Travelers With Disabilities
Most disabilities shouldn't stop anyone from traveling. There are more options and resources out there than ever before. Wyoming and Montana are not necessarily ahead of the curve when it comes to accessible facilities: There are only a handful of accessible trails in the main attraction -- the national parks.
The U.S. National Park Service offers a Golden Access Passport that gives free lifetime entrance to all properties administered by the National Park Service -- national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges -- for persons who are visually impaired or permanently disabled, regardless of age. You may pick up a Golden Access Passport at any NPS entrance fee area by showing proof of medically determined disability and eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law. Besides free entry, the Golden Access Passport also offers a 50% discount on 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.
The Montana Independent Living Project, 1820 11th Ave., Helena, MT 59601 (tel. 800/735-6457 or 406/442-5755), operates an information and referral service for travelers with disabilities, providing information relating to such topics as accessibility, recreation, and transportation.
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); Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com); and Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com). Avis Rent a Car has an "Avis Access" program that offers such services as a dedicated 24-hour toll-free number (tel. 888/879-4273) for customers with special travel needs; special car features such as swivel seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls; and accessible bus service.
Organizations that offer assistance to disabled travelers include MossRehab (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)
The community website iCan (www.icanonline.net/channels/travel/index.cfm) has destination guides and several regular columns on accessible travel. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons www.emerginghorizons.com); and Open World magazine, published by SATH .
