Traveling with a handicapped person

I am taking the summer off, and I hope to take another trip this year. I am tired of school, and after all traveling tops the list if things most people want to do when they retire. I want to make the most of this time off, because I am planning to return work. (Well maybe) We never took long family vacations when our children were small. We usually would make short two or three day trips to the beach. Let me tell the truth, when you have two young boys who love to fight in the car, going less than two hours was about all we could stand.

Traveling can be interesting when you have a bad back like I do, or when you are traveling with someone that is handicapped. Knowing the type mattress the motel has or if the hotel is really has handicapped accessible showers can be a very big deal. For example, I love the mattresses that the Marriott motels have, but not the ones of their sister chain, the Residence Inn by Marriott. Unfortunately that is a trial and error proposition. There is no way to know ahead of time unless you have previously stayed in a motel of that chain. In some cases you cannot even generalize because the chain may be in the process of upgrading the mattresses, but where you previously stayed had just not been upgraded yet. I was told this was the case when I stayed at the Residence Inn in Pensacola, Florida. I sure hope that is the case because I love Marriott service.

My mother has been in a wheelchair for seventeen years, and when she travels with us we usually call the hotel ahead of time to check their facilities. Don't be fooled when a hotel tells you they have a handicapped accessible room because their definition of accessible is probably different than yours. Most of the people who travel in a wheelchair either need a roll in shower, or they need a very stable transfer chair. We learned the hard way to call to make sure that handicapped means that they have one of those two options. We have gotten to a hotel expecting a handicapped shower only to be handed a small transfer stool that looked like it was made for a child. A person who is paralyzed or who has one leg can't stand up, and get into a bathtub on a little stool. With all of the money they make it looks like they would hire a consultant to explain the needs of a handicapped traveler, after all there are more handicapped travelers now than ever before. They would not even need to do that, they could just ask a few people in a wheelchair to explain their needs. If motels CEOs need proof of the spending power of handicapped people as a demographic, they just need to go to the nearest casino and look around.

The best way to make sure a handicapped person can enjoy the trip is to take the time to make a call the local hotel (not the reservation number), and to be very specific when asking questions. You can find the phone number for the local motel at one of the yellow pages sites. (http://www.yellowbook.com or http://www.yellowpages.com). Don't just ask if they have handicapped rooms because that is a requirement. Ask if they have a roll in shower, and if not what type of transfer chair is provided. I guess you could also ask what type mattress they have if you have a bad back, but I don't find that helpful. Just remember that when you have a relative in a wheelchair they don't want to be left home to look at four walls. A little effort can make sure the trip is enjoyable for everyone.

EDUCATION IS BIG BUSINESS, DON’T BE FOOLED

EDUCATION IS BIG BUSINESS

DON'T BE FOOLED!!

    

Are you planning to return to school after years of working? Education has changed, and is a "buyers beware" big business. There are many things that you should know before deciding on what college is right for you. If you are looking for a new career, you should not only make sure that the school teaches the skills that you will need, but also make sure they are recognized by the professionals in the field. For example, if you decide on a medical profession, be sure to find out what training is recognized by the profession. Do not take the word of the school recruiter.

 

Most professions have an association, and their website will provide a lot of good information. Some professions have more than one association which can be confusing, but can still be good sources of information about the profession. "Pam Polly's net guide" (http://www.pohly.com/assoc2.html) provides a list of many professional associations and their websites. For example, if you want to be a medical coder you will discover that there are two professional associations, and many schools and colleges that offer training. Many of these schools and online programs are not recognized by professionals in the field, or by either association. They may very well train you to code, but that does not mean you will get a job. You must be sure to select training that is recognized by professionals in your area, or you will have trouble finding employment after graduation. A simple phone call to a local professional can be your best source of information.

 

If you check out a school and a recruiter calls you as often as a car salesman would, you should keep looking. Schools that are well established, not overpriced, and are well recognized, do not need to hire high pressure recruiters. If a recruiter quotes a salary for the profession that sounds too good to be true, don't take their word for it. Always do your own research. Some of the professional associations publish national salary surveys. The department of labor website has information about many professions, as well as salary surveys http://www.bls.gov/home.htm and projected job growth by profession.    

 

 

If you are returning to college after years of working you should ask these questions.:

1. Does the school disqualify coursework taken over five years earlier? Some schools require you to repeat coursework that was taken over five years earlier. This is especially true when you are pursuing degrees in healthcare such as nursing.
   
2. Do you require any type of exit exam prior to graduation? If they require an exit exam, is it mandatory that you pass the exam? Some schools require you to take a CAAP examine which is very comprehensive. If you are returning to school, you may have taken all of your general education courses many years earlier. Because this test is very comprehensive, you may have to repeat these courses in order to pass the test, so I would recommend that you keep looking for another school. There are many schools that do not have this requirement. Do not assume the recruiter will tell you about this because they probably will not volunteer this information. Be sure to ask this question before you spend thousands of dollars on tuition. I took all of my general education courses over thirty years ago. I did ask if they would accept my all of my prior coursework before I signed up to return to school. No one told me about the CAAP test, and I did not know to ask. I was given a handbook that mentioned a test in small print, but it did not say that it was mandatory that I pass the test. It did not even give the name of the test. I am in my last semester, and I was just notified that I had to take the test. I just took the test and am waiting on my score. Don't make this mistake; make sure you ask this question.
   
3. If you are looking at online schools that are not located in the state where you live, you should ask "What is your out of state tuition?" Your most economic option is an in state school, and if you can't find what you want in-state, look for online schools that do not charge out of state tuition for online courses. This may be hard to find, but there are some that will waive out of state tuition. Let them know that you are looking at other schools and try to "make a deal" with them. The school that I decided on is out of state, but has a "self-support" rate for online classes. It is slightly higher than in-state tuition, but much less than out-of-state tuition.
   
4. How many people graduated from this program last year? If the graduation number is low, this may be another indication that you need to keep looking. A low number can mean a number of different things, including low enrollment rate, or a high dropout rate. Either of these could be a sign that you need to keep looking.
   
5. What percentage of last year's graduates is now employed in the profession? If they tell you that they do not know, you may want to keep looking, because they should know. Some states require their colleges to keep these type statistics to determine success rates.
   
6. If you are required to take a state or national test in order to practice in the profession, you need to ask the following question" "What percentage of the students that graduated from this program last year, passed the required test?" Again a low percentage would be an indicator you should keep looking.
   
7. Ask how the school is accredited? This is especially important if your employer reimburse for tuition. Some employers have very specific rules, and will only reimburse tuition if the college is accredited through one of the regional college accreditation associations. Accreditation by one of these associations means the schools has met and maintained a set criterion. There are six regional accreditations including the following:
   

   The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools.
   Accreditation of colleges in the middle states region (Delaware, District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico).
   

   The New England Association of Schools & Colleges.
   Accreditation of colleges in the New England region (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont).
   

   The North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
   Accreditation of colleges in the north central region (Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, New Mexico, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming).
   

   The Northwest Association Of Schools And Colleges.
   Accreditation of colleges in the north west region (Alaska, Idaho, Utah, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington.)
   

   The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
   Accreditation of colleges in the southern region (Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana , Mississippi , North Carolina , South Carolina , Tennessee , Texas , Virginia)
   

   The Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
   Accreditation of colleges in the western region.
   

   
    

    The main thing to remember is that Education is big business. Choosing the right school can be one of the most important decisions you will ever have to make. Not all schools are created equal. Make sure to do adequate research and obtain enough information to make a good decision.