Disability travel

Guidelines for Muslims with Disabilities planning for Umrah

If you are a wheelchair user, prefer to take manual wheelchair, you are familiarized to use in your daily routine. It will give you more comfort and less trouble. If you are power wheelchair user, it's better to make acquainted yourself by using manual wheelchair for a week before your departure.

Special Guidelines for Muslim PWDs (Persons With Disabilities), planning for Umrah:

1. If you are a wheelchair user, prefer to take manual wheelchair, you are familiarized to use in your daily routine. It will give you more comfort and less trouble. If you are power wheelchair user, it's better to make acquainted yourself by using manual wheelchair for a week before your departure. Power wheelchair has certain limitations (restrictions for type of batteries), mishandling may cause the joystick to malfunction, transport problems while enrout to Jeddah-Mecca-Madina-Mecca-Jeddah, less time for battery charging, rapid battery discharge due to heavy usage in steep areas around Mecca, etc. etc. If you are lodging in 5-star hotel, power wheelchair may be hired with the help of hotel administration.

2. You must have a personal attendant with you to push your chair as you will not be able to propel your chair for a long time especially in crowded areas.

3. Don't forget to take your medicines with you, that are too expensive in Saudi Arabia. As a safeguard, get a certificate from your doctor about the medicines you are using regularly.

4. It will give you an additional support and favour, if you are registered with NCRDP (in Pakistan only). Take a copy of the certificate with you and sensibly use it where you can get a favour.

5. Ask your tour operator to inform the airline (PIA or other); you are wheelchair user and confirm it later, whether this information has been computerized with your ticket or not. It will give you maximum relieve and favour at both airports.

6. At the booking counter, request the officer to allot you a seat nearest to entrance or toilet. Reach airport at least 3-4 hours earlier to get a favourable seat.

7. Confirm your return seats before your departure.

8. There are sufficient arrangements on airports to embark and/or disembark a wheelchair user from aircraft. Similarly, wheelchair access ramps exists all over, no load-shedding, power lifts in hotels, air-conditioned lodging and transport is available all around to move smoothly but you must prepare and ready to face the challenges and uncertain situations that come in the way.

9. Reduce your expectations regardless of what you may have paid for your Umrah package and of what you were promised for this journey. Develop humility and the highest degree of patience.

10. Acquire maximum available information about the procedure of Umrah, way to perform, sacred places to visit, possible setbacks and/or difficulties and in general; what, where and when?

11. All PWDs, planning to perform Hajj are sincerely advised to go for Umrah first as rehearsal and in view of Umrah experiences, decide later if they are eligible to go for Hajj or not.

Happy Umrah!

Muhammad Ajmal Beig Naz (ajmalbeig)
Executive Editor, Bi-lingual Monthly Magazine "Voice of Specials"
President, He&She Online Marriage Bureau for Disables
Principal, Pentium Graphics Center & Training Institute
Lahore, Pakistan.

Contacts:
Voice: 92-42-7147369
Mobile: 0345-4196859, 0345-4355693
Primary Email: naz54@wol.net.pk
Alias-1: ajmalbeig@addr.com
Alias-2: ajmalbeig@gmail.com
URL: ajmalbeig.addr.com

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