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The biggest problem with accessible travel is that it actually isn’t all that accessible. Restaurants and restrooms are simply not set up to allow for the maneuverability of a wheelchair.

The biggest problem with the travel industry is that the disability access areas are designed by able bodied people. Something relatively simple like making sure the doors are light enough to be opened by someone in a wheelchair is overlooked by the able bodied designer.  Something as simple as that could truly help make travel for the disabled more of a reality.

Often those who need a little extra assistance while traveling are denied timely access to that assistance. It is common practice to place those in need of additional help in a corner and then a call is placed to that sector of the travel department. Airports require people to wait excessively long periods of time when a wheelchair is required and cab companies will leave those same people waiting for an additional 30, 45, 60 minutes or more while waiting for the one access friendly van to come which has often been dispensed by the parent company.

Moreover, the able bodied employees of the travel industry often do not think in terms of relative safety as it applies to the disabled. For instance, airports often tend to wait until disembarking to call for a wheelchair. The  individual must wait while everyone disembarks and often wait even longer for the personnel  to show up with a wheelchair.

Also, all employees should be required to spend a day learning about the needs of their disabled customers. My wheelchair doesn’t give me the right to spend less on my travel expenses and yet I am not considered for equal, fair, and even sometimes humane treatment. It is easier to push those who need extra assistance into a corner and wait for someone who “specializes” in their needs rather than taking the time to ensure that the corner I am pushed into is a safe and reasonable.

Something as simple as requiring assistance for refueling at a gas station often becomes a compromised situation. Read the fine print of the assistance sticker and it is made clear that if there is only one person on duty those needing assistance will not be helped. Requiring those  with special needs to wait for the simple things is not only insulting, but it can in fact  be dangerous.

Additional training could make it painfully obvious that the elevators are poorly accessible for those in wheelchairs and that the so called accessibility that is mandated by law is just not adequate for those who want to travel despite their disability. Just because one has been struck with an illness or accident doesn’t mean that the world should be set up to work against them.

 Everyone already knows that planning a wedding is no walk in the park. There are so many details to think about and so much work that has to be done within a certain order. One thing to place importance on is the reception and the music that you will provide for it.

There are two ways you can go, the DJ or the wedding band. Most people prefer the wedding band because they can give the whole reception a little more spark. There are certain things that you will want to look for when hiring your wedding band though.

One thing that you will want to try to do is to catch the wedding band during one of their performances. Many bands play gigs that are open to the public so you might have some luck catching them playing. If you do not have any luck with that, you might want to ask for a demo CD or a video that shows them playing at a wedding reception. This will help you understand whether or not they have the right look and sound for you.

If the wedding party band that you are looking into has a website, you will want to start your research there. They should have some photos, musical tracks and videos for you to look at. These will help you decide whether or not the band is professional enough for you.

If there are testimonials on the website you will want to look at those as well. This will allow you to see exactly what previous clients have had to say about them and their music performances. If there is a repertoire, you will want to look at that as well.

You will also want to make sure that you are looking for a band that appeals to many different people so that you can ensure that everyone at your reception is happy. Take the average age of your wedding guests and find a band that can play that kind of music.

Make sure that you are also looking over the price of the wedding band as well as the price is always a determining factor. You will want to make sure that you are at least having one conversation with the band manager and that you have decided a clear and fair price for the event. Be prepared to give a non-refundable deposit when you go to turn in your contract.

And then about a week before the wedding, you will want to make sure that you are giving the band a call, just to make sure that everything is still on track and in order. This might also be the time to make sure that they are allowing enough travel time so that they can set up without a problem.

A nice gesture is to make sure that you provide the band with some food since they most likely traveled a long way, took some time to set up, play all night, and then tear down their equipment. You might also want to make sure that the band has a copy of the planned events for the evening so that they can work around them.