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As the adaptive tourism industry grows and flourishes, many companies are jumping on the bandwagon to provide access and adventure for travelers with disabilities. Those that are not as experienced in offering adaptations can put your safety at risk, but those that have been paving this road for several years now are well-worth mentioning to honor their efforts toward bringing the industry to new heights.

Avis Rent a Car was the first in the industry to offer hand controls, steering knobs, swivel seat boards, and transfer boards to customers with disabilities in 2003. Five years later, most companies offer these special requests; obtaining them now is much easier than it used to be. Avis, though, is still the most dependable when it comes to booking cars in rural areas and offering the greatest variety of cars with either left- or right-hand controls.

Microtel Inns and Suites, with all new-construction facilities, was the first hotel chain in the industry to offer a brand-standard design of ADA accessible hotel room that guests could count on at any hotel they stayed at. The company also trained all their staff with “Attitude Accessibility,” and saw immediate results. Their bookings increased 400 percent in one year, and they’ve been ranked highest in guest satisfaction among budget hotel chains since 2002. In 2006 they added an upscale brand to their family, Hawthorne Suites, which adopted the same standards as Microtel.

Royal Caribbean is the king of the seas when it comes to access in cruising. Although the other companies have kept up in access, Royal Caribbean continues to raise the bar for access every year. Since 2002 they have spent nearly $10 million to improve access on every ship, including pool lifts, Braille menus, lighted doorbells, and grassy areas for service dogs. In 2007 they were the first cruise line to offer an all-deaf cruise. In 2008 they are announcing their new Celebrity line with the “Solstice” launching as the first of four ships, including the most accessible staterooms of the line (30), and the first automatic doors for staterooms.

SATH, the Society for Travel and Hospitality, has had a hand in the growth of every company you see on this page. Since 1976 SATH has helped train travel agents, write the ADA, and push access both in the U.S. and abroad.

Wilderness Inquiry has been offering adventure to people with disabilities since the late 1970s and has had a hand in not only adventure but land and river conservation and trail mapping and trail access as well. With partners such as the Boy and Girl Scouts of America and REI, Wilderness Inquiry has had great support in building its outstanding reputation for being a pace-setter in the adaptive industry.

Others worth mention:
Ability Centers – bringing adaptive equipment to cars since 1994.

Adaptive Sports Programs – many of which have been around since the 1970s or 80s; you pick the sport—there’s an adaptive program that offers it.

Handicapped Travel Club – encouraging people with disabilities to unite and travel since 1973.

Read More:
For further information on adaptive automotive transportation, see The Adaptive Driving Alliance and Renting Accessible Vehicles: a How-To Guide.

For more useful resources for adaptive tourism, see Resources for Traveling with Disabilities.

For tips on flying with a wheelchair, see Secrets of Wheelchair Airline Travel.