Meetings

I had meetings and meetings over the two days I was in London, one of which is related to Connect Culture. I am excited about this because it is to look at some EU funding to make it possible for a youth exchange with young disabled people.

I remember the first time I went off on my own. I was about 18 – I took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur airport to take a short flight to Kota Baru on the east coast of Malaysia. I was hobbling on my stick and calipers but it was a big step for me. It just takes that much more courage when it is your first time away and that is even more true for a young disabled person. It would be great to be able to show off  London and all it has to offer to some young disabled Europeans. There will be a lot of logistics involved -let alone doing the application for the funding. Luckily I have other people to help me. More details will be given as the project unfolds.

project planning with Ines and Zara

Regent’s Park – hotel and surrounding areas

I stayed in Regent’s Park Holiday Inn this week. It did not have a roll in shower but its accessible room was very spacious and suitable for disabled visitor who have good upper body strength and able to manage a bath transfer. The bath was low. Unless I was told wrong, none of HI hotels have roll in showers but the one in Russell Square has a hoist.

I was reassured that deaf customers have a portable alarm and communication system and televisions have subtitles that can accessed with the remote control. In my own room I couldn’t locate it but they said they would make sure that that happens for people who need that. I found the toilet roll a bit difficult to pick up – the soap dispenser was next to the toilet where I would expect the toilet paper to be. The toiletries were way back in a corner which is difficult to access unless you are seated on the toilet! I had to ask for teabags in my room – this was a surprise to me, given that I was in an English hotel and then when it came, there was no choice of tea.

Regent's Park Holiday Inn accessible room

I must say that both Holiday Inns (at Russell Square and Regent’s Park) had staff that is obviously well trained and helpful. I had thought I was registered at Russell Square and then consequently found out by checking on my account that I was actually registered in Regent’s Park! They would have changed reservations with me quite willingly except that I used a pre paid service (it’s much cheaper).

low level bath

However, the consequence is that I ended up meandering to side streets up to to Regent Park. I think it is an advantage that I am not a native Londoner so I delight in wandering and discovering London. A very helpful member of staff at Russell Square HI   drew me a precise map of how to get to the other hotel and I found myself going up and across University College London and the British Telecom Tower. That afternoon students were very much in evidence and somehow it felt very studenty and not like what you would expect from a busy part of London right next to Tottenham Court Road and Euston Road. I enjoyed looking at the different variety of shops, restaurants and cafes. I saw a bespoke tailor and sofa shops.

at Villandry

That evening my friend and I ate at Villandry which is a French restaurant, bar and foodstore.  The restaurant is accessible if you go through the foodstore. The service is not fast and the waiter made a mistake by forgetting Phil had wanted French onion soup to start with. We both had the Toulouse sausage. It was a bit pricey and luckily Phil and I were not starving and had some business to discuss because the food took some time to arrive.

At UnLtd and meeting Andy Stowe on European funding

Shamiela Ahmed

Today I went to the UnLtd office at Floodgate Street to talk about Connect Culture progress with Shamiela Ahmed, Development Manager. UnLtd has a really nice office but walking there from New Street Station took longer than what was expected than the 10 mins given by google map. We had trouble finding our way because the streets were not clearly marked.

Another appointment there was with Andy Stowe who is the Senior European Policy Advisor. I am, with others, looking at the possibility of bringing a group of disabled young people to London. This is just a germination stage/ opportunity for the moment. Andy was very helpful in giving advice. We will have to get a sponsor and think of some partners.

There are also some interesting exchange visits one can do as an individual. We were invited to look at the the transversal.org.uk website. There are certainly some good opportunities but I was hoping to find one with accessibility and/or in the hospitality environment in the catalogue but no luck so far..

undercover wheelchair investigation on public transport in London

This morning on BBC Breakfast, I heard that a  group of young disabled campaigners from London will be embarking on an undercover investigation into the state of the public transport system throughout the capital.

The mystery commuter study is the first campaign being organised by the Trailblazers – the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign’s nationwide network of 16 to 30-year-olds fighting for the rights of young disabled people.

The decision to probe public transport was taken following a number of negative incidents experienced by the Trailblazers when using public transport. These have included young wheelchair users getting stuck on buses, broken ramps and buzzers as well as being bullied out of seating by fellow passengers.

Over the coming months the 120 young campaigners from across the UK will be documenting their journeys and completing surveys every time they make a trip on public transport. The Trailblazers will be using their blogs to record their experiences on this website. The results of the local undercover investigation will be revealed in a national report published in the spring.

The mystery commuter investigation will be conducted across the whole of London.

Read more at the Trailblazers website.  I would be very interested in the report.

US court settlement to improve access to online hotel bookings

Press release alert from Scott Rains of Rolling Rains Report

SETTLEMENT REACHED TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO HOTELS.COM AND EXPEDIA RESERVATION SERVICES FOR DISABLED TRAVELERS

OAKLAND, Calif. – Under a settlement announced today, Hotels.com and Expedia.com, two of the world’s leading online travel companies, have agreed to add features to their online travel reservation systems so that millions of travelers with disabilities can use their online services to search for and reserve hotel rooms that have the accommodations they need.

