Tips for Travelers with Disabilities

Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from traveling in the U.S. Thanks to provisions in the Americans with Disabilities Act, most public places are required to comply with disability-friendly regulations. Almost all public establishments (including hotels, restaurants, museums, and so on, but not including certain National Historic Landmarks), and at least some modes of public transportation provide accessible entrances and other facilities for those with disabilities.

There's no reason for those of you with disabilities to miss out on the fun that Orlando and the theme parks have to offer. There are more options and resources out there than ever before.

Accommodations

Every hotel and motel in Florida is required by law to have a special room or rooms equipped for wheelchairs. A few have wheel-in showers. Walt Disney World's Coronado Springs Resort (tel. 407/934-7639 or 407/939-1000; www.disneyworld.com) has 99 rooms designed to accommodate guests with disabilities. Disney's Polynesian and Grand Floridian resorts are both particularly well suited to guests who use wheelchairs, as the location of the resorts on the monorail system makes travel to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot a bit easier. Make your special needs known when making reservations. For other information about special Disney rooms, call tel. 407/939-7807.

If you don't mind staying 10 to 15 minutes or so from Disney, check out one of the areas various vacation homes. All Star Vacation Homes is one of the best around (tel. 800/592-5568 or 407/997-0733; www.allstarvacationhomes.com), offering among other things, several handicapped-accessible homes that have multiple bedrooms, multiple baths (including accessible showers), full kitchens, and pools. Most cost less than $300 a night and are located in Kissimmee (though you'll find a handful of villas and town houses located near I-Drive).

Medical Travel Inc. (tel. 800/778-7953; www.medicaltravel.org) is another source of rentals, scooters and vans, and medical equipment, and can satisfy other needs of travelers with disabilities, including those with terminal illnesses, and their families.

Transportation

Public buses in Orlando have hydraulic lifts and restraining belts for wheelchairs. They serve Universal Orlando, SeaWorld, the shopping areas, and downtown Orlando. Disney shuttle buses all accommodate wheelchairs, as does the monorail system and some of the watercraft that travel to the parks and resorts.

If you need to rent a wheelchair or electric scooter for your visit, Walker Medical & Mobility Products offers delivery to your room, and there's a model for guests who weigh as much as 375 pounds. These products fit into Disney's transports and monorails as well as rental cars. Get more information by calling tel. 888/726-6837 or 407/331-9500, or on the Internet go to www.walkermobility.com. CARE Medical Equipment (tel. 800/741-2282 or 407/856-2273; www.caremedicalequipment.com) offers similar services.

Disney (tel. 407/934-7639; www.disneyworld.com) offers wheelchair rentals at the parks, Downtown Disney, and, in more limited numbers, at the resorts. In addition, a very limited number of Electric Convenience Scooters are also available for rent at the parks. Note: Although the Segway is becoming increasingly popular as a mode of transportation for those with disabilities, neither Disney nor SeaWorld permit them inside any of their parks. Universal Orlando does allow them inside their parks. Segways can be rented at the Orange County Convention Center, 9800 International Dr. (tel. 407/685-1600).

Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) provides redcap service, wheelchair assistance, and special seats if you give 72 hours notice. Travelers with disabilities are also entitled to a 15% discount off the lowest available adult coach fare (though they cannot book online). Documentation from a doctor or an ID card proving your disability is required. Amtrak also provides wheelchair-accessible sleeping accommodations on long-distance trains. Service dogs are permitted aboard and travel free. TDD/TTY service is also available at tel. 800/523-6590, or you can write to P.O. Box 7717, Itasca, IL 60143.

Theme Parks

Many attractions at the parks, especially the newer ones, are designed to be accessible to a wide variety of guests. People with wheelchairs and their parties are often given preferential treatment so they can avoid lines.

The available assistance is outlined in the guide maps you get as you enter the parks. All of the theme parks offer some parking close to the entrances for those with disabilities. Let the parking booth attendant know your needs, and you'll be directed to the appropriate spot. Wheelchair and electric cart rentals are available at most major attractions, but you'll be most comfortable in your chair or cart from home if you can bring it. Keep in mind, however, that wheelchairs wider than 24 1/2 inches may be difficult to navigate through some attractions. And crowds may make it tough for any guest.

At Walt Disney World -- Disney's many services are detailed in each theme park's Guidebook for Guests with Disabilities. You can pick one up at Guest Relations near the front entrances to each of the parks. Also, you can call tel. 407/934-7639 or 407/824-2222 for answers to any questions regarding special needs. The guide is also available online at Disney's website, www.disneyworld.com (click through to the site map, then Web info, and then ADA/Guests with Disabilities). Examples of services are as follows:

• Almost all Disney resorts have rooms for those with disabilities.
• Braille guidebooks, cassette tapes, and portable tape players are available at City Hall in the Magic Kingdom and Guest Relations in the other parks (a $25 refundable deposit is required).
• Service animals are allowed in all parks and on some rides.
• All parks have special parking lots near the entrances.
• Assisted listening devices are available to amplify the audio at selected attractions at WDW parks. Also, at some attractions, hearing-impaired guests can use hand-held wireless receivers that allow them to read captions about the attractions. Both services are free but require a $25 refundable deposit.
• Wheelchairs and electric carts can be rented at all of the parks.

• Downtown Disney West Side, with crowded shops and bars, may be a bit difficult to navigate in a wheelchair. The movie theater is, however, wheelchair accessible.
• For information about Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDDs) or sign-language interpreters at Disney World live shows, call tel. 407/827-5141 (TDD/TTY). You can usually get an ASL interpreter at several events and attractions if you call no later than 2 weeks in advance.

Other Resources

You can get information online at the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau's (OCCVB) website, www.orlandoinfo.com.

WheelchairsOnTheGo.com is a comprehensive website that lists information on accessibility in Florida, from ground transportation to medical equipment rentals, accommodations, and attractions (and plenty more).

If you plan on visiting the Canaveral National Seashore as a side trip while in Orlando, know that the America the Beautiful -- National Park and Federal Recreational Lands Pass -- Access Pass (formerly the Golden Access Passport) gives visually impaired people or those with permanent disabilities (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 can only be obtained in person at any NPS facility that charges an entrance fee. You need to show proof of a 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 the United States Geological Survey (USGS), who issues the passes, at tel. 888/275-8747.

For more on organizations that offer resources to travelers with disabilities, go to www.frommers.com/planning.