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.

For anyone using a wheelchair, the greatest difficulty of a visit to Seattle is dealing with the city's many steep hills, which rival those of San Francisco. One solution for dealing with downtown hills is to use the elevator at Pike Place Market to get between the waterfront and First Avenue. There's also a public elevator at the west end of Lenora Street (just north of Pike Place Market). This elevator connects the waterfront with the Belltown neighborhood. If you stay at The Edgewater hotel, right on the waterfront, you'll have easy access to all of the city's waterfront attractions, and you'll be able to use the elevators to get to Pike Place Market.

Always mention your disability when making airline reservations. Airline policies differ regarding wheelchairs and Seeing Eye dogs.

Most hotels now offer wheelchair-accessible accommodations, and some of the larger and more expensive properties also offer TDD telephones and other amenities for the hearing and sight impaired.

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.

Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com) offers a comprehensive database on 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.

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). Wilderness Inquiry (tel. 800/728-0719 or 612/676-9400; www.wildernessinquiry.org) offers trips to the San Juan Islands and Olympic National Park for persons of all abilities.

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. For information on public bus accessibility, contact Metro (tel. 866/205-5001 in Washington state or 206/263-3113; http://transit.metrokc.gov/tops/accessible/accessible.html). For Metro TTY service, call tel. 877/749-4286 in Washington state or 206/263-3116.

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

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

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

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. If you plan to visit any of Washington's three national parks (Mount Rainier, Olympic, and North Cascades), this pass is a must.

The America 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 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.