Plaintiffs in the California lawsuit Smith v. Hotels.com L.P. were represented by the public interest law firms of Disability Rights Advocates (DRA) and Public Justice, and a leading class action law firm in Mill Valley, Calif., Chavez & Gertler LLP.

As part of the settlement, Hotels.com and Expedia.com will gather information about hotels’ accessibility features, and will then incorporate that information into their websites so that travelers can both search for hotels with rooms that offer the particular accommodations they need, and make special requests online to book those accessible rooms. Each special request will be given individual attention by a trained customer service representative, who will work with the customer to accommodate his or her needs. These new features will be rolled out later this year.

“For years, travelers with disabilities have been unable to take advantage of the convenience and low cost options of booking hotel rooms online,” said plaintiff Bonnie Lewkowicz. “Now, for the first time, I will be able to reserve a hotel room online that meets my needs, just like anyone else.”

Lewkowicz and co-plaintiff Judith Smith are members of AXIS Dance Company, a not-for-profit company of professional dancers with and without disabilities based in Oakland, Calif. Ms. Smith and Ms. Lewkowicz both rely on wheelchairs for mobility.

“By adding website features to meet the needs of disabled consumers, Hotels.com and Expedia are showing that they are true leaders in the hospitality industry” added Victoria Ni , a staff attorney at Public Justice, a public interest law firm specializing in cutting-edge litigation nationwide. “We hope and believe that other online travel agencies will follow their lead.”

In 2006, American online consumer travel sales generated $79 billion. For American travelers, the Internet is an indispensable resource for planning trips and booking lodgings and transportation.

Adults with disabilities spend over $10 billion annually on travel, and almost half of them consult the Internet to support their travel needs.

Wheelchair users need wide doorways and grab bars and accessible bathrooms. People with visual or hearing impairments also need accessible features, such as Braille signage or a text telephone.

“This settlement ushers in a new era in the online travel industry. A wheelchair user who reserves a hotel room online will no longer have to worry that she or he literally might not be able to enter the room after they arrive,” said Kevin Knestrick, an attorney with DRA, a non-profit law center based in Berkeley, Calif., that specializes in high-impact lawsuits on behalf of people with disabilities.

No damages were sought in the case, which was filed in the California Superior Court for Alameda County.

For more information about the lawsuit and settlement, please go to Public Justice’s website, at www.publicjustice.net, or to DRA’s website, at www.dralegal.org.

###

Public Justice is America’s public interest law firm, supported by – and calling on — a nationwide network of more than 3,000 of the nation’s top lawyers to pursue precedent-setting and socially significant litigation. It has a wide-ranging litigation docket in the areas of consumer rights, worker safety, civil rights and liberties, toxic torts, environmental protection, and access to the courts. Public Justice is the principal project of the Public Justice Foundation, a not-for-profit membership organization headquartered in Washington, DC, with a West Coast office in Oakland, California. The Public Justice web site address is www.publicjustice.net.
Disability Rights Advocates is a non-profit law firm based in Berkeley, California, whose mission is to protect and advance the civil rights of people with disabilities through high-impact litigation, advocacy and education. Disability Rights Advocates is a national leader in protecting the rights of people with all types of disabilities, including mobility, sensory, mental health and learning disabilities.

Now it makes me wonder if it will translate over this side of the pond – what about hotels.co.uk and expedia.co.uk – will they have to follow suit? What if I book hotels in London using hotel.com? We will have to test them later.

Disabled facilities grant

This is something much less fun. I checked this Disabled Facilities Grant because I have heard the government has doubled the funding for it. And I do need a wet room for my apartment, I wanted the OT to come assess and help me with it.

The OT here was not keen at first and told me I would have to move in before she would even assess me. I thought this was very strange but sadly, apparently this is true that they would not do anything until you are in the property.  It is also means tested. But now she has softened and said she would come and meet me and give her assessment.

I do think I want to get my flat sorted out before I move in.

London’s museums and following Smithsonian 2.0 on twitter

I rang Berta to find out how did the rest of her trip to London go. She told me she had a good time, the weather stayed clear until Thursday where she went to 3 museums, such as the Natural History Museum (access guide)  and the Science Museum (access guide)  and Madame Tussauds (access guide). I told her I have not been there since the kids were little.

I am not sure how much Londoners themselves visit these museums. I would venture a guess that most of the visitors are tourists and kids on school trips or with their parents. I love museums myself but I tend to target what I want to see rather than try to take in the whole thing.

Anyway, Berta was impressed not just by the architecture, culture and sights but by the helpfulness of a  fellow traveller. She told me that on their way back to Stansted, they took the wrong train and somebody who saw them with their luggage took the trouble to inform them that they were on the wrong track and pointed them to the right train to take. She said she had not even asked for directions  and she was grateful because they would have missed their plane if that kind person hasn’t bothered to help them.

