Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

Boston, like all other U.S. cities, has taken the required steps to provide access for people with disabilities. Hotels must provide accessible rooms, and museums and street curbs have ramps for wheelchairs. Some smaller accommodations, including most B&Bs, have not been retrofitted. In older neighborhoods (notably Beacon Hill and the North End), you'll find many narrow streets, cobbled thoroughfares, and brick sidewalks. In the construction areas that dot the entire metropolitan area, especially in downtown Boston, you may have to negotiate uneven road surfaces and pedestrian detours.

Newer stations on the Red, Blue, and Orange lines of the subway are wheelchair accessible; the transit authority is currently converting the Green Line (which uses trolleys). Contact the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (tel. 800/392-6100 or 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com) to see if the stations you need are accessible. All MBTA buses have lifts or kneelers; call tel. 800/LIFT-BUS for more information. Some bus routes are wheelchair accessible at all times, but others may require a reservation as much as a day in advance. To learn more, contact the Office for Transportation Access, Back Bay Station, 145 Dartmouth St., Boston, MA 02116 (tel. 617/222-5976 or TTY 617/222-5854).

One taxi company with wheelchair-accessible vehicles is Boston Cab (tel. 617/536-5010); advance notice is recommended. In addition, an Airport Accessible Van (tel. 617/561-1769) operates within Logan Airport.

An excellent resource is VSA Arts Massachusetts, 2 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116 (tel. 617/350-7713, TTY 617/350-6836; www.vsamass.org). Its website includes general access information and specifics about more than 200 cultural facilities.

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

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 (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org); and the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality, or SATH (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org). SATH partner AirAmbulanceCard.com allows you to preselect top-notch hospitals in case of an emergency.

Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com) offers a comprehensive database of travel agents from around the world with experience in accessible travel; destination-specific access information; and links to such resources as service animals, equipment rentals, and access guides.

Flying with Disability (www.flying-with-disability.org) is a comprehensive information source on airplane travel. The "Accessible Travel" link at Mobility-Advisor.com (www.mobility-advisor.com) offers a variety of resources.

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).

Avis Rent A Car has an "Avis Access" program that offers such services as a dedicated 24-hour toll-free number (tel. 888/879-4273) for customers with special travel needs; special car features such as swivel seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls; and accessible bus service.

Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com), available by subscription ($16.95 year U.S.; $21.95 outside U.S.).

British travelers can contact Holiday Care (tel. 0845-124-9971 in the U.K.; www.holidaycare.org.uk) for a wide range of travel information and resources for travelers with disabilities and seniors.