In recognition of National Accessible Air Travel Day, we caught up with our friend Dr. Scott Crawford, a retired neuropsychologist and travel advocate who lives in Jackson, Mississippi. Scott shared some of his top travel tips for people who use a wheelchair or powerchair.

My name is Dr. Scott Crawford, and I am a retired clinical neuropsychologist who lives with a progressive form of multiple sclerosis. In my case, I’m weak in all four extremities, and I’m unable to walk more than a few steps. I use a power wheelchair for mobility and deal with limited hand dexterity and weak vocal cords that often don’t allow me to talk louder than a whisper. It takes great effort to speak at all, especially in loud airports or crowded rooms.

I am also an advocate for accessible transportation, both locally – in my hometown of Jackson, Mississippi – and nationally. In my years of traveling, I have put together some top tips for wheelchair travelers.

Scott’s Top Tips for Wheelchair Travelers:

1. Make all wheelchair accessible transportation to/from airports well in advance, especially for smaller airports! If the hotel says it has free transportation to/from the airport, it is safe to assume it will NOT be wheelchair accessible.

If you are traveling to a city with public transit, choose a hotel on a main transit route (train/bus) to ensure you have a backup transportation plan. I have gotten temporary paratransit certification at a city I visit, but I rarely make the effort now because the process is cumbersome, and the success is not guaranteed. It is better to use either a private accessible van that you reserve in advance or the public fixed route system.

2. Ensure that you contact the local hotel staff (onsite, not merely the reservationist online) and that they understand and have reserved the correct type of accessible room.

Most hotels only have one ADA room with a roll-in shower. So, if you need that accommodation, confirm over the phone that it is reserved in your name. Again, do not merely specify “accessible” because that usually means a tub with hand-bars. Staff will probably not know what you mean by a roll-in shower unless you explain it to them.

3. Inform the airline in advance that you are flying with a wheelchair and if you need an aisle chair to push you from the door of the aircraft to your seat.

4. Photograph your wheelchair just before the flight to document its pre-flight condition. This is important in case it is damaged.

5. If possible, remove anything from your chair that may hang over or come off (joystick handle, headrest). Place these items in a bag and carry them onto the plane.

6. Make sure you have airport or airline employees bring your chair to you at the gate when you have a connection.

Do not check your chair straight through to your final destination. You’ll need the independence in the airport and cannot generally count on airport or airline employees to push you from gate to gate because too many things can go wrong. This also means you can inspect your chair for damage after each leg.

7. Be sure to allow layovers of no less than two hours because you’ll be the last person off the plane, and it can take thirty minutes to get you your chair. One-hour layovers are for perfectly ambulating people under ideal conditions.

8. If you need help getting through security, inform TSACares in advance. However, you may have to be proactive to ensure compliance. If things go awry, you’ll have written documentation that reasonable accommodation was requested in advance.

9. If your wheeled mobility device is damaged, go to Baggage Claim and file a report before you leave the airport. Take photos and keep all documentation. You’ll need it to file a claim.

10. Download and be familiar with the Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights. Have it stored on your device for quick reference. Be ready to hold airline staff to those provisions because they may not be trained or informed on the latest version.

11. Ask for a Complaint Resolution Official when things go wrong. Airlines are required to have at least one on duty when they are in operation at that airport. As a back-up: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has a Disability Hotline at 1-800-778-4838 available from 8:30am to 5pm Monday-Friday.

12. Become familiar with and practice using Google Maps to plan excursions. Be sure to click on the “Train Icon” signifying that you want the “Transit” directions. For important trips, I sometimes print out a hard-copy just in case.