Getting Help Along the Way

aybe you have a condition such as chronic fatigue syndrome or fibro-myalgia that wreaks havoc with your system if you don't get enough sleep. Your boss wants staff to minimize time out of the office and keep travel expenses down, so many of your colleagues take late evening and early morning flights. Your health suffers when you do this, but you gamely try to keep up with your colleagues-after all, you look perfectly fine, so you figure there is nothing you can do.

Or perhaps you use a wheelchair and are traveling to a conference in a city that lacks public transit. Naturally, the only hotel that still has rooms at the government rate is farthest from the conference site. Your boss is new to the federal workforce and says you can't stay in the conference hotel because it exceeds the per diem rate. When you call to ask about how someone in a wheelchair might get to the conference, no one has an answer.

People with disabilities make up 7 percent of the federal workforce, according to the Office of Personnel Management, and many other workers do not have a disability per se but do have special needs that affect their travel planning. These workers face travel challenges that many of us never think about. Overcoming travel barriers is even harder when the people who can make your journey easier-your boss, travel agent or hotel staff-don't know how they can help.

SPEAK UP

The Federal Travel Regulation states that the government must cover extra costs "when an additional travel expense is necessary to accommodate a special physical need, which is either clearly visible and discernible; or substantiated in writing by a competent medical authority." Allowable expenses include travel and per diem for attendants, including any specialized transportation needed; additional baggage handling costs; wheelchair rental and transport; and premium-class accommodations, when necessary.

Jim Harte, deputy director of travel management policy at the General Services Administration, says sometimes a traveler's needs are obvious: "There is no way a person who is 7-feet 1-inch tall can fit in a coach seat. Someone in that situation will have to fly in a premium-class seat." In other cases, an employee will need a doctor's certificate verifying that he or she has a particular disability or health condition.

The upshot, says Harte, is "Everyone goes out of their way to give [travelers] what they need. But they have to tell us about their situation."

Asking for help is not as easy as it might seem. "In general, the federal government is a good place for people with disabilities," says Michael Winter, director of the Office of Civil Rights at the Federal Transit Administration. But "There needs to be a system for educating managers about reasonable accommodation. And disabled people have to be clear about what they need."

Winter, who uses a wheelchair, notes that it can be difficult for disabled employees to speak up about travel needs because "a person with disabilities is trying to be as independent as possible." As a result, asking for accommodation can be uncomfortable.

David Keer, a program manager with the Education Department's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, agrees that the government's policies are generally favorable for people with disabilities. He says how readily people's needs are accommodated, particularly those with less obvious disabilities or health problems, can be a function of how well supervisors understand travel regulations. Consequently, Keer recommends that people who have special travel needs keep physician's documentation handy for when they make their travel arrangements. They-as well as travel managers-also should understand the applicable travel regulations.

So how well do the government's travel policies work? A traveler with a broken leg will probably need to sit in business class. Keer sometimes leaves a day early or stays an extra night so that he can manage the fatigue related to his multiple sclerosis. Winter often travels a day ahead to accommodate his health needs. Many opt for a direct flight rather than one with connections.

Harte notes that all properties listed in the GSA's Premiere Lodging Program are in compliance with the Americans With Disabilities Act. And travelers can receive reimbursement for staying in a hotel that costs more than the established per diem rate if doing so is necessary to accommodate their particular needs.

BE IN THE KNOW

Traveling with a disability generally involves additional legwork, Keer says. Travel agents may not always know which hotels offer the best accessibility for people with disabilities. And even hotels that fully comply with the ADA's requirements may not be suitable for some travelers. Winter recalls one trip where his hotel was located at the top of a hill so steep that he was not be able to come and go easily. And it's best to call ahead to smaller airports to be sure that your plane comes in to a gate that has a ramp, rather than stairs.

Successful travel is not only a matter of doing your research and invoking the Federal Travel Regulation. Airline workers also play a role. Many flight attendants, for example, do not understand Transportation Department rules implementing the 1986 Air Carrier Access Act, so even though airlines must treat most collapsible wheelchairs and other mobility aids as carry-on items and stow them in the cabin, passengers are sometimes incorrectly asked to check them as luggage. While they're not required to provide a carrier with advance notice of their intent to travel, doing so might help travelers with disabilities avoid surprises such as this and inaccessible lavatories.

Here are some important ways to plan ahead for special travel needs:

• Get documentation from your physician along with any other records you might need, so that it's handy on short notice.
• Determine what documentation you need, and talk to your supervisor about it.
• Know your rights. The Federal Travel Regulation follows the requirements of the Rehabilitation Act and the Americans With Disabilities Act. Understand the implications of those laws and regulations.
• If you have to adjust your travel plans, do so. If one of your employees asks for special accommodations, listen. Doing so can go a long way toward making sure that the government's road warriors remain healthy and productive workers.