Bermuda: Warning for Disabled and Mobility Impaired Visitors

[tuggers]

Having just returned from the beautiful island of Bermuda I wanted to warn those who have mobility issues that our travels with both a wheelchair user and a cane dependant person were not without problems.

First, the buses are not handicap accessible and the locals make no secret of the fact that they are in a hurry and do not want to wait on anyone taking extra time to board.

The taxi's are mostly very small, allowing no extra clearance for knees that don't move or require braces.

The van taxi's all require you to be able to lift your leg about a foot or more to get in, making use impossible for some people.

Ferries were generally accessible if you could walk on.

They had no problem storing the wheelchair but most of the time you could not stay in the chair and get on because the space between the dock and the ferry was too uneven.

There is no equivilant of the Americans With Disabilities Act and stores and restaurants have no directive to require them to be accessible. Most are not.

Bermuda is not on any of the International tourism registers for the disabled/handicapped.

Bermuda is one of the most traffic dense places on earth with very busy streets and fast moving cars and trucks. It is not easy to navigate if you are mobility challenged.

The streets are very hilly, the sidewalks uneven. For a handicapped person traveling alone they can be treacherous.

The beaches are not handicap accessible.

I did b2b2b in Bermuda the summer of 2005 and loved it. I still do. I was just VERY disappointed that when I came back to the island, with two mobility challenged friends, I found it to be so un-friendly. When we asked a bus officiall how people were supposed to get around if they couldn't use the buses he said 'that's what taxi's are for'.

If you visit, read all you can and be prepared.

[NorthernLite]

This is not news to those of us who are fulltime wheelchair users. It doesn't help when cruise lines combine BAMZ, the only fully accessible aquarium, museum and zoo on the island with the crystal cavern as a shore excursion. The cavern requires going down 81 steps. I did find one accessible minivan taxi and am keeping that number to myself..

[Mr. Tucker]

Having just returned from the beautiful island of Bermuda I wanted to warn those who have mobility issues that our travels with both a wheelchair user and a cane dependant person were not without problems.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This really shouldn't come as a surprise to any of us.

 

The entire Caribbean is this way as is most of the rest of the world. The US and Canada are the leaders in providing handicap access.

 

Most of these places lack the necessary funds to provide the proper facillities.

[Azure Moon]

I'm so sorry that the OP and her friends encountered these difficulties while in paradise. :(

 

When searching the Bermuda forum with the words handicapped or disabled, this single thread came up.

 

It's good information to know so we'll be able to prepare as much as possible before arriving on the island.

 

I'll keep looking for more, and current information, but in the mean time, can anyone update this thread by sharing recent conditions on getting around the island with physical limitations? Such as transportation, getting into shops, restaurants, public restrooms, attractions, etc.

 

Hopefully things have improved in the last three years.

 

Thanks.

[Azure Moon]

I'm still reading the boards, with an occasional detour to wonderful websites provided by the great posters on this board...Thanks!

 

Ran across a very recent thread that addresses wheelchair use and has a link to a Bermuda website with accessibilty information. :cool:

 

Link to that thread - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1147479

[cruiserssandr]

Bermuda now has several brand new handicap accessible buses.