Travel Tips for the Deaf and Mute
A well-planned trip can go awry at any time due to miscommunication. While travel issues can easily arise even when a traveler believes that he or she has taken care of every aspect of the trip, these issues may be a bigger challenge to those who have inherent communication problems due to speech and/or hearing impairment. However, do not let the daunting travel stories of deaf and mute people discourage you.
You can plan a dream holiday alone or with your near and dear ones simply by planning for a few months and keeping a few important pointers in mind. Most of the travel tips for the deaf and mute provided in this article are just common sense. To begin with, you need to decide about your travel destination. You can choose to go to any place you wish to visit and enjoy a memorable holiday experience as long as you plan it well.
Selecting the hotel
Once you have picked a location for your travel, you need to make your hotel reservations. This requires doing your homework well. You need to find the top disabled-friendly hotels in the place of your visit and check the list of facilities and services that they offer for the physically challenged.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that was passed in 1990, hotel accessibility should comprise several facilities for deaf and mute guests as well. These include visual alert devices for various in-room amenities such as telephones, alarm clocks, and fire alarms.
Since hearing impairment is an invisible disability, you need to tell people about it to make them aware of the same. You need to do the same while booking a room in a hotel. You should mail the hotel manager, intimating him or her about your disability and requesting him or her to provide you with detailed information about the special facilities available such as TDD units and closed-caption televisions in the room.
It is highly recommended that you choose to stay in a room on the ground floor so that you can get out quickly in case of an emergency. In addition to that, you should ask the manager about the check-in and checkout times at the time of making a booking and request the manager to mail you the booking confirmation code on your email id. In addition to that, you can request the manager for any special assistance that you may require during your stay in the hotel.
Flight tickets and travel arrangements
You must inform the flight reservation person about your hearing impairment at the time of booking your tickets. This way he or she can arrange for a person who knows sign language in case those services are required any time during security check or boarding the flight. Most top airlines offer TDD service that allows deaf and mute passengers to communicate with others via text messages that they type on a keyboard. Keep these tips in mind while planning a vacation.
