Many people with special needs find that they can travel in comfort and convenience in an RV. More than a dozen manufacturers offer RVs and conversion vans with features such as wheelchair lifts or ramps, roll-under sinks, and lower kitchen counters and cabinets.
Additional information on services for travelers with disabilities is available at the following locations:
- RV.net forum: RVing with Disabilities and General Health Issues
- Travelin’ Talk Network
- Woodalls
- Search the Web using “handicapped accessible RV.”
- Visit www.rv-info.net. Click on the Specialty Vehicles link at the bottom of the home page.
- Visit www.access-able.com, a Web site dedicated to mature and disabled travelers. Click to the Links page, then click on Transportation for further leads on whom to contact to rent accessible vans and motorhomes.
If you or a family member has special needs, talk with an RV dealer about your specific circumstance. The dealer can work with you and the RV manufacturer to customize the RV, or the dealer may have a used handicapped-accessible RV on hand that will work for you.
Campgrounds have adapted to meet the needs of physically challenged travelers. Many offer wide, level, paved sites for easy use by people with wheelchairs, walkers or electric scooters. Some offer recreation programs and food services designed to meet the physical and nutritional requirements of their customers with special needs. To check a campground’s accessibility, contact the campground directly.
For information on accessibility in our national parks, go to www.nps.gov. Type “accessibility” in the Search box, then click Search.
People with special needs can volunteer at Passport in Time, an archaeology and historic preservation program of the USDA Forest Service. The activity and location of the project determines the degree of accessibility.
Passport in Time
505-896-0734 or 800-281-9176 (voice, TTY)
volunteer@passportintime.com
www.passportintime.com (Scroll down the page to “PIT and People with Disabilities.”)
For those of you with special needs who are already RVing, what bits of advice can you give to those newly disabled or those with special needs who are looking into the RV lifestyle? Please weigh in with your comments!
Enjoy your RVing!
Bernice