The Accessible Virtual Community

This website includes an article and video advice for cruise passengers with disabilities who need a little help getting around ships and ports. The key is to plan ahead so you can minimize those challenges. This includes wheelchair-accessible staterooms and transportation, lifts for jacuzzis and swimming pools, and close-captioned TVs. Most cruise lines have an accessibility coordinator to answer questions.

This short web page is a compilation of frequently asked questions regarding the needs and barriers regarding accessible mass transit for people who are blind or visually impaired. Some examples of the ways that transit systems have become more inclusive are providing large-print, high-contrast, and non-glare informational signs in terminals and providing external speakers that announce vehicle identification information. More examples on site.

Access Northern California is a non-profit organization working to increase opportunities and improve access to travel and outdoor recreation for people with disabilities and seniors throughout Northern California. Access Northern California offers free accessible travel guides on the outdoor locations in the San Francisco area such as trails and parks. This organization also offers consultations, workshops, and training to businesses and government agencies to educate organizations about travel and disability.

"Search Beyond Adventures provides all-inclusive escorted vacations for travelers with both physical and cognitive disabilities, ages 17 and older. The majority of their travelers have developmental disabilities, but they accommodate physical disabilities as well. Group sizes range from 5 to 25 travelers and vary in length from 4 to 14 days. Program locations include: Palmer (MA), Minneapolis (MN), Orlando (FL) and Sacramento (CA)."

This website focuses on some of the emerging accessibility issues, design parameters that affect sidewalks, street crossing design, and operation. It provides recommendations on how to design sidewalks, street crossings, intersections, shared use paths, and recreational pedestrian trails. (Last updated 2001)

TSA has established a program for screening of persons with disabilities and their associated equipment, mobility aids, and devices. Their program covers all categories of disabilities (mobility, hearing, visual, and hidden). As part of that program,a coalition of over 70 disability-related groups and organizations helped the TSA understand the concerns of persons with disabilities and medical conditions. These groups have assisted TSA with integrating the unique needs of persons with disabilities into our airport operations.

This article zeroes in on the most common trouble spots in wheelchair air travel, and offers some tips that will make the process as hassle-free as possible.

A few tips and etiquette suggestions are offered on this web page for scooter drivers to ensure that their trips are safe and enjoyable for themselves and those around them.

This website by Disabled World addresses concerns and answers questions in regards to disability travel. Questions, concerns and answers are submitted by individuals with disabilities and the site editors answer questions directly to those submitting and on the webpage.

This website for the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH), founded in 1976, provides information about an educational nonprofit membership organization whose mission is to raise awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities, remove physical and attitudinal barriers to free access and expand travel opportunities in the United States and abroad. Members include travel professionals, consumers with disabilities and other individuals and corporations who support our mission.

The Guided Tour, Inc established in 1972 is the first supervised travel and vacation program in the US for people with developmental and physical disabilities. This program is run only by paid professionals with a 1:3 or even 1:1 staff to client ratio. A nurse is present on almost all trips and can be requested. This travel program is for ages 17 and older.

Developed by James Glasbergen, a man with quadriplegia, World on Wheelz is a travel agency partnered with Frederick Travel to provide accessible travel trips for all people who face mobility challenges. The website explains that World on Wheelz prides itself on having a higher standard of “accessibility” than any other agency on the market. World on Wheelz’s target demographic consists of individuals with extremely limited mobility, such any individual with a cervical level spinal cord injury. Travel arrangements can be made anywhere around the world, independently or as a group with a tour guide.

Transportation.gov/accessibility provides resources on transportation providers, the rights of air travelers with disabilities, paratransit and other accessible transportation options for travelers with disabilities.” A list of upcoming events, vehicle purchase/modification funding resources, transportation providers and accessibility tools are provided.

Trips Inc. is founded by Jim Peterson. Peterson has a master's degree in special education and has organized over 600 trips both nationally and internationally over his 27 years of leadership. Group sizes are kept around 20 travelers, with a chaperone to traveler ratio of 1:4. All chaperones are volunteers who are carefully screened. Groups are tailored to accommodate those with similar disabilities. Trips Inc. prides itself on having competitive rates.

Access Aloha Travel Inc. is a liaison for individuals who use a wheelchair to connect with services in Hawaii. This site connects users to wheelchair accessible tours, cruises, van rentals, and hotels.

Accessible Journeys, Inc. is a wheelchair travel company servicing people who use wheelchairs, their families, and friends. This company offers tours around the world as group tours, independent travel, cruises, and bus tours. This agency has received numerous awards for it's ability to make traveling around the globe accessible.