In October 2011 I travelled without my husband, for the first time, to attend a conference in Melbourne. I had a friend accompany me as my “carer” and fellow conference attendee. This would be my first “adventure” as a disabled person. We flew with QANTAS who assured me they would “look after me” and they did. They have a “sky chair” that they leave on board 
should I have needed to use the toilet (fortunately, I didn’t). We arrived in Melbourne and got a maxi-taxi with two other friends who were travelling to the same hotel. Unfortunately, the driver had never taken a disabled passeng
er before in his brand-new taxi. He managed to get me on board then broke open new plastic bags containing the parts used to secure me in the taxi. With some help from me and my friend, we somehow managed to get me strapped down, though I did not feel really confident – shou
ld have left and asked for another maxi taxi. Anyway, we arrived at our hotel without incident. I had booked a room at this hotel for two reasons – it was close to the conference venue and they had a “disabled” room available. A porter accompanied us to our rooms with our luggage on a trolley. Before he left the room, I 
asked to look around. I wheeled in to the bedroom where I would sleep. (They had a sofa bed made up in the lounge room for my friend). The bathroom was off the bedroom and I asked the porter to open the door. It would only open part way before it hit the bed – impossible for a wheelchair to enter. In fact only a thin person could enter. I protested that this was “ridiculous” for a disabled room. His solution was to move the bed further over so I was able to enter. You couldn’t swing a cat in that bedroom, it was so small. My friend had to pu
t my clothes in the wardrobe for me as I couldn’t get to it. I had ordered a shower chair, which wasn’t there, but when I asked, they brought it up later. The bathroom towels were on a high shelf. The kitchen crockery was in a high cupboard. The refrigerator could only be opened part-way. I couldn’t reach the tap or the kettle switch. Overall, this “disabled” room did not pass the test. I was fortunate to have a friend/carer with me. I know disabled people do travel on their own but I can’t see how they would manage in a room like this. We asked the manager to come to our room and politely pointed out the shortcomings and he seemed sincere and appreciative of our feedback. I will follow up with the hotel to see if they made changes. This situation is partly my fault as I 
should have checked the Spinal Cord Injuries Australia web site http://scia.org.au for what they say is “disabled” accommodation. A disabled traveller needs to do a lot more research, ask more questions to ensure they will have a successful holiday. However, there are varying levels of disability and most 
able-bodied people have no understanding of the issues we face, so travelling for us will always be a challenge. Anyway, we managed and enjoyed the conference, looking around Melbourne, and eating at some great restaurants.
should I have needed to use the toilet (fortunately, I didn’t). We arrived in Melbourne and got a maxi-taxi with two other friends who were travelling to the same hotel. Unfortunately, the driver had never taken a disabled passeng
er before in his brand-new taxi. He managed to get me on board then broke open new plastic bags containing the parts used to secure me in the taxi. With some help from me and my friend, we somehow managed to get me strapped down, though I did not feel really confident – shou
ld have left and asked for another maxi taxi. Anyway, we arrived at our hotel without incident. I had booked a room at this hotel for two reasons – it was close to the conference venue and they had a “disabled” room available. A porter accompanied us to our rooms with our luggage on a trolley. Before he left the room, I 
asked to look around. I wheeled in to the bedroom where I would sleep. (They had a sofa bed made up in the lounge room for my friend). The bathroom was off the bedroom and I asked the porter to open the door. It would only open part way before it hit the bed – impossible for a wheelchair to enter. In fact only a thin person could enter. I protested that this was “ridiculous” for a disabled room. His solution was to move the bed further over so I was able to enter. You couldn’t swing a cat in that bedroom, it was so small. My friend had to pu
t my clothes in the wardrobe for me as I couldn’t get to it. I had ordered a shower chair, which wasn’t there, but when I asked, they brought it up later. The bathroom towels were on a high shelf. The kitchen crockery was in a high cupboard. The refrigerator could only be opened part-way. I couldn’t reach the tap or the kettle switch. Overall, this “disabled” room did not pass the test. I was fortunate to have a friend/carer with me. I know disabled people do travel on their own but I can’t see how they would manage in a room like this. We asked the manager to come to our room and politely pointed out the shortcomings and he seemed sincere and appreciative of our feedback. I will follow up with the hotel to see if they made changes. This situation is partly my fault as I 
should have checked the Spinal Cord Injuries Australia web site http://scia.org.au for what they say is “disabled” accommodation. A disabled traveller needs to do a lot more research, ask more questions to ensure they will have a successful holiday. However, there are varying levels of disability and most 
able-bodied people have no understanding of the issues we face, so travelling for us will always be a challenge. Anyway, we managed and enjoyed the conference, looking around Melbourne, and eating at some great restaurants. 