Olá!
That's the Portuguese word for hello. As many of you know, I had planned to meet up with Wheelchair Travel readers on a group trip that was set to begin this week in Lisbon. The dramatic spike in coronavirus cases here in the USA forced us to cancel, but I look forward to bringing everyone together after the world recovers.
30th anniversary of the ADA
On Sunday, July 26, we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. I wrote a love letter to the ADA to mark the occasion, and re-watched the Crip Camp documentary, which you can now stream for free on YouTube (for a limited time). If you haven't seen the film yet, I encourage you to do so!
Face masks, disabled people and nondisabled fraudsters
As you may have seen, large numbers of nondisabled people have fraudulently claimed disability protections to get out of wearing a face mask. That is despicable, and we should all wear masks if we are able to do so. That said, there are some disabilities that do make wearing a mask inadvisable or downright impossible. A partial list of those disabilities was released by the ADA Center and Syracuse University, which I covered here.
Many found my statement controversial, disagreeing with the assertion that some disabled people cannot wear masks. I assure you this isn't a political position or an opinion, it's just a fact. Although the numbers of people who cannot wear masks is surely small relative to the entire human population, we cannot deny, forget or refuse to acknowledge their existence. My mission at Wheelchair Travel has always been to build a community that is welcoming to all disabled people. And no, this isn't about me — I wear a mask because I can. Others are not so fortunate.
Wheelchair Travel Survey
The 2020 Accessible Travel Survey will close on Monday, August 3rd. This is your last chance to submit your responses, so please do! [This is me begging you to participate] To access the survey, click here.
Newsletter transition is delayed a bit
Two weeks ago, I said we'd be moving the newsletter to a new platform and email host, but that process has been delayed. The transition will now happen in September. Don't worry - you won't have to do anything to keep receiving emails!
Below, you'll find links to new articles that I hope you will read & share with your friends on social media. As always, I welcome your feedback and comments.
Talk to you soon,
— John Morris
P.S. Please DO NOT REPLY to this e-mail. If you'd like to reach out, please send a new e-mail to mailbag@wheelchairtravel.org.
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