Blog [with]tv

Travel with SPOT

Submitted by Scott Rains of The Rolling Rains Report 

Ever find yourself asking, "Who designed this thing anyway?" I do. I also found someone who figured out what to do next. Her story might someday impact us all.

Julie Jones is founder and CEO of Engineered Travel. Engineered Travel, LLC (www.engineeredtravel.com ) works with manufacturers of existing products and shows them how to apply Universal Design thinking. The result can be anything from product improvements involving simple engineering changes to the development of entirely new products to meet the needs of the disability market. The company is busy at both.

Julie has teamed up with Bob Davis of the GEOS Travel Safety Group http://www.geosalliance.com GEOS provides integrated security, safety and resilient communications services for corporations as well as domestic and international travelers. With former police, military, and government security professionals in-house and having extensive knowledge of search and rescue (SAR) practice GEOS partnered with the manufacturers of the SPOT Satellite Messenger to provide a new type of personal safety device. I have been field testing it. I like it!

Let me reiterate that the purpose of Engineered Travel LLC is to take products that were not designed with our community in mind and make them accessible. That said, even with opportunities for design improvements I have had fun playing with SPOT as I traveled from Brazil to Alaska. It evoked a satisfying round of "tech envy" as I took it out of my briefcase during a meeting of technology innovators in San Francisco recently. I am getting quite a few requests to be added to the list that receives a SPOT "Check In" email pinpointing me on a Google map as I globe trot with SPOT.

There is always inconvenience, even risk involved in travel. For someone with a disability what may be inconvenience for some can be a risk - a vehicle that goes dead somewhere out of cell phone range for example. This is where a personal location device like SPOT literally becomes a life saver.

The orange and black ruggedized waterproof unit has several functions. These include 9-1-1 mode, a less urgent Help mode, and a simple Check-in mode.

tripwolf

OK, this site could be a big development for sharing travel information in the disability community - this is the time to determine that for yourself. If you like it share it with your friends. Where you see it needs improvement share that directly with TripWolf. Either way, as soon as you register, add me as a Friend. I'm on the site as Rolling Rains. This will allow us to compare evaluations of the site's usefulness. It will also allow us to better inform the site's staff on the needs of people with disabilities. From their press release:

New York City, July 1, 2008. Today tripwolf.com (http://www.tripwolf.com) is released publicly to the US market. tripwolf is a new social travel guide that covers the whole world, focusing mainly on Europe. tripwolf combines professional editorial content with user-generated content from globetrotters worldwide. tripwolf is backed by MairDumont, Europe's largest publisher of travel guides including Baedeker, Dumont and Marco Polo. Through collaboration with tripwolf, MairDumont has taken the unprecedented step of putting all of its content - covering more than 200,000 destinations and points of interest - online for free.

Creating Futures Program

Wednesday June 18, 2008

Dear Abby:

Please help me alert your readers about an important program launched by companies in the information technology (IT) industry to educate, train, certify and provide job placement assistance for returning veterans.  Military who successfully complete the Creating Futures program will have the knowledge and skill level they need to start a rewarding career in IT.

Creating Futures is free for all participants.  The cost is covered by organizational sponsors such as HP, Xerox and Rikoh.

The Creating Futures program is tailored to help individuals with various levels of skill.  Individuals who have honed their computer skills in the military will be taught how to transfer those skills to civilian life, and those who are new to IT will be taught the basic skills they need to pursue a career in information technology.

Returning veterans, people with disabilities, youth at risk and dislocated workers interested in participating in the program should visit www.creatingfutures.us for information on how to participate.  -- John Minotaur, Computer Technology Industry Association

For the College Bound and their parents

From the Disability411 Podcast, hosted by Beth Case...

Do you know someone with a disability who is planning to attend college in the fall? Then don't miss this show, with lots of good tips for preparing for college, getting services in college, and how life is different for students with disabilities in college than high school. Even if college is a few years away, it's not too early to start looking ahead!

