Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood today announced the first federal rule to specifically provide Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) protections to people with disabilities who travel on boats and ships. The action comes as the 20th anniversary of the ADA approaches on July 26.

“This Administration is committed to protecting the rights of passengers with disabilities in all modes of transportation,” said Secretary LaHood. “This rule will ensure fair treatment for people with disabilities who travel by ship or boat.”

The rule applies to two categories of vessels: vessels operated by public entities, such as public ferry systems, and vessels operated by private entities primarily engaged in the business of transporting people, such as cruise ships.

The rule will ensure that vessel operators’ policies do not discriminate against passengers with disabilities. Under the rule, vessel operators cannot charge extra for accessibility-related services to passengers, cannot require passengers to furnish their own attendants, and cannot deny access to passengers based on disability. Vessel operators will have to provide information to passengers about the accessibility of their facilities and services and make a knowledgeable person available to resolve accessibility concerns.

Introducing the MV-1.

Headquartered in South Florida, The Vehicle Production Group LLC (VPG) is proud to introduce the new 2011 MV-1. The MV-1 is the first mobility vehicle that was designed from the ground up for wheelchair accessibility and will be proudly built in America. The MV-1 comes equipped with a deployable integrated ramp for quick and easy passenger access and has a spacious interior that can accommodate up to six occupants. In fact, the MV-1 is the only factory-built vehicle that meets or exceeds the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) vehicle guidelines. The extremely versatile MV-1 will be built at the high quality assembly facility at AM General LLC in Mishawaka, Indiana. Vehicle production begins Q4 of 2010.

Delta Airlines trashed my wheelchair. Northwest Airlines trashed my wheelchair too. Both times, they destroyed them completely, tearing upholstery, gouging the finish right down to the metal, scraping the rims to the point of jagged edges and bending the frame. A few years ago, this would have been devastating to my livelihood since at that time I was modeling and doing television work, and a destroyed wheelchair is not very photogenic. Now it's mainly a really big inconvenience, riding around in a damaged banged up chair while I wait for my replacement to be made.

Thankfully, the laws here in the USA have changed and the airlines have to replace your chair, not just give you what you paid for it, which is important especially if you're like many of us and are using a chair that is a few years old simply because the few thousand dollars to replace it isn't in the budget.

I've been fortunate in these situations since the airlines have stepped up and made good on the damage. But that's not the point. What they don't understand is how vital our mobility aids are to us, and that our wheelchairs are NOT the same as their cheap nasty airport loaner chairs. They also don't understand the importance of our independence.

In the past two weeks, Australia based Jetstar Airlines has made this perfectly clear with two separate incidents involving people with different disabilities.

Two weeks ago Kurt Fearnley (a marathon racer) was told he had to check his chair at the counter and be transferred to an onboard chair. He understandably refused because as anyone who uses a wheelchair knows, the aisle chair is not only dangerous, it's not self propelled. Being stuck in one leaves you at the mercy of a stranger who has to push you to your gate, and we all know how far that can be from the checkin counter. This means that they'd also have to accompany you into the ladies room if you needed to go. Right into the stall with you, and depending on your disability, they may even have to help you transfer to the commode. An untrained stranger helping you with your personal activities. I agree with his refusal to use their offered alternative.

Then just this week, two visually impaired travellers were left off their plane when they refused to be separated from their SEEING EYE DOG. They were told the dog was not allowed on the plane. This is 2009 and that is completely unacceptable.

Taking away a man's wheelchair, and offering a completely unsuitable aisle chair and refusing to allow a GUIDE DOG on an airplane. Both absolutely necessary for these people's independence and both cavalierly discounted by people who are obviously not aware of the magnitude of their positions.

But the biggest shock about these stories besides the astoundingly backward attitudes of the airline staff was the public's reaction to Kurt Fearney's refusal to be made a virtual prisoner. Comments making him out to be spoiled, self absorbed and frankly as they put it, selfish, were staggeringly prevalent. In fact MOST of the comments were against his "choice" to drag himself to the gate WITHOUT his wheelchair. Apparently, his concern for his safety was too much for many able bodied people to understand. The vitriol and snide comments were sickening.

Now, being the fortunate gal I am, when I got back from Atlanta, Madonna Long, my fellow partner in crime here at Chloe Magazine, got on the phone to Delta Airlines and ad a conversation with some very forward thinking representatives. The result is they are taking the very pro-active step of planning a visit to a wheelchair manufacturing company to see exactly what they can do to make things better for all of us, which can only be a good thing. But that still leaves our brothers and sisters traveling on other airlines, and in other countries in the same boat.

Well, since Chloe Magazine is all about Daring to Change the World, we'd like to hear about your travel horror stories AND any good stories you have about traveling with your mobility aid so we can compile them and work with the airlines, cruise lines, railways and bus services to help make all our travels a little easier.

Sharing your disability related travel incidents and how it affected you can help everyone. To add your story, simply log in and enter your comments. Together we can Change the World

My chair was trashed in transit while in the cargo hold. The damage, including bending the frame, tearing the upholstery in two places, both wheels scraped completely, a gouge out of the front left side, completely crushed brake and numerous deep scratches and scrapes in the chrome - came to over $2775. The bent frame essentially totalled the chair.

If you know me personally, you know I keep my chair in PERFECT condition. I wrap it up in so much plastic to travel that when I get to the shows, it's common practice for my friends and others in the industry to mock me. Ernie from Colours Wheelchairs calls my covers my "wheelchair condom".

When I got to the airport, the representative from the airline saw the damage, saw the damage was done THROUGH my packaging and filled in the paperwork.

I called the toll free number the next day (Tuesday June 2) and spoke to Carrie Ping who was very courteous, friendly and helpful. She told me every step she had to take and what I could do to help her out. She even offered additional services that I was unable to use, like a rental wheelchair - which while the offer is very nice, as we all know, for those of use who use a custom chair, there are NO rental wheelchairs available that would do anything other than limit my daily life. If I used an old E&J tank, or other useless piece of junk, then that would be ok, but like THOUSANDS of us who live our lives with a disability and travel, we don't use thrift store grade medical devices and waiting the usual 12 - 16 weeks for our DAILY USE MOBILITY aid is a real issue that the airlines need to address since a replacement chair is fine, but what do you do in the meantime?

I gave her the number to Lasher Sport, she called and spoke to Bill Sr. and then called me back.

On Wednesay June 3, I got a call from both Bill Sr and Carrie Ping, each with the same information. The chair was totalled and SkyWest had already authorized payment to Lasher Sport.

On Thursday June 4, I received a very long, very detailed apology letter from SkyWest airlines AND a voucher for future travel.

This is the SECOND time my chair has been completely totalled in transit in the past two years. Not bad considering I fly out of my local airport at least 6 times a year, and the last 5 times my chair came through with no problems but this is a MAJOR issue for our community. The replacement of my chair is fabulous, but I am considerably more mobile than a lot of other people, I can use my trashed chair while I wait - but what about those who can't?

All in all, SkyWest airlines did make everything good. It is the LAW, btw - but they did it with courtesy and a very friendly and positive attitude and they did it QUICKLY.