Travelers with Disabilities -- Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from traveling, with more options and resources out there than ever before.
Prodded by the Americans with Disabilities Act, a growing number of New England inns and hotels are retrofitting some of their rooms for people with special needs. Most innkeepers are quite proud of their improvements -- when Frommer's arrives for a site visit, they're invariably quick to show their new rooms with barrier-free entrances, wheelchair-accessible showers, and fire alarms equipped with strobe lights. Outdoor-recreation areas, especially on state and federal lands, are also providing more trails and facilities for those who've been effectively barred in the past. Accessibility is improving region wide, but improvements are far from universal. When in doubt, call ahead to ensure that you'll be accommodated.
Many travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 507/451-5005; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) offers escorted tours and cruises that emphasize sports and private tours in minivans with lifts. 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.
Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $45 adults, $30 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; and the American Foundation for the Blind (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), which provides information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.
For more information specifically targeted to travelers with disabilities, the community website iCan (www.icanonline.net) has destination guides and several regular columns on accessible travel. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons ($14.95 per year, $19.95 outside the U.S.; www.emerginghorizons.com), and Open World Magazine, published by the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (see above; subscription: $18 per year, $35 outside the U.S.).
