In a wheelchair and on the move

Facilities and services for tourists with disabilities are getting better and better.

By MIRIAM KRESH
Specialized tour guides can help navigate the territory. (photo credit: COURTESY ISRAEL4ALL)
Specialized tour guides can help navigate the territory.
(photo credit: COURTESY ISRAEL4ALL)
Strolling along Tel Aviv’s breezy promenade, my elderly companion looked at her walking stick, then at her swollen legs, and said, “There must be some place that rents scooters for people like me.” Neither of us knew that such a place existed.
In fact, three do, and any would have readily delivered just the right foldable scooter to her hotel.
Israel welcomed a record 3.5 million tourists in 2013. While we don’t have statistics on what percentage of those were disabled, the tourism industry is clearly paying great attention to the needs of its disabled visitors. In the same year, the ministry invested NIS 2.5 million to bring dozens of sites up to disabled standards.
The fact that disabled tourists often come with attendants who also need accommodation makes catering to disabled people an even more worthwhile enterprise than previously realized – and the results of that investment are encouraging.
Sites that in former years were never considered have now become disabled- accessible. Among them are even the highest plateau of Masada, many trails and the Red Sea, where specially designed bathing chairs are available at three accessible beaches in the hotel area, at no charge.
(Safety rules require the presence of a companion in the water.) Tourists with mobility, vision and cognitive challenges can choose from many specialized tours. A disabled person with a passion for archeology, history, nature and art is well-served in Israel, a country rich in pilgrimage and vacation sites with accessible facilities.
He or she can travel around Lake Kinneret, spend a day in the Neot Kedumim Biblical Landscape Reserve, visit some of Israel’s 200 museums, pray at the Western Wall and enjoy meals in good restaurants – in comfort, and with the assurance that their needs will be accommodated.
More Israeli hotels have wheelchair accommodation in elevators and bathrooms. Bus, taxi, light rail and train travel is easier than ever. By law, all restaurants and places open to the public accept service dogs. Jerusalem’s pilgrimage and historical sites in particular now have better access and bathroom facilities. Moreover, Israelis are usually people of goodwill, spontaneously ready to assist strangers.
People with disabilities can enjoy great vacations in Israel, but pre-planning is essential; the Jewish state is no different from other countries in this respect.
Judy Bendel, director of programs at the Access Unlimited nonprofit, sounds a note of caution: “Hotels don’t always know what ‘disabled’ means. Staff often assumes it just means a ramp at the entrance and a wide door, so they’ll gladly say that the hotel is fine for disabled people. But disabled needs are varied, in ways typical people don’t think of.”
Accordingly, bathroom doors, toilets and showers must be wide enough to admit a wheelchair. Light switches and electric sockets should be placed low on the wall. Hotel restaurants are often located down steps from the lobby, so it’s important to know if a person in a wheelchair or on crutches can get to them easily, and the same goes for the pool area.
Some hotels were initially built with disabled-friendly accommodation, but renovations or “improvements” might have placed a water barrier in the shower stall, or some other impediment in the room.
A disabled person, especially one traveling alone, has to check every detail personally.
“Disabled group travel is another complicated area,” continues Bendel. “Many hotels have only few wheelchair- friendly rooms. Unfortunately, there’s no up-to-date regional guide on disabled-friendly hotels.”
Access Unlimited is currently working on a detailed Israel accessibility guide for tourists, but there’s no foreseeable publication date as of this writing.
Metro asked Bendel for her most important tip. It was surprising, but straightforward.
“Call the hotel,” she advises, “but don’t expect the receptionist or even the manager to understand your particular needs. Ask to speak to the floor supervisor or cleaning person. They will give you the best information.
If what they tell you doesn’t sound right, change the reservation.”
Things like sinks and faucets installed low enough for a person in a wheelchair, and hand grips in showers, are crucial to the comfort and safety of the disabled traveler. “The cleaner will know exactly what’s available in your room,” Bendel concludes with a smile.