Listen to Show 53: Preparing for College

Press Release re: the ADA Amendments Act

House of Representatives Approves Bill to Protect Americans with Disabilities from Discrimination

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC -- {The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation today to stop discrimination against individuals with disabilities by restoring the original intent of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

A Different Perspective with Scott Rains

Scheduled for today on A Different Perspective is Howard Renensland's interview with Scott Rains (as seen in the photo).  Scott, of the Rolling Rains Report, is a very busy man these days and if you're at all interested in travel, you'll want to listen in. 

(As I post this right this minute, the link to Scott's interview is not yet up.  But "stay tuned" and check the A Different Perspective link above.  Any minute now...)

LINKS:

Sea Wolf, Waypoint Yacht Charter Services, SATH, TripWolf.com, BrazilMax, Scott's Alaska Photos

A Different Perspective with Marcie Roth

...Embracing life as a "Para' or a "Quad"

Howard chats with Marcie Roth, CEO of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, their upcoming celebration in September in New Orleans with Wynton Marsalis, and the need for all to be involved politically!

Listen HERE!

From the National Spinal Cord Injury Association:

Ms. Marcie Roth’s background in disability services, rights, grassroots organizing, coalition building and public policy work began in the early 1970’s. She has been active as a local, state and national leader, and has been involved in senior management activities for several national and international non-profit disability organizations over the past twenty years, managing multiple projects and leading public policy initiatives simultaneously.

Currently leading national public/private efforts to address the additional needs of people with disabilities before, during and after disasters, she also serves on the National Citizen Corps Subcommittee on Individuals with Disabilities in Emergency Preparedness, and co-chairs the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Emergency Management and International Task Forces.

Traveling with Disabilities information

Wild Iris Medical Education offers a useful course entitled, Traveling with Disabilities authored by Anne M. Becker, MS, RN, CNS and Miriam R. Breslauer, BS, MS.

The course is free through June 30, 2008.
The following is a description of the learning objectives:

Upon completion of this course, you will be able to:

    * Discuss the special needs of disabled travelers using various modes of transportation.
    * Describe the role and duties of a healthcare professional who assists a disabled traveler.
    * Identify three groups of disabilities that may affect a person's ability to travel alone.
    * List examples of advance preparation for the trip of a disabled traveler.
    * Summarize the elements of a medical documentation travel file.
    * Identify the disability-related challenges to traveling on a commercial vehicle.
    * Identify potential hazards at vacation destinations that may affect a disabled person's ability to function in a crisis.

For the course see:
http://www.nursingceu.com/courses/219/index_nceu.html

Scott Rains
The Rolling Rains Report
http://www.RollingRains.com

[with]tv needed in China. STAT.

Dr. Mark Mostert, host of the blog Disability Matters, recently wrote:

Well, well, well.

A day or two ago, London’s Times reported that official, but curious, Chinese attitudes towards people with disabilities have surfaced in the run-up to this summer’s Olympics, and, perhaps more unfortunately, for the World Paralympics also scheduled for Beijing in September.

It turns out that the official Olympic guide for both events, “Skills for helping the disabled,” distributed to 100,000 Chinese volunteers, contains a curious mix of plain old prejudice and plain old ignorance.

Read on:  Disability Dust-Up in Beijing

Oh Happy Day!

Today we're celebrating the 40th edition of the Disability Blog Carnival, posted by
Ashely's Mom on her blog, Pipecleaner Dreams.

We (Team [with]tv) couldn't help but notice that Ashley's Mom said

Two of my favorite stories of celebration came from Howard at Blogs [with]TV, and Jodi at Rheimer Reason.

Yep, that's "our" Howard (CEO & Founder of [with]tv) she's talking about!  Such recognition is always a treat.  Oh, and speaking of treats, read through this carnival and you'll find another one -  "a special surprise"!  While you're there, be sure to take a moment and help celebrate another successful Disability Blog Carnival by leaving Ashley's Mom a comment.  These carnivals take a lot of effort you know!

P.S.  We welcome Ashley's Mom to our blogroll by the way...

Photo description: a black and white photo of a cheerful looking woman wearing an apron and holding up a plate with a cake on it.  In red letters across her skirt it says "Disability Blog Carnival #40". 

(This may be a little off-topic, but I wonder what kind of "1930's wife" she would have made!)