Disabled Travelers: The Forgotten Niche
Tico Times
May 24, 2002
By Lauren Wolkoff
Travel options for the disabled are still the overlooked niche in this country’s burgeoning market, according to operators in a growing mini-industry seeking to fill the gap.
While advocates recognize the situation has improved somewhat, it has been a long, bumpy, pothole-ridden road, and significant challenges persist regarding infrastructure and attitude.
“A lot of people here do not understand what it means to give service to disabled people; it is another way of seeing tourism for Costa Ricans,” said Monic Chabot, coordinator of the Foundation for Universal Access to Nature, and operator of a personalized tour company for the disabled.
“(As an operator), you have to visit every single place, because people will tell you a place is accessible without knowing what that means,” Chabot said.
Wheelchair-accessible transportation is virtually nonexistent here, and terrain of all kinds can make for a very wheelchair unfriendly experience.
Just ask Erik Shiozaki, a Chicago native who owns and operates Viya con Silla de Ruedas (“Go With Wheelchairs”), a Costa Rican transportation and tour business for the wheelchair bound.
Shiozaki owns one of the only wheelchair-accessible vans in the country, and that was hard to come by. Because the vehicles aren’t sold locally, Shiozaki had to drive the van here from California.
The 5-year-old company has carved out its market foothold, working primarily with cruise lines. “When I first started, I had to stand out on the dock at (the central Pacific port of) Caldera, and hold up a sign,” said Shiozaki.
While most of the big operators will accommodate disabled passengers, a fully accessible vehicle can make all the difference, he said.
“Have you ever tried to pick someone up who is in a wheelchair? It’s dead weight -- and that can be very difficult and precarious to maneuver onto a bus,” he said.
Vaya con Silla de Ruedas has also mapped a “rolling” tour of San Jose. To do so, Shiozaki sought out streets with curb cuts and fewer potholes than the norm.
Another travel company for the physically and mentally challenged, Travel Your Way!, also uses a wheelchair-friendly van, which the company rents when needed.
This company works exclusively with a driver who is trained in first aid and often has to hire nurses to accompany tourists who need constant care.
All of the special services often make it costly for disabled tourists. This has been problematic for business.
“Many visitors think Costa Rica is a Third-World country and therefore everything is going to be really cheap; they have no idea how expensive it is here to arrange these trips,” said co-owner Nicole Neese.
The misconceptions also work the other way around.
“(Tourism service providers) don’t understand that many disabled people do have money to go on holiday, and the desire to see other countries,” she said.
All operators agree that, regardless of the type of disability, this type of travel requires the ability to accommodate very specific needs.
One relatively new agency, the Costa Rica Deaf Travel Corporation, spares no effort to ensure its hearing-impaired clients do not miss anything.
One of just three agencies worldwide specializing in travel for the deaf, this company employs only deaf tour guides or guides who know several variations of sign language to accommodate travelers of different nationalities.
Each client receives a TTY phone, which spells out phone messages. Also, the company installs removable emergency lights to clients’ hotel rooms.
Owner Royce Diaz said her experience with hotels and restaurants has been very positive.
“I have experienced a complete acceptance of deaf travelers; people’s sensitivity has been amazing,’ said Diaz.
Chabot agrees that “people are becoming more and more aware” compared to a decade ago, and acknowledges that infrastructure is more of a problem today than attitude.
Some attractions are now recommended for disabled travel, including the National Biodiversity Institute (INBio), the Rainforest Aerial Tram, Poas Volcano National Park and the Cafe Britt Coffee Tour.
Other accessible hotels and destinations are also available, but specialty operators recommend you ask highly specific questions to avoid nasty surprises.
Reprinted with permission of the Tico Times.
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