ELI MEIRI, founder of disabled tour agency Israel4All, speaks from 30 years’ experience in services for individuals with special needs. “I was a social worker with disabled people for 15 years, coordinating case management, then working as executive director in rehabilitation centers that service people with mobility, senses and emotional disabilities,” he says. “In 1997, I established Israel4All and became a licensed travel agent and tour guide. I lecture at tourism schools about working with the disabled, and train tour guides in the field as well.”
Meiri’s experience agrees with that of Bendel. “People with disabilities need to know how to get around and which sites are accessible. For example, some nature sites may advertise as being accessible, yet have some areas that aren’t. Take the Hippodrome at the Caesarea Marina. It was surrounded by sand, with no traction on the ground for a wheelchair, or for people on crutches or in scooters.”
Feedback from disabled tourists via Israel4All caused the authorities to set down a wheelchair-friendly path, and the Hippodrome is now accessible to everyone.
Can a disabled person plan his or her tour independently? “It’s possible,” he says. “The tourism industry is becoming more and more aware of disabled tourists’ needs. But an independent disabled traveler should get as much information as possible before the trip.”
The Internet provides good leads for disabled people planning a trip to Israel (see links). And Israel4All offers a free service: matching a person with a hotel that accommodates their specific needs. It can make all the difference to a blind traveler, for example, if hotel rooms have Braille numbers on the doors.
“All the same, a specialized guided tour is best, because the guide knows the ways and the barriers,” Meiri adds.
Conventional travel agencies are not to be counted on when the tourist is disabled. A person may have one or more challenges: mobility, vision, hearing or cognitive. Mainstream travel agents usually don’t have correct, up-to-date information for specific disabled needs, nor are their staff trained to provide it. Some even refuse to service travelers with reduced mobility. It does seem that a disabled individual or group can get the most out of their trip to Israel by retaining the services of an agency that’s knowledgeable about their needs.
Independent Media Review and Analysis reports a 3.2 (out of 5 points) satisfaction rate among disabled tourists in Israel for 2013. With the new emphasis on development and improvement in sites and hotels, Israel hopes to see that rate go up in the next few years.
The disabled tourist can make that difference by ensuring their needs are met ahead of the trip, every step of the way, whether by mapping out their own plan or following a qualified guide.
Next time I take my friend out daytripping, we’re going to rent her a scooter.
Links on disabled tourism in Israel
Information
• Access Israel (www.aisrael.org): Info on Israel page has many useful articles on topics such as parking, renting vehicles and public transportation.
Note: Not all links active.
• Israel4All (www.israel4all.com): Tips on Traveling with a Disability section has another valuable set of articles.
• SmarTrip-Israel (smartrip-israel.com/en/category/accessible-tourism/)
• The Tourism Ministry has produced a useful, full-color guide in English (goisrael.com/other/flashbooks/ all/accessibleisraelenglish/index.html).
Follow the usual caveat: It’s always a good idea to follow up any information with a phone call or email to the management, detailing your particular needs.
Hotels
• According to Eli Meiri, the founder of Israel4All, the larger hotels tend to be more accessible. He especially recommends the Kibbutz Hagoshrim, Kfar Blum and Caesar hotels in the North and Tiberias; the Ramat Rahel, Leonardo and Olive Tree hotels in Jerusalem; and the David Intercontinental in Tel Aviv. There are other facilities which can be found through the ever-useful Google; for example, the Ein Gedi youth hostel has full disabled accommodation.
Equipment
• Yad Sarah – the nonprofit lends tourists wheelchairs, crutches and other items for just a security deposit.
Contact: www.yadsarah.org.il; (02) 644-4555; equipment@yadsarah.org.il
• Mobility Rental Israel will deliver mobility equipment and health-related products to tourists anywhere in the country, including hotel, residence or airport. Contact: www.mobilityrentalsisrael.com; (03) 948-0401; info@mobilityrentalsisrael.com
• Access4you (access4you.co.il/) rents scooters, also delivered to the tourist’s door.