I did it! I finally accepted the fact that I have a disability and requested a handicap room for my vacation in Ogunquit, Maine. My need for a handicap room is mostly to avoid any potential stairs leading to or from the room and an accessible bathroom setup. I need a walk-in shower. The room at our motel worked well for me, but there were several blatant design flaws I noticed. I’m sure there were more, but these were the ones that jumped out and impacted me.
The handicap parking spot was right in front of the handicap room. Great! At least that is what one initially thinks, but then you look and there are several steps in front of the parking spot leading up to the room and the steps have no railing. What’s up with that? There is a sidewalk ramp, but it is located way over on the left side of the room. That works, but it’s the long way around. It would work so much better if the handicap parking spot were also located over by the ramp. Or if the ramp were located in front of handicap parking spot. Whoever engineered this arrangement clearly lacked familiarity with disabilities.
The room itself had lots of space to move around and the bathroom was accessible for me, but set up rather wonky. The vanity was right next to the shower door, blocking half of it. There was a seat or shelf area in the shower, but no handheld showerhead set. You had to stand up to shower. Again, ok for me because there was a nice solid handrail, but very hard for someone with a wheelchair or other balancing issues. Plus no one could stand next to the outside front of the shower because the vanity is in the way. This very awkward setup would make it tough for someone who might require assistance in the shower. Also, the walk-in shower floor was rather slippery. I worked around that issue by putting a towel down on the shower floor.
Now outside to the fun stuff!
The pool was accessible with a railing, but it was a low railing and the last step to get out of the pool was a doozie. It helped if I put a chair next to the railing for added support. They did have a handicap seat setup to allow disabled people to access to the pool. But I wondered when it was last used, and if it worked well. Do they have to test it out every now and then to make sure it still works? I decided to pass on the experiment this time.
Next time, I will have to look for accessible beaches. We went to a lovely one called the Footbridge Beach. I loved it and I could currently manage the walk the obstacle course required to get me close to the water…a parking lot, a footbridge, a walkway, another bridge, which was a sandy slanted slab of wood, followed by thick, heavy sand and then ahh….the lovely beach at last and awesome waves. It was worth the obstacle course, but not sure how long I’ll be able to make that trek especially when carrying my bag and chair. I felt blessed this year it was doable.
These are just a few of my observations from my stay at the Anchor Motel in Wells, ME. Overall the place was pleasant, very clean and the staff is kind and friendly. It was a lovely vacation despite the varying obstacles. The handicap accessible room was still helpful even with the few annoyances. I welcome any advice or suggestions from others with a disability who dare to travel.
Finding the Ability to travel…with a disability.
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Finding Abilities 