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Part of Accessible U.S. travel: why access is uneven, not absent
Accessible U.S. travel bookings hinge on written measurements, not promises
Written measurements beat verbal promises at every accessible U.S. travel check-in desk, so ask providers for door width numbers and bathroom clearances in email.
What to take away
- Ask for measurements, not adjectives. A door width in inches and centimetres is usable. "Accessible room" is not.
- Send every request as a numbered list and ask for a numbered reply. Keep them in one file.
- Give the airline your aid's width, weight and battery type. Request TSA screening help separately.
- Ask attractions about step-free routes, companion tickets and restroom access before you pay.
- Ask every provider what happens if the lift, ramp or room fails on the day.
What a verbal promise costs you
A cheerful "it's accessible" costs nothing until you arrive. Then the door is 28 inches wide, your chair is 29, and the one accessible room went to a guest who booked it as a standard room.
Book on a number, not on tone. The provider pays no penalty for overstating access. You absorb the moved room and the lost night.
The steps that keep a mobility-friendly hotel stay from unravelling start with one emailed question.
What to ask a hotel
Send these as a numbered list and ask for a numbered reply by email.
Hotel accessibility questions
- Room blocked for my dates?
- Roll-in shower or tub dimensions?
- Grab bar side at toilet?
- Clear door widths room and bathroom?
- Bed height from floor?
- Route from parking to door?
- Evacuation plan if lift fails?
- What is the clear door width of the room and bathroom, in inches and centimetres?
- What is the turning circle in the bathroom, and the clear floor space beside the bed?
- Is the shower roll-in or a tub with a seat? What is the seat height?
- Where are the grab bars, and at what height above the floor?
- How high is the bed from the floor?
- Is there a pool hoist, is it working, and what is its weight limit in pounds?
- If this room is taken when I arrive, which room will I be moved to, and does it match these numbers?
Ask for the room number, not the room type.
Element / Figure to ask for
- Clear door width
- 32 in / 81 cm minimum
- Bathroom turning space
- 60 in / 152 cm diameter
- Grab bars
- 33 to 36 in / 84 to 91 cm above floor
- Roll-in shower
- No step at entry, seat height in inches
- Bed height
- 17 to 19 in / 43 to 48 cm typical
The first three are ADA Standards minimums for new construction. Bed height is common practice, so ask.
What to ask an airline
Call the airline's disability line and ask them to note your aid in the booking.
Put your chair's dimensions on one card with width, length, weight and battery type.
- Which aircraft type flies this route, and can my aid be stowed in the cabin?
- What are the maximum dimensions and weight you carry, and does my chair fit?
- Will an aisle chair be at the gate, and who operates it?
- Is boarding by jet bridge or stairs, and where is my aid returned?
- Please confirm all of this by email.
Under the Air Carrier Access Act you can request wheelchair assistance at no charge. The Department of Transportation page for passengers with disabilities explains how to ask.
Screening is a separate request. TSA special procedures cover mobility aids, medical devices and medication.
What to ask an attraction or tour
- Is the whole route step-free from the entrance to the end, and what is the gradient of any ramp?
- What is the narrowest point on the route, in inches and centimetres?
- How many companion seats sit beside a wheelchair space, and how do I book one?
- Are companion tickets discounted or free?
- Are accessible restrooms open for the full visit?
Attraction and tour questions
- Walk route stop by stop
- Alternative entrance staffed that day?
- Communication support and notice needed?
- Any closures during your dates?
- What if lift or ramp fails inside?
Access varies by city and by operator, and how access varies between destinations explains why one venue's answer tells you little about the next.
Ask about the lift on its own. A step-free route means nothing if the lift to the viewing deck is out and nobody has a plan for that day.
Ask whether a guide or audio description is available, and how much notice the venue needs.
What to ask a federally funded site
Buildings built or altered with federal money follow the Architectural Barriers Act. The Access Board's guides to the ABA standards set out what that covers.
Ask which edition of the standards the building was built or altered to. Ask whether the accessible entrance is the main entrance or a side door with a buzzer.
In parks, ask about the shuttle, the scenic drive pullouts, the trail surfaces and whether the restrooms are open in your season.
The question most travelers skip
Ask every provider: if the lift breaks, if the vehicle does not arrive, if the accessible room is taken, what do you offer that day?
A provider with an answer has handled it before. One without has not, and you will find out at the counter.
Before you commit, the access details worth confirming are the same ones that decide whether a weekend base works at all.
Example: an email that gets a written reply
Hello. I am booking for [dates] and use a wheelchair [width] inches wide. Please answer as a numbered list, by email:
- Clear door width of room [number], in inches and centimetres.
- Turning circle in the bathroom, and floor space beside the bed.
- Bed height from the floor and the shower seat height.
- Which room I will be moved to if this one is taken.
