Travelers with disabilities will find Brazil challenging. Those who use a wheelchair to get around will find that very few places are accessible. In the large cities, increasing numbers of hotels, restaurants, and attractions are making themselves accessible. The trick lies in getting to them. Sidewalks are often uneven, ramps are usually absent, and buses and taxis are not adapted to handle a wheelchair. For some additional resources on traveling with a disability, contact Access-able, P.O. Box 1796, Wheat Ridge, CO 80034 (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com). Its website has links to country-specific resources such as accessible hotels, tour operators, and other useful information. Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 800/535-6790; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) offers escorted tours and cruises that emphasize sports and private tours in minivans with lifts.
Organizations that offer information to disabled travelers include MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), a referral resource for the blind or visually impaired that includes information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs; and SATH (Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality) (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $49 adults, $29 seniors and students), which offers a wealth of travel resources for all types of disabilities and informed recommendations on destinations, access guides, travel agents, tour operators, vehicle rentals, and companion services. AirAmbulanceCard.com is now partnered with SATH and allows you to preselect top-notch hospitals in case of an emergency for $195 a year ($295 per family), among other benefits.
For more information specifically targeted to travelers with disabilities, the community website iCan (www.icanonline.net/channels/travel) has destination guides and several regular columns on accessible travel. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com; $17 per year, $22 outside the U.S.); and Open World magazine, published by SATH (subscription: $13 per year, $21 outside the U.S.).
