I have published an article in Desert Companion, a local magazine, on Inclusive Housing in Southern Nevada.

Let Us In: Think accessible housing is
just an issue for the “disabled”? Think again. Making Las Vegas livable in the future means making homes more visitable — today

Please read and pass along to others.

If you are local, you can get issue in Coffee Bean & Tea Leafs in the Metro Las Vegas area.

And thanks to all who helped me research and write this article! Especially Marteen Moore, who generously let me come into her home.

I went up to Spring Mountain National Recreational Area yesterday for several reasons. Among them was to just get away from the Vegas heat. Traveling up about 7,000 feet cools things off.


But there wasn't much to do because only one very short accessible trail was available. It was a beautiful overlook in which you could see the desert below and really understand the extent to which the Mojave desert was really an ocean bottom at one point in its history. I enjoyed the overlook and was appreciative of its accessibility.

But the experience got me to thinking about a topic that has come up before. How do we balance accessibility with topography and a desire to leave as little human footprint as possible on natural environments we are seeking to preserve.

It is a tough nut. I've enjoyed several National Parks, Forests and Recreational Areas. That enjoyment has been enhanced because of efforts from groups like the Telecom Pioneers, who have worked with the parks to create accessible facilities and trails in our national park system.


But also I know that the topography limits these efforts. Near Roosevelt Lake in Arizona, the climb up to cliff caves were impossible for me. Anything that would make it accessible would destroy it. They came up with a creative idea however. I was directed to a hill nearby where I could look through a telescopic lens that was trained on petroglyphs. It was not like being there, but it was definitely the next best thing and, well, I really appreciated the creativity and thoughtfulness to have something.

Could Spring Mountains have something more? My first impression was probably. There were some areas where it looked like it might be possible.

Of course, the thought also occurred to me that maybe working it from the other end would be nice. Maybe instead of changing the trails, we should be thinking about some innovative ways to have the wheels to go through some of the trails. They already have motorized visitors. Certainly renting some of these kinds of vehicles would be a lot more feasible than the cost of making accessible trails.

And finally an old solution: Horseback Riding. I'm not sure what's available locally. I did a story about a program in Florida a few years back.

First, given that Las Vegas is a major travel destination, this isn't that big of a difference in purpose.

Second, I've been stuck here a bit (going on 3 years, which is a long time for me), so I figure time to stir things up locally.

Finally, I got my RE license in August and it seems to me that the best thing I can contribute to the community while making a living is to push those barriers down.

After several years being dormant, Ample Ramblings is being re-awakened with a new mission: To work towards universal accessibility in Las Vegas. Over the next few months, I hope to explore ways to encourage our community here to become more open to persons with disabilities, seniors and anyone who has special needs in both housing and public spaces.

The current economic climate is regarded by many as a dismal time to be in Las Vegas. I beg to differ. As housing becomes more affordable and Las Vegans seek to expand their economic base beyond gaming, there has never been a better time for Las Vegans to innovate. Universal Design is innovation with a heart and we hope through Ample Ramblings and our efforts to promote universal design that we can open the heart of Las Vegas to be inclusive.

Our old mission statement read:

We are devoted to promoting universal accessibility in the travel and tourism industry so that people will be welcomed no matter what their background, age, ability or size.

We are devoted to showing the travel and tourism industry that welcoming all travelers is in tune with the spirit of accommodations and is a sound way to expand the travel market by creating a loyal client base that will increase long-term sales and profits. Accommodating diversity is good business.

We are devoted to promoting global good will by promoting the free movement of all people. Travel and tourism offers an opportunity for people to experience, educate and expand their lives through visiting new places and meeting new people.

We are still devoted to promoting free movement of all people and we want to see our adopted home become a symbol of that inclusive spirit. It is a daunting task and we are keenly aware we cannot do it alone, but there is no better city in America to try. We are America's playground and there is nothing more fun than a playground free of bullies and inviting all of us to come and play.

So stay tuned as we begin our new journey, not across the miles but into new territory for our community and for the world it serves.

It's Vegas Baby!

Carl and I went to Las Vegas last week for fun and profit. We will be doing a full blown issue of The Ample Traveler© for May/June on what was good and what was not. But I wanted to say I was shocked at the extent to which downtown Vegas was NOT user friendly for disabled travelers. Not only were some of the buildings still inaccessible, but the attitudes of some of the service staff were downright hostile.

The most disappointing place was the Bay City Diner. We stood behind the "velvet rope" waiting for a seat for nearly 10 minutes. Standing was extremely difficult for me and I asked if I could just sit down while they were clearing the table. The hostess got extremely huffy with me and walked off without answering my question. We met her huffiness by walking off ourselves so I could find a seat. (We did have a great, but pricier lunch at the Horseshoe just down Fremont where the staff was absolutely spectacular in service, more on that next month.)

The second most incredibibly disapointing thing was the public bus service. After the Bay City Diner incident, I decided to rent a scooter (which was way too expensive and will be the subject of another rant). I was assured by the CAT (Citizens Area Transit) that ALL their buses were accessible. So at the end of a day where Carl had walked close to 4 miles and we were 2 miles away from our hotel, we decided to board a CAT bus. Well, it took 5 buses before one would let us on. Two tried but it didn't work. One stopped but claimed it couldn't get the lift down and one just flew right by without stopping after we were told that the next bus would stop. The fifth one let us on, but it was crowded and it took ten minutes before we could get the scooter in the right place and strapped in. Being a novice on scooters didn't help but neither did the fact that no one would move back or out of the way. I was humiliated and felt like a little kid by the time the whole incident was over. The only good thing was that the bus driver was extremely polite and patient.

I think that the reason this was so disappointing is that we were expecting Vegas to be a city that understood diversity in travelers. It seems so user friendly on the net. Vegas should understand inclusive travel because everywhere we went we saw people with assistive devices. Variety was definitely the spice of those attending.

Please understand, it wasn't all negative. We will have plenty of positive things to report next issue. It is just that we didn't expect so many negatives.

Of course, before you see Vegas there will be a March/April issue. Thanks for your patience on that -- it will be May before we get the next issue up, but it should be here very soon!