I took a train to the airport. There was a gap that full-time wheelchair users couldn’t have gotten over. The flight was 3 hours on an A321 Airbus; I was in seat 11A. There wasn’t much leg room.
When we disembarked at the Madrid airport, I noted the absence of an elevator close to the arrival area. I had to get out of my chair & take stairs to reach baggage claim, some - thing that a full-time wheelchair user wouldn’t have been able to do.
If you want to take a train like I did, the cars can get pretty packed, so get a seat if you can. Madrid had modern curb cuts. I noticed there were some people using wheelchairs or canes going about the city, which was a good signifier for how accessible things were.
FRANKFURT
When boarding at the airport, all wheelchair users were corralled to a separate area at the gate. To board the plane, I was put in a box on a lift, like the cart that loads food onto the plane, for an hour. At the end of this, they dropped me off outside the plane and I went up the stairs like every other passenger. I could’ve ridden the bus to the plane. I took flight IB8710 with Iberia Express, in seat 20B. There wasn’t much leg room. They made my travel party wait till everyone else was off the plane before disembarking. 0/10, would not recommend.
Frankfurt is an old city. The cobbled sidewalks are smooth for the most part. However, I noticed several curb cuts made from rough cobbles with lips that I needed assistance navigating. The pathways at Frankfurt’s parks are either dirt or cobblestone.
Pedestrian traffic is very organized, but cars don’t drive slowly, they zoom by. Be careful out there if you’re a wheelchair user!
I did see some people in wheelchairs out & about, as well as canes, although not as much as in Madrid. As in Madrid, this was a good sign for the accessibility of the city.
After spending about a month enjoying the things English, French, Spanish and German culture had to offer, we went back to the States.
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