Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

Your first stop should be the "Accessible London" section of the Visit London website: www.visitlondon.com/access. You'll find links to details of accessible hotels and information about which parts of the transport network are adapted to your needs. Many London hotels, museums, restaurants, buses, Tube stations, and sightseeing attractions have dedicated wheelchair entry, and persons with disabilities are often granted admission discounts.

The best local organization to consult for trip-planning advice is Tourism for All UK, Shap Road Industrial Estate, Shap Rd., Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NZ (tel. 0845/124-9971; from overseas +44(0)1539/814-683; www.tourismforall.org.uk). The website also has an invaluable list of relevant organizations to contact for advice relating to specific chronic complaints. The Royal Association for Disability Rights (RADAR), 12 City Forum, 250 City Rd., London EC1V 8AF (tel. 020/7250-3222; www.radar.org.uk), publishes a number of handy written resources and, for a small fee, sells a key that opens over 8,000 locked public disabled toilets countrywide (£3.50 inc. UK P&P; £5.40 to anywhere in the world).

Annual guide OpenLondon (£9.99) is the capital's largest directory of accessible accommodation and travel services. It's widely available in city bookstores, and at the usual online booksellers worldwide. RADAR's Where to Stay guide covers the whole of the U.K. and Ireland, and has good London coverage; buy it online from the RADAR website . A new edition of the occasional Access in London guidebook (£10-£15 donation, plus $15 delivery charge; visit www.accessinlondon.org), a publication listing facilities for the disabled, is due to be published before the London 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games.

For public transportation assistance, Transport for London publishes a good deal of accessibility information; visit www.tfl.gov.uk/accessguides for the lowdown on stair-free Underground access, large-print and audio Tube maps, a Tube toilet map, and more. There's also a 24-hour assistance telephone line: tel. 020/7222-1234. London's official "black cab" taxis have roomy interiors perfectly suited for those in wheelchairs.

London's most helpful organization for information about access to theatres, cinemas, galleries, museums, and other arts venues is Artsline, 21 Pine Court, Wood Lodge Gardens, Bromley BR1 2WA (tel. 020/7388-2227; www.artsline.org.uk). Its excellent website and directory offers free information about wheelchair access, theatres with hearing aids, tourist attractions, and cinemas.

For visitors coming from North America, a number of travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 877/451-5006 or 507/451-5005; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) offers independent trips to London. Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com) caters specifically to slow walkers and wheelchair travelers and their families and friends.