Gordon Rattray is an expert on travel in Africa. He also uses a wheelchair. As he explains here the wheelchair isn't always the most efficient way to get somewhere but, as he writes a guide on accessible travel in Africa, his experience reinforces one of the key values of disability culture -- interdependency:
There are distinct advantages to being disabled too; apart from the fact that enthusiastic and able help is often easier to find away from home, being reliant on people can even help bridge the usual gulf between us, the tourists, and them, the locals. I'm often forced to ask for assistance; and people, in turn, are interested to know what caused my disability and why western medicine can't cure me. This means there is a greater chance of more meaningful encounters and conversations, instead of the usual bartering with a market trader where both parties' motives are financial. Information I compile for Bradt guides is aimed mainly at people with physical disabilities, but some books also contain notes for those with sensory deficits, and it's not just disabled people who are seeking new trails; many older travellers worry about having to climb too many steps, availability of bathrooms or simply being able to regularly take a rest and sit down.
Gordon Rattray is Bradt's expert on travel for the disabled. Gordon worked as an overland driver in Africa before a diving accident left him C5/6 (complete) quadriplegic. Despite that, his wanderlust remains undiminished; he continues to travel frequently, and his experiences inform the tailored advice for disabled travellers that he contributes to many of our guides. A writer himself, he recently reached the final of the Bradt/Independent on Sunday Travel-Writing Competition, and is currently researching a Bradt Guide to African safaris for those with limited mobility (due for publication in June 2009).Posted by rollingrains at February 15, 2008 02:10 AM