Washington, D.C., is one of the most accessible cities in the world for travelers with disabilities. The best overall source of information about accessibility at specific Washington hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, and attractions is the nonprofit organization Access Information. You can read the information (including restaurant reviews) online at www.disabilityguide.org, or order a free copy of the Washington, DC Access Guide by calling tel. 301/528-8664, or by writing to Access Information, 21618 Slidell Rd., Boyds, MD 20841.

The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority publishes accessibility information on its website www.wmata.com, or you can call tel. 202/962-1245 with questions about Metro services for travelers with disabilities, including how to obtain a disabled ID card that entitles you to discounted fares. (Make sure that you call at least 3 weeks ahead to allow enough time to obtain an ID card.) For up-to-date information about how Metro is operating on the day you're using it, for instance, to verify that the elevators are operating at the stations you'll be traveling to, call tel. 202/962-1212.

Each Metro station is equipped with an elevator (complete with Braille number plates) to train platforms and extra-wide fare gates for wheelchair users; rail cars are fully accessible. Metro has installed punctuated rubber tiles leading up to the granite-lined platform edge to warn visually impaired Metro riders that they're nearing the tracks; barriers between rail cars prevent the blind from mistaking the gap for entry to a car. For the hearing impaired, flashing lights indicate arriving trains; door chimes let you know when the train doors are closing. Train operators make station and on-board announcements of train destinations and stops, although the noise of the train and a less-than-perfect audio system often make these announcements unintelligible. Nearly all of the District's Metrobuses have wheelchair lifts and kneel at the curb. The TTY number for Metro information is tel. 202/638-3780.

Regular Tourmobile trams are accessible to visitors with disabilities. The company also operates special vans for immobile travelers, complete with wheelchair lifts. Tourmobile recommends that you call a day ahead to ensure that the van is available for you when you arrive. For information, call tel. 202/554-5100, or go to www.tourmobile.com.

Major Washington museums, including all Smithsonian museum buildings, are accessible to wheelchair visitors. A comprehensive free publication called "Smithsonian Access" lists all services available to visitors with disabilities, including parking, building access, sign-language interpreters, and more. To obtain a copy, call tel. 202/357-2700 or TTY 202/357-1729, or find the information online at www.si.edu/opa/accessibility. You can also use the TTY number to get information on all Smithsonian museums and events.

Likewise, all of the memorials, including the Lincoln, Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Vietnam, Korea, and World War II memorials and the Washington Monument are each equipped to accommodate visitors with disabilities and keep wheelchairs on the premises. There's limited parking for visitors with disabilities at some of these locations. Call ahead to other sightseeing attractions for accessibility information and special services.

Call your senator or representative to arrange wheelchair-accessible tours of the Capitol; they can also arrange special tours for the blind or deaf at both the Capitol and at the White House. The White House is accessible to those in wheelchairs and requires no advance notice or special tour instructions for wheelchair-bound tourists. For further information about Capitol tours, call the Congressional Special Services Office tel. 202/224-4048, TTY 202/224-4049; or go to www.house.gov, click on "Visiting D.C.," "U.S. Capitol Guide Service," and then on "accessibility," where you'll find a ton of information about mobility matters.

Washington theaters are handily equipped. Among the most accessible are the following three.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is fully accessible. The center provides headphones to hearing-impaired patrons at no charge. A wireless, infrared listening-enhancement system is available in all theaters. Some performances offer sign language and audio description. A public TTY is located at the Information Center in the Hall of States as well as on parking lot level A. Large-print programs are available at every performance; a limited number of Braille programs are available from the house manager. All theaters in the complex are wheelchair accessible. To reserve a wheelchair, call tel. 202/416-8340. For other questions regarding patrons with disabilities, including information about half-price tickets (you will need to submit a letter from your doctor stating that your disability is permanent), access the center's website, www.kennedy-center.org, or call the Office for Accessibility tel. 202/416-8727. The TTY number is tel. 202/416-8728.

The Arena Stage (tel. 202/488-3300; www.arenastage.org) offers audio description and sign interpretation at designated performances as well as infrared and audio loop assisted-listening devices for the hearing impaired, plus program books in Braille and large print. The TTY box office line is tel. 202/484-0247. You can also call ahead to reserve handicapped parking spaces for a performance.

The National Theatre is wheelchair accessible and features special performances of its shows for visually and hearing-impaired theatergoers. To obtain amplified-sound earphones for narration, simply ask an usher before the performance (you'll need to provide an ID). The National also offers a limited number of half-price tickets to patrons with disabilities, who have obtained a Special Patron card from the theater, or who can provide a letter from a doctor certifying disability; you may receive no more than two half-price tickets. For details, call tel. 202/628-6161, or go the website, www.nationaltheatre.org.

Many travel agencies offer customized tours, itineraries, and travel tips for travelers with disabilities. Access-Able Travel Source (tel. 302/232-2979; www.access-able.com) offers extensive access information and advice for traveling around the world with disabilities, including a section on Washington, D.C. 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's "Avis Access" program reaches out to customers with special travel needs by dedicating a 24-hour toll-free number (tel. 888/879-4273) for these customers to reserve cars with handy features such as swivel sets, spinner knobs, and hand controls; and to arrange for accessible bus service.

Organizations that offer assistance to disabled travelers include the Moss Rehab Hospital (www.mossresourcenet.org), which provides a library of accessible-travel resources online; the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (tel. 212/447-7284; www.sath.org; annual membership fees: $45 adults, $30 seniors and students), which offers a wealth of travel resources for 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 (tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), which provides information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs.

For more information specifically targeted to travelers with disabilities, check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons ($15 per year, $20 outside the U.S.; www.emerginghorizons.com); and Open World Magazine, published by the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (the magazine is included in the price of membership or available by separate subscription: $13 per year, $21 outside the U.S.).