This week, I’m documenting the realities of being temporarily limited in my mobility capabilities while attending MPI’s World Education Congress in Las Vegas. I look forward to embracing and sharing the life lessons this experience teaches me.

Part 3

WEC Vegas is now under way and here are some of the lessons I’ve learned attending the meeting with a broken ankle and limited mobility.

Being at the mercy of some vendors is daunting and can be humiliating. My hotel’s concierge graciously confirmed electric scooter/wheelchair accessible taxis for my transfers to and from all evening MPI events during WEC. At 4 p.m. on Tuesday, I received a generic email from “A Cab Taxi” stating that the transfer confirmations previously sent by them via email were all now canceled. Yikes. This meant that I was grounded, as I would be unable to move around the massive Allegiant Stadium on crutches or my manual knee scooter. I was really feeling the outsider status that many people with disabilities feel when their movement and/or participation at meetings and in society is impeded.

After receiving the cancellation, I texted Traci Levi, manager of volunteer experience for MPI, asking if she might be able to help. She contacted MPI’s transportation partner PRA, who said that my rental scooter seat and steering device could be folded and would fit in the luggage space of the shuttle bus. Huge thanks to PRA’s John from Alabama, who, along with the bus driver, lifted my scooter into the luggage hold. I used crutches to navigate the stairs to get on the bus and off I went to the Opening Night Celebration. Massive kudos to Traci and PRA Vegas. Thank you!

Moving around the brand-new CAESARS FORUM on the scooter is pretty much a breeze. Large elevators are located right by the escalators, the corridors are wide with good signage and the restrooms are accessible. The only major obstacle I encountered was opening meeting room doors. It would have been much easier if one door in each meeting room was suitable for mobility-limited attendees to operate with the push of a button.

So far, my WEC limited-mobility experience has been good with the exception of the major fail from “A Cab Taxi.” I believe this may have been a fallout from the pandemic, as drivers are scarce nationwide, but they could have been a lot more timely and transparent in their communication. 

More to follow tomorrow. Remember, When We Meet, We Change the World!

Part 2

Flying to Las Vegas was fairly easy. Kudos to Southwest Airlines for their seamless and super-friendly services to accommodate me with wheelchair assistance to the gate and in pre-boarding in Tucson, Ariz. Their check-in, gate and in-flight crews were professional, friendly and very accommodating. Southwest had my gate-checked knee stroller and a wheelchair and skycap waiting for me on the jet bridge in Vegas, and off I went to baggage claim, where I met my prearranged driver.

The bathroom fitted with multiple hand grips and a shower with seating shelf made my ADA room at The Cromwell suitable for me. Alas, light switches and some power outlets are problematic—one floor light’s on/off switch is on the floor, forcing me to use a crutch to turn it on or off. Poor planning and easy to fix.

Using my electric rental scooter (booked at www.getaroundmobility.com) to move around WEC and the new CAESARS FORUM took significant pre-flight planning. As a trained pilot, I turned to my navigation planning skills to understand the intricacies of transiting the various levels (and need to use lots of elevators). I acknowledge that moving around and between Vegas casino hotels without natural or learned directional awareness is a real challenge, especially compounded with the need to use a mobility device. This was amplified by the fact that one elevator I needed to use to access CAESARS FORUM meeting space was locked off. I was exceedingly fortunate that a County Inspector was nearby. He radioed the hotel and had the elevator reactivated. Had I not run into him, I would been forced to circle back and find a new route, which would have taken me outside in uncomfortable desert heat.

I also learned a lesson about booking ADA-accessible taxis in Vegas (with ramps to allow the use of electric scooters). Turns out it’s best to book online with several hours’ notice. Last night, I tried with one-hour notice to book a cab but was advised there was a 2.5-hour wait. I punted and used my manual knee scooter and took the MPI shuttle bus, but my knee is now aching from it. I was able to book ADA taxis at www.acablv.com to get to evening events for the rest of the week.

Check back tomorrow for more about my WEC experience.

Part 1

As a genuine adrenaline junkie, I wish I could write that I recently broke my ankle after skydiving from an airplane and misjudging the landing or while hiking in Sabino Canyon near my home in Tucson, Ariz.

Alas, a slip and fall in my backyard resulted in a spiral fracture of my fibula which was followed by outpatient surgery to insert a metal plate and pins to ensure complete healing. I’m now four weeks post-op and my doctor cleared me to travel to Las Vegas to attend the MPI World Education Congress (WEC).

But because I need to keep all weight off my leg and foot for another few weeks, I’ll be at WEC wearing a protective hard plastic boot while using crutches, a manual knee scooter and a rental electric scooter (easily booked online and delivered right to my Vegas hotel).

Watch this space as I document my limited-mobility experiences at WEC. I’ll share the realities of being temporarily limited in my mobility capabilities and look forward to embracing and sharing the life lessons this experience teaches me.