Travel

My nine-year-old son has cerebral palsy, but I want him to enjoy summer vacation like healthy kids. Are camps for kids with CP, and how can I find out about them?

"Your local chapter of United Cerebral Palsy will be your best source," says Dr. Mindy Aisen, director of the United Cerebral Palsy Research and Education Foundation in Washington, DC. "They will know what other children have done locally and what has or hasn't worked well. They also can put you in touch with other parents."

Along with specialty camps, she adds, "an alternative is to send your child to a camp that is principally designed for children without developmental difficulties. It's been my experience that not-for-profit programs usually make accommodations for kids with developmental disabilities. They put an extra counselor in the cabin to help the child be included. You'd go through your local public school for this."

Asking lots of questions about safety and how your child will be involved in activities is key. "It's a great sign if they're open to your visiting during camping season," says Dr. Aisen. "A child with CP is like any child. How you would you make this decision would similarly be based on word of mouth and personal recommendation more than who's got a good ad."

I want to travel with my husband, who is paralyzed from the waist down and requires a to-bed transfer device. Are there ways for me to find hotels that accommodate his special needs?

While hotels do not normally stock a Hoyer Lift or other to-bed equipment, units are rentable. "I would call ahead to medical-supply stores in the area and have one sent over," advises Stephanie Acosta, Travel Manager for Able to Travel, a travel agency member program affiliated with United Spinal Association in New York. "The cost usually ranges from $100 to $125 per week," she adds, "and they sometimes require you to bring your own sling."

Acosta notes that bigger hotel chains, all of which have wheelchair-accessible rooms, are best for such travel. To get information about appropriate supply stores, she says, "start with the concierge; he or she should be able to help you, as with any other service."

The concierge can also answer the vital question about the types of beds in the hotel. "You're fine as long as the room doesn't have a platform bed, because the lifting unit goes underneath the bed," explains Acosta, whose company specializes in making these travel arrangements for a $25 service fee through www.unitedspinal.org.