I was sitting in the lobby of the hotel waiting for a taxi when Bob, the General Manager of Freedom Designs (a sister company) asked whether the hotel room was accessible and fit my needs. Bob and I are often at the same tradeshows and he has come to understand my needs due to long hours together at various industry events. I told him that I wished it had a tub instead of a roll-in shower for safety reasons. He immediately mentioned that he thought it would be the exact opposite. I explained that the greatest danger to someone in a wheelchair is water. If your wheelchair is sitting in water it will slide and make the transfer dangerous. In a bathtub, the water is contained and the tub is secured and will not slip away.
When I travel around the world I am always booking ahead and trying to make sure that I get a handicapped room. This is not the easiest task in the world. An accessible hotel room takes on many forms around the world such as the Scandinavian design of a huge bathroom and small bedroom. Now if I said that safety is more important than accessibility, I would have many that would disagree. When I get to any hotel, the first thing I ask for is 3 to 4 extra bath towels. This is the first step of making sure that the bathroom is made safer and more accessible.
Here is the way I use the extra bath towels when using a tub:
1. ) If the floor is slippery, I will lay down a towel next to the tub for the wheelchair to sit on. I usually wet the towel down with the shower head to make it stick on the slippery floor.
2.) I put a folded small towel in the tub to sit on.
3.) I will put a folded bath towel on the edge of the tub for a cushion when transferring in and for safety when transferring out.
4.) I keep an extra towel around in case I need to put it into the tub after the shower to prevent slipping after showering. (BTW – most if not all bath chairs provide by hotels are a joke and not usable unless you can actually stand up and sit down.)
Here is the way I use the extra bath towels when using a roll-in shower:
1.) The towels are most needed on the floors because they will be slippery when wet (this is where you have to be a bit unconventional). I lay a big bath towel down where my bath chair will be and wet it down before using it. Be sure not to cover up the drain.
2. ) Then I will take a second towel and lay it down and wet it down where my wheelchair will be.
3.) Lastly I will keep an extra towel nearby just in case I need it. Sometimes chairs sit high and you cannot plant your feet down for a safe transfer.
Why do I prefer the tub over the roll-in shower? As a T-12 paraplegic, the transfer into a tub is achievable with little difficulty. The roll-in shower is always a water hazard and there is not much you can do about it. If they have a built in fold down seat it is almost always too small to use and on the opposite side of the water controls. This usually results in you trying to find a plastic chair from the pool or elsewhere. I hope this helps in your travels. Everybody is different but towels are your friends in a hotel living.
If you are interested in disability travel related topics, you may want to check out Boarding a Plane and Renting a Car in a Wheelchair from our Life After SCI video series, starring Mark Schmitt.
What have you experienced with wheelchair accessible bathrooms at hotels? Do you have transfer and bathroom safety techniques that you would like to share? Do you have any travel or accessibility advice to share?
Photo Credit: danperry.com
I found this blog to be very interesting. I too was surprised that a tub would be preferred over a roll in shower.
I have a T-6 SCI and I actually find that roll-in showers are typically better than a tub. For me, the transfer into a tub is sometimes too far and I risk falling. I agree on getting extra towels but I use them for extra padding for the seat. They also allow me to make the seat more level with my wheelchair.
The bathtub is the best for me (t-10 sci). I use a transfer board from wheelchair to flimsy hotel tub chairs. I’ve broken a few transfering onto them. Roll-in showers are a joke. If you don’t plan ahead you cannot reach showerhead, soap, shampoo.
For me a roll-in shower is necessary. I have CP with total body involvement and lack the power with my legs to get out of a bathtub. The challenges that I face include my need for a raised toilet seat. Does anyone know of a raised toliet seat that can be folded into a suitcase? I have compiled a list of questions that I would ask a hotel about room accessibility. Let me know if anybody wants it.
A roll-in shower is the best for me. I own a travel shower/commode chair. I transfer into it from the bed, head right over the commode, directly into the shower, and back to bed for dressing. It is the best way to do it when the bathroom can accommodate it.