During the Austrian springtime, Jasmin had an unforgettable travel moment.
“We went up this mountain – in a mostly wheelchair-accessible cable car,” she says.
When at the top, she was greeted by a view which made her heart skip a beat – sparkling white snow!
“It was so cool, so magical,” Jasmin smiles, adding “I touched snow for the first time!”.
The amazing experience wouldn’t have been possible for Jasmin, though, without the support of other mobility aid users.
Here’s why she feels being in a disability community is so important, and her top travel tips for those with accessibility considerations.
From personal struggle to disability pride
While Jasmin is a world traveller with a physical disability, she wasn’t always so confident and capable.
In fact, for a long time she felt very self conscious about using her wheelchair. Although she can walk, she feels pain. Jasmin says that internalised ableism made her feel unjustified in needing her wheelchair. In sharing her experience with other mobility aid users, though, Jasmin was able to overcome this and embrace the benefits of doing life with a wheelchair.
“I found that I really benefited from the content of other mobility aid users, and it helped me feel so much less alone in my experience,” Jasmin shares.
It was this camaraderie which led her to start the community, Babes with Mobility Aids.
A growing community of support
Babes with Mobility Aids is a supportive online space for those who use mobility aids.
“My initiative was born out of my desire to engage with the disability community and to feel less alone,” Jasmin says, adding the group has brought her so much more.
“It’s really helped develop my pride around my disability and my confidence using mobility aids,” she explains.
Indeed it’s this empowered energy that has also helped Jasmin to travel as much as she has.
Jasmin's top 5 tips for travelling with mobility aids
If you are also a mobility aid user and are keen to explore the world, here are Jasmin’s top tips.
1. Find your people
“Finding community is so important,” says Jasmin, not only in life but also with travel.
Having people who ‘get it’ when it comes to your travel experiences and access needs is invaluable. As is the encouragement you’ll get along the way.
Jasmin invites anyone with mobility aids to join Babes with Mobility Aids.
2. Go with the flow
“No matter how much time you spend planning, there’s always going to be something that goes wrong or doesn’t go to plan,” Jasmin shares.
For this reason, she advises a ‘go with the flow’ mentality is helpful.
“I feel like some of the best experiences I’ve had were more spontaneous, and sometimes as a result of something that we’d planned not working out”.
3. Embrace your aids
“Mobility aids can be seen as both a loss of freedom and a gain of freedom, depending on the individual,” says Jasmin.
Embracing her mobility aids as enabling her to achieve her travel dreams is adopting this point of view.
As Jasmin says of her recent 5 week European adventure, “I couldn’t have done that trip without my custom manual chair.”
4. Be supported
“Accessible travel takes a LOT more planning than your average trip,” says Jasmin.
She suggests getting support from others when planning your trip, such as friends, family or a support worker.
“Having someone to take the load off,” she says.
Jasmin also recommends travelling with friends or family for support, or even booking a support worker to assist with mobility concerns or social support for domestic travel.
“With Mable, you can book support workers anywhere in Australia to assist you wherever you are”, she shares.
5. Be adaptive
“Let’s face it – accessibility barriers will arise no matter how prepared you are,” says Jasmin.
As she recalls, “I’ve had so many experiences where I’ve called ahead and they’ve said, ‘Oh yeah, we’re fully accessible,’ and then I’ve gotten there and there’s been, like, 3 steps to get in.”
For this reason, Jasmin encourages travellers with mobility aids to be a little flexible and change direction, if need be.
“Have an open mind about what your trip may look like – sometimes you may miss out on something you were looking forward to, but remember that an even better travel experience may be waiting just around the corner!”
While the world is becoming more accessible, Jasmin knows we still have a way to go. But she doesn’t want this to put you off going on that trip or adventure.
“The payoff is unbelievable, because travel is such a beautiful thing. And a very rewarding experience,” she says.
Always check your plan if you wish to use your NDIS funding on support services during your trip and refer to the NDIS Pricing Arrangements and Price Limits Guide for information on inclusions and exclusions.
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