Wheelchairs Aboard

Based on our experiences with a wheelchair on several cruises, we were glad to see Karin Esterhammer’s “Sailing on Four Wheels” (Weekend Escape, Feb. 6).

Our recent experiences matched the Esterhammers’ in that the ships we sailed on were accessible and the crews very helpful. The article raises several points it is important to think about when booking a cruise, including the features of a wheelchair-accessible cabin, elevators between decks, ramps over raised doorsills and which shore excursions are accessible.

But we were bothered by some expressions in the article that are not only imprecise but archaic. We refer to “confined . . . to a wheelchair” and “wheelchair bound.” It is better to say a person “uses a wheelchair.” Wheelchairs are not places of bondage or confinement, but tools people use.

ROBERT and

PATRICIA HADLEY

Culver City