Travel where they deal with your disabilities.
In recent years, government-mandated alterations to facilities, improvements provided by companies seeking to attract challenged customers and other changes have opened the world to the disabled.
Betty Gordon and her husband Don were looking forward to a wide range of leisure activities and sightseeing opportunities as they checked into their vacation hotel. When they departed several days later, they had enjoyed everything on their wish list.
They had taken dips in the property’s swimming pool and sunbathed on an oceanfront beach. They took a horse-drawn sightseeing carriage ride along the city’s cobblestone streets through its historic neighborhoods. They visited what’s described as the largest inclusive playground in the world, which was designed to be welcoming to children with a variety of disabilities.
That facility was of particular interest to Betty, who has been confined to a wheelchair for many years. Despite that challenge, she has been able to live, travel and participate in activities which in the past would have been beyond her capability.
According to the World Health Organization, an estimated 1.3 billion people – about 16 percent of the global population – currently experience significant disability. This number is increasing due in part to population aging.
In the United States, one in four adults (28.7 percent) has some type of disability. These include challenges relating to mobility, hearing loss, cognition and other conditions.
In recent years, government-mandated alterations to facilities, improvements provided by companies seeking to attract these customers and other changes have opened the United States, and the world, to exploration by people who in the past could not avail themselves of that opportunity.
The Gordons were benefiting from some of these changes. Their experience only scratched the surface of alternatives to travel that await those who seek them out. From basics like wheelchair ramps and push-button door openers to some surprising facilities and services, the range of assistance available to people with a handicap who seek to travel is broad and growing.
Help at hotels
The Marriott, Hilton and Intercontinental Hotels are among world-wide chains that share a reputation for offering wheelchair accessible rooms and other disabled-friendly facilities. Many individual properties also fit into that category.
The Otesaga Resort Hotel, a top-flight retreat in Cooperstown, New York has ADA-compliant guess rooms with wheelchair roll-in showers, roll-under sinks, lowly placed light switches and other features. Ramp slopes to common areas and a pool lift are among the amenities. (For more information log onto otesaga.com.)
Those seeking to challenge Lady Luck in Las Vegas, Nevada also find a friendly environment. The Main Strip, where most of the hotels, attractions and activities are located, is very accessible, with wide, smooth sidewalks in most stretches. Among welcoming hotels is the world-famous Bellagio, located mid-Strip, which offers three types of accessible rooms, has a swimming pool with a lift and includes its own casino. (visitlasvegas.com)
Accessible-friendly cities
Other cities also reach out to those seeking a disabled-supportive environment. Betty and Don Gordon found much to like about Charleston, South Carolina. For starters, it has been named several times by Conde Nast Traveler as the #1 Small US City. The terrain is flat and its historic area is compressed and welcoming to pedestrians. That makes it ideal for a walking or wheelchair tour. For those who prefer to ride, free wheelchair-accessible shuttle buses loop around the city. (charlestoncvb.com)
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the adjoining 60-mile stretch of ocean coastline, offer a something-for-everyone choice of seashore settings. Its tourism office has adopted a Sensory Friendly Pledge to create a welcoming, inclusive beach experience for everyone. Trained personnel are available at attractions and restaurants to support visitors who may require assistance, and the city’s airport has a program which allows travelers with a disability to alert personnel that they may require assistance. (visitmyrtlebeach.com)
London is continuingly improving accessibility throughout the city with inclusive designs such as step-free access, ramps and smooth surfaces. These and other facilities help residents and visitors who need assistance to access the transport network, top sights and accommodations. (london.gov.uk)
The bus system in Paris is fully accessible, with frequent services to most areas in the city. Many of the major tourist sites in the city have elevators, ramps, and staff available to help people who need it. An added bonus is that most of the museums and cultural activities in the city are available free, or at a heavily discounted rate, for people with disabilities and their caregivers.
Priority access to the Eiffel Tower is offered to visitors with a disability. They also pay a reduced ticket price, as does a person accompanying them. (paris.fr)
Going by train or ship
In the United States, Amtrak has a menu of options for disabled travelers, beginning with wheelchair lifts and other boarding assistance. Most train stations in major cities, and many others, are accessible. A horizontal bar, which is detectable by someone using a cane, alerts people that they are approaching the ticket counter. Passengers with mobility impairments may be pre-boarded. If meals are offered, they can be brought to a person’s room or seat. (amtrak.com)
Many railway companies in Europe offer assistance for passengers with a disability or reduced mobility who need assistance along the way. Those who need to bring a caregiver along on the journey may be eligible to apply for a complimentary Eurail Pass for that person. (eurail.com)
Passengers aboard cruise ships who require individual help also have options. For example, every vessel in the American Cruise Lines fleet has accessible staterooms with wide doors and bathrooms large enough to accommodate a wheelchair along with grab rails, a shower bench and other conveniences. Most have an elevator that reaches every stateroom deck. Guests may complete an Accessability Questionnaire before they embark. American Cruise Lines’ ships navigate U.S. waterways and coastlines, and offer more than 50 itineraries. (americancruiselines.com)
Most ocean-going cruise ships also are disabled friendly. Because many of them were built relatively recently, they were designed with accessibility features in mind. They offer staterooms which provide easy access to people in a wheelchair, accessible bathrooms and mobility assistance in getting off, and back on, a vessel when it is docked at a port. (cruisecritic.com)Â
Plan Ahead
It’s wise to check in advance about available facilities and services how and where you will be traveling, and staying. What assistance does the transportation carrier offer? What facilities does a hotel provide?
Because only a small number of hotel rooms are designed for guests with a disability, make your reservations well ahead of when you will begin your trip.
Check the hotel’s website or call to discuss its accessibility features. Make sure that what it has available will meet your specific needs.
When you arrive, inspect the room before you unpack. Does it contain everything you’ll need? Is it large enough to maneuver in comfortably?
You might wish to look at the accessiblego.com website. It enables people with disabilities to book their travel arrangements.
Victor Block
Victor Block retains the travel bug after gallivanting throughout the United States and to more than 75 other countries worldwide and writing about what he sees, does, and learns. He believes travel is the best possible education and claims he still has much to learn. He loves to explore new destinations and cultures, and his stories about them have won many writing awards.