And on the subject back to museums, I am really excited by following Nancy Proctor and her tweets on Smithsonian 2.0. It reminds me to the time when we used to be at conferences for ICHIM and Museums and the Web. I think I do not have an excuse to go to those any more now that Xavier Perot is dead. I so missed him, I have not realised how much of a mentor he was. And it was he that got me travelling down to Paris and help with ICHIM conferences. And that was for the first time, we had accessible buses – it was a truly inclusive conference, the last conference in Paris, ICHIM 05,(photos) where it was between Cité Internationale de Paris and the Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF). I think that was due to Marianne Serra who  organised all those logistics for delegates.  I gained my confidence about using Parisian public transport from going to that conference.

However Nancy also gave a presentation there. And now shes the head of the New Media Initiatives at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. And shes relaying the proceedings there about the conference in progress using twitter. I love some of the messages shes sending :

• Nancy Reggie Henry: It’s not about the technology; innovation comes from the organization’s culture,
• People understand that repurposing is not the same as purposing; we should not fear misappropriation of our digital assets
• Nancy Colleen Macklin: Success is an iterative process so requires failure by definition. The technology will follow where our ideas lead

I think my takeaway from all this is the lesson of repurposing – this is the term used for recycling digital data – I think it is important to share our knowledge about accessibility and not precious about our knowledge.

I will have to do more content for the real site instead of twittering away!

to be a social entrepreneur and the RNIB bike ride between London and Paris

I heard Nick Temple give a talk on blogging at the UnShine conference last year and started following his blog from the School for Social Entrepreneurs. Today his post on “How to be a social entrepreneur” poster was great. Especially ‘ the right people on the bus, the wrong people off the bus’. I am determined  to stay on the path I want to go – which does not necessarily mean would be financially wise but I am following where my instincts tell me to go.

How to be a social entrepreneur

I also got to know about the RNIB London to Paris Bike Ride on 12th to 15th June. It is a fund raising event.  I suppose it is a good way to travel with like minded people, fund raise for a good cause and get some great exercise. I wonder if there are any visually impaired people taking part – or any provisions made for those who wish to take part.

Meeting Greg Cowan and a conveyor belt lunch with Zara

I have now my very own key card to the Hub, Kings Cross. It gives me a base in London to do some work and meet people.  It was here that I met up with Gregory Cowan – someone introduced to me from Scott Rains networking for inclusive tourism, Tour Watch. Greg, based now in Kings Cross, London, recently completed a VSO development posting, developing architecture teacher training for secure livelihoods in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia. He is an architect interested in cross-cultural architectural awareness and universal/inclusive design among other things.

We met because I wanted his architectural expertise to cast an eye on my apartment project, to use inclusive design principles and mainstream products to construct an accessible home. This would not just be accessible – I want to blend in my own experiences in living in different parts of the world to construct a space that would help others when they are looking to build their own homes. I am not sure how I can be Zen like minimalist but bring in my Malaysian and Chinese backgrounds – with French influences and also carve out a work space, a living space for relaxing, watching films and playing with a wii that I intend to get to do exercise with.

All that and achieve a welcoming environment for friends and my children to visit. A place to entertain and do some cooking again. All packed into a 2 bedroom flat/apartment with a brick balcony. This is why I need Greg’s help.

With Greg Cowan

At lunch time, Zara and I (with my PA, Samilia) went to check out a Yo Sushi bar at StPancras station. I knew the station would be accessible, being new, but not sure if they accommodated wheelchair users who cannot perch on the bar stools. There were 2 normal tables and I initiated Zara to her first ever conveyor belt sushi experience – even if she doesn’t eat sushi, being a vegetarian. It was fun but not cheap. Japanese food is never cheap.

But I was exhilarated at the prospects of our new project together. I will go more into details if it ever comes to fruition.

at Yo sushi with Zara

Yo sushi ( there are other branches all over London) is at :

Unit 27, The Circle
St. Pancras Station
London, NW1 2QP

Mon-Fri:11:30am-10pm
Sat: 11:30am-9pm
Sun:12noon-9pm

Last orders 1 hour before closing time

Accessible toilet at the station (no need for RADAR key for once)

Walking London

My Mexican friend and ex neighbour from Strasbourg, Berta, is vising London for 3 days with her son, Alex. They found a cheap Ryanair flight (Ryanair runs a service from the Baden Karlsruhe airport which is a bit out of the way without any public transport) that took them to Stansted airport. After some consultation, they settled on a hotel in Bayswater. I did not suggest Bayswater, they decided that themselves.

To my astonishment, she told me that they walked all over London from Bayswater in West London crossed Hyde Park to Trafalgar Square and even to Waterloo – which made it about 4 miles before heading back to their hotel. They saw the changing of the guards, nipped into the National Portrait Gallery and even managed to a short visit to Harrods. Yes, it was a lovely sunny day today but I do not know anybody who have done it by walking. I might try it one day – if my batteries would last!

Luckily she said they were going to get a travel pass tomorrow because I am not sure the weather will hold out for them.

I happen to find this book by googling out of curiousity – Walking London:30 Original Walks in and Around London by Andrew Duncan. I am going to get a copy and try some of it – maybe I should do one and call it Wheeling London!

Today is also the inauguration of Barrack Obama. Such a historical day! I wish I could have celebrated it with my American friends.