aMTRAK jOURNEY...

Our experience over the past week with Amtrak has been an opportunity to advocate for change. We’ve worked hard to advocate for more positive accessible travel and have appreciated some small improvements along the way, but many barriers remain, both in Amtrak’s booking process and on board. What should be a simple, stress-free trip continues to turn into an uphill battle for travelers with disabilities.

Below is the letter we sent to Amtrak after our most recent trip, sharing our firsthand experience and urging them to make meaningful changes so that accessibility isn’t treated as a “courtesy,” but as a right.

Amtrak journey update!

The trip went reasonably well! Our train was late, it happens. That delay put us way behind at the hospital, which makes sense and we understand, but we missed our scheduled return train.

But two major issues stand out:

 Just like with our original reservation, trying to change a ticket for a wheelchair user and their assistant is no easy task. We were bumped from one time to the next, frustrating, but we’ve learned to pivot.

 What’s truly infuriating, though, is this: after all the emphasis Amtrak places on policy and procedure when it comes to accessibility, not a single wheelchair space was clear for mobility aid users on the train.

If Amtrak insists on holding firm to their policies when passengers with disabilities ask for reasonable modifications under the ADA, why is it so hard for them to follow their own written policy and procedure about keeping those designated spaces clear?

It’s simple… accessibility can't wait around for enforcement.

 #disabilityrights #amtrak#RespectTheLaw #adacoalitionct #inclusionmatters

It’s an early morning journey to CHOP on Amtrak. We decided to document it to see how our accessibility goes both physical and attitudinal ….. let the journey begin