About: Cheryl Duke
- Website
- http://www.AccessibleVirginia.org
- Details
- Accessible travel became important to our family when our son Paul was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy almost 40 years ago. My husband, Bill, has profound hearing loss, I now use a motorized scooter because of generative arthritis, and Paul has been ventilator dependent for 20 years. So know something about traveling with a disability, and we have been doing long before the American with Disabilities Act was passed. We believe that travel is the road to independence. The difficulty is the lack of accessibility information so we persons with disabilities can go out and about with a minimum of hassles and inconvenience. We began a solution to this problem for our home state of Virginia. Since 1988 the Duke Family has published access guides for Virginia. Our goal is to provide the data so persons with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities do not have to call ahead to find out if a facility is accessible for their specific needs. Our accessibility survey questionnaires are considered so unique they have even been copyrighted. Our approach has won international acclaim for its attention to detail and comprehensive information. Our philosophy of "know before you go" is reflected in Accessible Virginia, the companion Web site to Virginia Is For Lovers for Virginia tourism. We are pioneers in access information and our goal is to encourage people with disabilities, seniors, their families, caregivers, and those of us who don't move as fast as we once did, to "git up 'n' go!" It doesn't matter where or for how long, just enjoy life where you are, and it doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.
Git Up 'n' Go: Accessible Travel 