Traveling With Special Needs

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Back to Las VegasLas Vegas for Travelers with Special Needs

Travelers with Disabilities

On the one hand, Las Vegas is fairly well equipped for travelers with disabilities, with virtually every hotel having accessible rooms, ramps, and other requirements. On the other hand, the distance between each hotel (particularly on the Strip) makes a vehicle of some sort virtually mandatory for most people with disabilities, and it may be extremely strenuous and time-consuming to get from place to place (even within a single hotel, because of the crowds). Additionally, the casinos can be quite difficult to maneuver in, particularly for a guest in a wheelchair. The casino floors are crowded, and the machines and tables are often laid out close together, with chairs and such blocking easy access. You should also consider that it is often a long trek through larger hotels between the entrance and the room elevators (or, for that matter, anywhere in the hotel), and then add a crowded casino to the equation.

The Southern Nevada Center for Independent Living Program, 6039 Eldora St., Suite F, Las Vegas, NV 89146 (tel. 702/889-4216; www.sncil.org), can recommend hotels and restaurants that meet your needs, help you find a personal attendant, advise about transportation, and answer all sorts of other questions.

The Nevada Commission on Tourism (tel. 800/638-2328; www.travelnevada.com) offers a free accommodations guide to Las Vegas hotels that includes access information.

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.

Wheelchair Getaways (tel. 800/642-2042; www.wheelchair-getaways.com) rents specialized vans with wheelchair lifts and other features for travelers with disabilities in more than 100 cities across the U.S.

Many of the major car-rental companies now offer hand-controlled cars for drivers with disabilities. Avis can provide such a vehicle at any of its locations in the U.S. with 48-hour advance notice; Hertz requires between 24 and 72 hours of advance reservations at most of its locations.

Greyhound (tel. 800/752-4841; www.greyhound.com) allows a person with disabilities to travel with a companion for a single fare. Call at least 72 hours in advance to discuss this and other special needs.

Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include the Moss Rehab Hospital (800/225-5667; 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/channels/travel/index.cfm) 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: $13 per year, $21 outside the U.S.).