When he was a fighter pilot, Rick Crowder didn`t spend much time thinking about people with disabilities.
”Having a disability is just not something that you usually think about about unless you`re the one who is faced with the obstacles,” he said.
But after an accident that left him paralyzed in 1979, Crowder found himself thrust into the world of the disabled as a paraplegic.
His tragic accident, ironically, was to blossom into a gain for members of the disabled community who now have the energetic and positive-minded Crowder firmly in their corner.
Crowder, who has always enjoyed journeying to far-away places, has taken up the challenge of making travel easier for people with disabilities who happen to share his passion.
After adjusting to life in a wheelchair, Crowder took his engineering degree into the corporate arena where he remained for seven years. Then, after a road trip to Colorado which led to a re-evaluation of his life and goals
(and the contemplation of an ”omigosh-what-if” scenario), Crowder`s all-volunteer network, Travelin` Talk, was born.
”I was alone at a rest stop in the middle of Kansas,” said Crowder. ”I thought about what I`d do if my van`s wheelchair lift were to break right there in the middle of nowhere.”
Crowder made the decision to start a network of contacts willing to assist on-the-road disabled people when the dreaded ”what-ifs” become reality.
600 volunteers
He began his endeavor by contacting periodicals geared to the disabled, solicited members and compiled resources. In four years, the Travelin` Talk network has expanded to include more than 600 volunteer members in every state, and in countries from Ethiopia to China.
”People become part of this network not with the idea of `What`s in this for me?` ” said Crowder, ”but rather, `What can I do to help others?
”To become a member, people fill out a form and indicate the services they would be willing to provide for a person with a disability who is traveling in their area.
”If members have a disability, it`s up to them whether or not they wish to share that information, but it is useful to have. For example, if I`m traveling in Chicago, I may find several network members in the area. If I needed information or assistance, I would look up a member who uses a wheelchair rather than someone who is visually or hearing disabled, simply because I happen to use a wheelchair, and the wheelchair person would be more informed regarding the particular services I would need.”
The information and services provided by Travelin` Talk network members can range from finding veterinary care for guide dogs to locating a reputable place to get a prosthesis repaired.
”Many of our members also provide direct assistance,” said Crowder.
”If someone was stranded on the road near where I live, you can bet I`d go get him, and so would many of our members. You`d be surprised what people are willing to share. We`ve had people loan boats with lifts, swimming pools with lifts, even their own homes.
”A big thing our members do for us is to provide verification services,” Crowder said. ”Members are willing to go out and verify whether places that claim to be handicapped-accessible actually are.”
Help from Congress
Since the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has gone into effect this year, Crowder anticipates that accessibility will become less of a problem for the disabled traveler, as businesses are now required by law to make the services they provide accessible to all of the public.
A comprehensive Travelin` Talk directory will be available this spring. Besides the worldwide listing of the 600-plus members and the services they offer the disabled traveler, Crowder provides listings of resources that are available in locations where there are no members.
”Say I`m going to a place where there are no network members listed,”
said Crowder. ”The resource section for that city might list an independent living center or a similar place that might be able to help you out.”
Travelin` Talk regularly receives requests from people seeking tours that are geared to the disabled. The directory also provides a section that lists updated accessible tours.
”We list about a dozen agencies,” said Crowder. ”By taking the tours that are available through the agencies, it`s more affordable. Everything is arranged for you, and if you had to line up all those services . . . it would be a lot more expensive.”
Last year, Travelin` Talk listed agencies that offered tours to destinations such as Nepal, China, the Bahamas, the Colorado River and Walt Disney World.
Travelin` Talk recently was awarded Travel Holiday magazine`s Bernie award for ”reacting to a cry for help like a faithful St. Bernard.” The event that netted the award was the rescue of a disabled Indiana family that was stranded after a car accident in Texas. Via the network, the travelers were rescued (from the middle of nowhere, according to Crowder), given overnight accommodations in a private home, flown from Texas to Chicago, gratis, by American Airlines, and driven from O`Hare to their home in Hammond- all in less than 36 hours.
To become a member of the Travelin` Talk network, a one-time registration fee is charged on a sliding scale basis, ranging from $1-$5 for people on disability incomes to $10 for individual memberships, and $15 for non-profit organizations to $50 for organizations in the travel, tour or lodging industry. The cost of the directory will be $30 for members and $35 for non-members.
For further information about the Travelin` Talk network or directory, contact Rick Crowder, Box 3534, Clarksville, Tenn. 37043; 615-552-6670 or fax 615-552-1182.
