Boston, like all other U.S. cities, has taken the required steps to provide access for people with disabilities. Hotels must provide accessible rooms, and museums and street curbs have ramps for wheelchairs. Some smaller accommodations, including most B&Bs, have not been retrofitted. In older neighborhoods (notably Beacon Hill and the North End), you'll find many narrow streets, cobbled thoroughfares, and brick sidewalks. In the construction areas that have succeeded the Big Dig, you'll have to negotiate uneven road surfaces and pedestrian detours.

Newer stations on the Red, Blue, and Orange lines of the subway are wheelchair-accessible; the transit authority is currently converting the Green Line (which uses trolleys). Contact the MBTA (tel. 800/392-6100 or 617/222-3200; www.mbta.com) to see if the stations you need are accessible. All MBTA buses have lifts or kneelers; call tel. 800/LIFT-BUS for more information. Some bus routes are wheelchair-accessible at all times, but you might have to make a reservation as much as a day in advance for others. To learn more, contact the Office for Transportation Access, 145 Dartmouth Street, Boston, MA 02116 (tel. 617/222-5438 or TTY 617/222-5854).

One taxi company with wheelchair-accessible vehicles is Boston Cab (tel. 617/536-5010); advance notice is recommended. In addition, an Airport Accessible Van (tel. 617/561-1769) operates within Logan Airport.

An excellent resource is VSA Arts Massachusetts, 2 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 (tel. 617/350-7713, TTY 617/350-6836; www.vsamass.org). Its comprehensive website (www.accessexpressed.net) includes general access information and specifics about more than 200 cultural facilities.

The U.S. National Park Service offers a Golden Access Passport that gives free lifetime entrance to all properties administered by the National Park Service -- national parks, monuments, historic sites, recreation areas, and national wildlife refuges -- for persons who are visually impaired or permanently disabled, regardless of age. You may pick up a Golden Access Passport at any NPS entrance fee area by showing proof of medically determined disability and eligibility for receiving benefits under federal law. For more information, go to www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm or call tel. 888/GO-PARKS.

Many travel agencies offer customized tours and itineraries for travelers with disabilities. Flying Wheels Travel (tel. 507/451-5005; www.flyingwheelstravel.com) offers escorted tours and cruises that emphasize sports and private tours in minivans with lifts. Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 303/232-2979; www.access-able.com) offers extensive access information and advice for traveling around the world with disabilities. Accessible Journeys (tel. 800/846-4537 or 610/521-0339; www.disabilitytravel.com) caters specifically to slow walkers and wheelchair travelers and their families and friends.

Avis Rent a Car has an "Avis Access" program that offers such services as a dedicated 24-hour toll-free number (tel. 888/879-4273) for customers with special travel needs; special car features such as swivel seats, spinner knobs, and hand controls; and accessible bus service.

Organizations that offer assistance to travelers with disabilities include MossRehab (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; SATH (Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality) (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $45 adults, $30 seniors and students), which offers a wealth of resources for travelers with all types of disabilities and informed recommendations on destinations, access guides, travel agents, tour operators, vehicle rentals, and companion services; and the American Foundation for the Blind, or AFB (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), a referral resource for the blind or visually impaired that includes information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.

For more information specifically targeted to travelers with disabilities, the community website iCan (www.icanonline.net/channels/travel/index.cfm) has destination guides and several regular columns on accessible travel. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons ($14.95 per year, $19.95 outside the U.S.; www.emerginghorizons.com); and Open World magazine, published by SATH (see above; subscription: $13 per year, $21 outside the U.S.).