Hotel Guest Stuck on 4th Floor and Airline Must Dispatch Accessible Jets

Welcome to the accessible travel news roundup, published on Fridays, which highlights interesting stories that are worth sharing, but not suited for dedicated, long-form coverage on this website.

Accessible travel and industry news from around the web:

• Lawmakers Call the Lack of Accessibility on Public Transit a “National Embarrassment” — A cross-party select committee on transportation in the United Kingdom said that “too great a burden is placed on individual disabled people” because the country has failed to make public transport fully accessible. Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood said that “It’s clear that accessibility has been an afterthought in developing transport services.” Ruth Cadbury MP, chair of the committee, said the lack of equal access is a “national embarrassment.” Now the question arises — after statements such as these from members across party lines, will any action be taken?

• “Brutal” Cuts Coming to Pittsburgh Public Transit — Many cities in the United States are on the verge of a fiscal cliff as costs rise, population growth stagnates and funding sources evaporate. While public comment is being accepted from Pittsburgh residents, the transit service cuts are likely to move forward — when public transit services are rolled back, disabled residents and travelers suffer.
• How Chicago’s City Buses Got Wheelchair Lifts Before the ADA Became Law — This PBS story examines the important work of American Disabled for Accessible Public Transit (ADAPT), and their 1985 complaint that led the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) to install wheelchair lifts on buses before the ADA was the law of the land. Their advocacy came long before I became disabled, but it continues to inspire me today.