World travel guide Canada: TRAVELLERS WITH DISABILITIES

Canada is one of the best places in the world to travel if you have mobility problems or other physical disabilities. All public buildings are required to be wheelchair-accessible and provide suitable toilet facilities, almost all street corners have dropped kerbs, and public telephones are specially equipped for hearing-aid users. Though wheelchair users may encounter problems when travelling on city public transport, main population centres are gradually introducing suitable buses.

Contacts for travellers with disabilities

Australia and New Zealand

ACROD (Australian Council for Rehabilitation of the Disabled) PO Box 60, Curtin, ACT 2605 (tel 02/6282 4333); 24 Cabarita Rd, Cabarita, NSW 2137 (tel 02/9743 2699).

Provides lists of travel agencies and tour operators for people with disabilities.

Disabled Persons Assembly , 4/173-175 Victoria St, Wellington. New Zealand (tel 04/801 9100).

Resource centre with lists of travel agencies and tour operators for people with disabilities.

Can Be Done Ltd , 7-11 Kensington High St, London W8 5NP (tel 020/8907 2400, fax 020/8909 1854, www.canbedone.co.uk ). Offers tours to Canada for people with disabilities.

Heathrow Travelcare (tel 020/8745 7495, fax 020/8745 4161). Assistance for disabled travellers at Heathrow Airport.

Holiday Care Service , 2nd Floor, Imperial Buildings, Victoria Rd, Horley, Surrey RH6 7PZ (tel 01293/774535, fax 784647).Information on all aspects of travel.

RADAR , Unit 12, City Forum, 250 City Rd, London EC1U 8AF (tel 020/7250 3222).

A good source of advice on holidays and travel abroad.

Tripscope , The Courtyard, Evelyn Rd, London W4 5JH (tel 020/8994 9294 or 0845/758 5641, fax 020/8994 3618 or 0117/939 7736).

Offers advice and information on travel for sick, elderly and disabled people.

Canada

BC Coalition of People with Disabilities , 204-456 W Broadway, Vancouver, BC V5Y IR3 (tel 604/875-0188). Offers advice and assistance for travellers in BC.

Canadian Paraplegic Association . Their main office is at Suite 320, 1101 Prince of Wales Drive, Ottawa, ON K2C 3W7 (tel 613/723-1033, fax 723-1060, and there are offices in every province: 520 Sutherland Drive, Toronto ON M4G 3V9 (tel 416/422-5644); 780 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC V6P 5YT (tel 604/342-3611); 825 Sherbrook St, Winnipeg, MB (tel 204/786-4753); Kéroul, 4545 Pierre-de-Courbetin, CP 1000, Montréal HIV 3R2 (tel 514/252-3104).

VIA Rail information and reservations for the speech- and/or hearing-impaired are available on tel 416/368-6406 from Toronto, tel 1-800/268-9503 from elsewhere.

Western Institute for the Deaf , 2125 W 7th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 1X9 (tel 604/736-7391 or 736-2527). Gives advice for the hearing-impaired.

Directions Unlimited , 720 N Bedford Rd, Bedford Hills, NY 10507 (tel 1-800/533-5343). Tour operator specializing in custom tours for people with disabilities, including travellers who are blind.

Mobility International USA , Box 10767, Eugene, OR 97440 (voice and TDD tel 541/343-1284, www.miusa.org ).

Information, access guides, tours and exchange programmes. Annual membership $35 (includes quarterly newsletter).

Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped (SATH), 347 5th Ave, New York, NY 10016 (tel 212/447-7284, www.sath.org ). Information on suitable tour operators and travel agents.

Travel Information Service , Moss Rehabilitation Hospital, 1200 W Tabor Rd, Philadelphia, PA 19141 (tel 215/456-9603). Telephone information service and referral.

Information

The Canadian Paraplegic Association (CPA) can provide a wealth of information on travelling in specific provinces, and most of its regional offices produce a free guide on the most easily accessed sights. Provincial tourist offices are also excellent sources of information on accessible hotels, motels and sights. You may also want to get in touch with Kéroul in Montréal, an organization that specializes in travel for mobility-impaired people, and publishes the bilingual guide Accès Tourisme (C$15 plus $3 postage). Twin Peaks Press, PO Box 129, Vancouver, Washington (tel 1-800/637-2256 or 360/694-2462) also publishes useful guides: the Directory of Travel Agencies for the Disabled (US$19.95), which lists more than 370 agencies worldwide, Travel for the Disabled (US$19.95) and Wheelchair Vagabond (US$14.95), as well as directories for accessible-van rental companies and cruise, ferry, river and canal-barge guides for the physically handicapped.

Transport and facilities

Most airlines , both transatlantic and internal, will do whatever they can to ease your journey, and will usually allow attendants of more seriously disabled people to accompany them at no extra charge - Air Canada is the best-equipped carrier.

The larger car-rental companies, like Hertz and Avis, can provide cars with hand controls at no extra charge, though these are only available on their most expensive models; book one as far in advance as you can - Hertz insists on the request being made five days before the car is needed and supplies are limited. A wheelchair-accessible coach with hydraulic lift and on-board accessible toilet can be rented from National Motor Coach Systems, Box 3220, Station B, Calgary, AB T2M 4L7 (tel 403/240-1992). In order to obtain a parking privilege permit , disabled drivers must complete the appropriate form from the province in question. Contact addresses and organizations vary from province to province, though the permit, once obtained from one province, is valid across Canada. Contact provincial tourist offices for details. In British Columbia you should contact the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia, 106-2182 W 12th Ave, Vancouver, BC V6K 2N4 (tel 604/736-8118, fax 736-8697). Their conditions are typical: enclose a letter with name, address, phone number and date of birth; the medical name of the disabling condition; a letter from a doctor with original signature ( not a photocopy) stating the disability that makes it difficult for a person to walk more than 100m and whether the prognosis is temporary or permanent. You should also include date of arrival and departure in Canada (BC), a contact address if known, a mailing address for the permit to be sent to, date and signature, and a cheque or money order for $15 to cover processing.

All VIA Rail trains can accommodate wheelchairs that are no larger than 81cm by 182cm and weigh no more than 114kg, though 24 hours notice is required for the Québec-Windsor corridor and 48 hours on other routes. They offer an excellent service, including served meals, roomettes at no extra charge for blind people travelling with a guide dog, as well as help with boarding and disembarking. Those who need attendants can apply for a two-for-one fare certificate under the " Helping Hand " scheme; it's available from the Canadian Rehabilitation Council for the Disabled, if you submit a medical certificate and an application signed by a doctor.

Although buses are obliged to carry disabled passengers if their wheelchairs fit in the luggage compartment, access is often difficult. However, nearly all bus companies accept the two-for-one "Helping Hand" certificates, and drivers are usually extremely helpful.

Larger hotels like Holiday Inn often have specially designed suites for disabled guests, and major motel chains like Best Western and Journey's End have full access - but it is always worth checking with the tourist offices (and the particular hotel) to confirm facilities.