| TRAVEL
By Andrea Jehn Kennedy
Orlando, Florida, is one of the more accessible towns in the country, thanks to the team at Walt Disney Resorts who have made all of Disney’s properties more-than ADA accessible. In the 1990s, as Disney World was redesigned with some of the best universal design principles in the world, the town of Orlando watched patiently as the momentum took hold and travelers with disabilities took notice. Soon, it was common knowledge that if you had a family member with a disability, one of the best places to go was Disney World. And with that, the rest of Orlando took the cue. SeaWorld, Universal Studios, and Discovery Cove are also all designed universally for all visitors.
But if you aren’t in the area for the usual “Park Experience,” there are some great adventure and recreational options for all travelers here.
Orlando sits adjacent to the Everglades, and if adrenalin is your thing, call up Orlando Swamp Tours (www.orlandoswamptours.com) for some gator huntin’. Captain Brent Sloan has a great attitude towards helping customers with disabilities, and has taken access into consideration for his docks, boats, and tours. Don’t miss this wild tour of the swamp life, where you won’t just see alligators (when in season), but eagles, egrets, osprey, cranes, heron, as well as maybe a wild pig and some deer!
Sloan’s boats seat up to 35 people, and go out for one hour tours for just $35 per person. Private tours are also available, and child rates are also reduced.
Orlando is packed full of lakes, rivers, and streams, and what better way to see hundreds of species of wildlife come alive than right from the water? The folks at Adventures in Kayaking have “inclusion” in their sights and are eager to take out anyone and everyone. They have several very accessible options both near and far, and can plan your day around your specific needs. The accessible Winter Park Lake and Beach is the best option for everyone, 20 miles north of Orlando, with accessible restrooms, beach front, and parking readily available. Guides will help you into their tandem kayaks, which are usually easier for people with disabilities to use, or the single kayaks, which take a little more mid-region mobility and strength, but provide the independence that some prefer.
Adventures’ guides can also meet you a little further north (35 mi.) of Orlando for a 3-hour day trip at the Wekiva River State Park. Both trips are quite reasonable (under $100 per person), and their guides are knowledgeable and experienced.
Where there is all this water, there are plenty of fish for Fly Fishing, and Orlando Outfitters, based out of Mosquito Lagoon, about an hour east of the city, is the most experienced in inclusion. Depending on your abilities, the guides can teach fly fishing from the boat or the lake, custom fitting the best option for you. Half-day excursions are around $300.
If you have a bigger appetite for adventure, Bob’s Balloon Flights, on the south end near the parks, is the best accessible hot air balloon ride in town. Bob’s balloons have benches (a rarity, and your own seat cushion is recommended), but transferring is required, and there are plenty of helpers to assist if you’re comfortable with that. The $175 tour includes a hotel pickup (15 passenger van does not have a lift however so you might be better off following in your own vehicle), souvenirs, and a continental breakfast with champagne.
If you have a smaller appetite for adventure, there’s plenty of accessible golfing in the area. Whenever we’re looking for adaptive carts, we use www.mobilitygolf.com, which found six courses in the area, all confirmed with carts. The only off-Disney course is the Grand Cypress Golf Club, which is a whopping $250 per 18 holes, and they have two Easy-Go adaptive carts.
The rest are all on Disney’s property but don’t require you to be a guest at Disney to play (although resort guests do get a discount). Lake Buena Vista, Eagle Pines, Magnolia, Osprey, and the Palm courses are all fully accessible and offer at least one adaptive cart, and in most cases, two per course. Visit www.disneyworldgolf.com or call 407-939-4653 to book or for more information. Twilight specials offer the best rates at less than half the original cost, which ranges from $120 to $145 depending on course and guest status.
Last, the Orlando Magic’s brand new Amway Center is worth mention, as it’s slotted to open October of this year and will be among the top state-of- the-art arenas in the country upon completion. You can see the Magic and the Predators play here as well as live music concerts, ice shows, indoor soccer, professional fi ghting and wrestling, bull riding and rodeos, and motorsports exhibitions. The original Amway Arena is the oldest and smallest of its kind in Florida, so this new arena promises extremely improved accessibility. Seating as many as 18,500 people, the Amway Center offers 23 accessible seating areas (each with 14-20 accessible and companion seats), and includes features such as accessible ticket windows, concession counters, bars and restaurants, restrooms, 14 elevators, and electrical outlets at designated locations. Amway also offers premium wheelchair seating at 105 locations including suites, lodges, MVP tables, and club seats. And to make sure that customers with disabilities are properly accommodated, all staff will undergo Accessibility Training which includes building policies, customer service, emergency egress, and assistance for persons with disabilities.
All in all, Orlando is a very accessible city with a plethora of options for vacationers and locals alike. Don’t just settle for Disney, get out and explore what Orlando has to offer!
Andrea Jehn Kennedy and her husband Craig are co-owners of Access Anything (www.accessanything.net), travel consultants and writers specializing in marketing and education for all aspects of disability travel.
