Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from traveling in the U.S. There are more options and resources out there than ever before.

If you have no intention of letting your disability prevent you from having the adventure of a lifetime, contact Arizona River Runners, P.O. Box 47788, Phoenix, AZ 85068 (tel. 800/477-7238; www.arizonariverrunners.com), or Arizona Raft Adventures, 4050 E. Huntington Rd., Flagstaff, AZ 86004 (tel. 800/786-7238; www.azraft.com), both of which offer Grand Canyon rafting trips for people with disabilities. Wilderness Inquiry (tel. 800/728-0719 or 612/676-9400; www.wildernessinquiry.org), which offers adventure-travel tours all over the country, operates Lake Powell sea-kayak trips for persons of all abilities. In the northwest corner of the state, Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch, P.O. Box 580 Yucca, AZ 86438 (tel. 866/444-4471 or 928/727-8270; www.stagecoachtrailsranch.com), is a dude ranch that was designed with the needs of persons with disabilities in mind. All the ranch buildings are accessible, and there are horseback riding programs for persons with disabilities.

The America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass -- Access Pass (formerly the Golden Access Passport) gives visually impaired or permanently disabled persons (regardless of age) free lifetime entrance to federal recreation sites administered by the National Park Service, including the Fish and Wildlife Service, the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Bureau of Reclamation. This may include national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges.

The American the Beautiful Access Pass can only be obtained in person at any NPS facility that charges an entrance fee. You need to show proof of a medically determined disability. Besides free entry, the pass also offers a 50% discount on some federal-use fees charged for such facilities as camping, swimming, parking, boat launching, and tours. For more information, go to www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm, or call tel. 888/467-2757.

Many travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Among them are Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 507/451-5005; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) and Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com).

Flying with Disability (www.flying-with-disability.org) is a comprehensive information source on airplane travel. Avis Rent a Car (tel. 888/879-4273) has an "Avis Access" program that offers services for customers with special travel needs. These include specially outfitted vehicles with swivel seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls; mobility scooter rentals; and accessible bus service. Be sure to reserve well in advance.

Organizations that offer a vast range of resources and assistance to disabled travelers include MossRehab (tel. 800/CALL-MOSS; www.mossresourcenet.org); the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB; tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org); and SATH (Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality; tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org). AirAmbulanceCard.com is now partnered with SATH and allows you to preselect top-notch hospitals in case of an emergency.

Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com), available by subscription ($17 per year U.S.; $22 outside U.S).

The "Accessible Travel" link at Mobility-Advisor.com (www.mobility-advisor.com) offers a variety of travel resources to disabled persons.

British travelers should contact Holiday Care (tel. 0845/124-9971 in U.K. only; www.holidaycare.org.uk) to access a wide range of travel information and resources for disabled and elderly people.