Escapees September-October 2023

Enjoying Accessibility and Camaraderie One Adventure at a Time

THENEW HANDICAPPED TRAVEL CLUB

ESCAPEES BOF By RENE AGREDANO #103274

RVs provide one of the easiest forms of travel for people with disabil ities, but what homes on wheels cannot do is provide equal access wherever a disabled RVer wants to go. Badly designed bathrooms, campsites, trails and interpretive centers often build an unwanted layer of complexity into an adventure that should be fun and relaxing. Thankfully, a new Escapees Birds of a Feather (BoF) group has formed to enhance RV travel for people with disabilities and to encourage curious newbies to give it a try. It’s All About the Details Thirty-three years after the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, in 1990, many campgrounds, tourist destinations and public parks are still fi lled with hurdles for physically impaired travelers. “RVing with disabilities can be challenging in numerous

“Being disabled and con fi nedto a chair most of the day can be a bit monotonous,” says Teresa Bartz #172635. She lives with paralysis and low vision, but that hasn’t stopped her and her husband, Brad, from making the most of the RV lifestyle. “I real ly look forward to our RV trips. I don’t know how to describe it, but it just feels better to be out on the road.” From her visit to the RV Hall of Fame, in Elkhart, Indiana, to the Sea Turtle Center on Geor gia’s Jekyll Island and many places in-between, RVing has enhanced their life in countless ways.

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ESCAPEES Magazine September/October 2023