Buenos Aires is not a particularly accessible destination for travelers with disabilities. The tiny crowded streets of the Microcentro can often barely accommodate two people walking together, let alone a wheelchair, and sidewalk cutouts do not exist in all areas. Some hotels claim to be equipped for those with disabilities but still have one to two stairs leading to their elevator bays, making wheelchair access impossible, so always ask detailed questions when booking. Four- and five-star hotels; recently renovated hotels; and American, Canadian, and European-owned chains are more likely to have rooms designed for travelers with disabilities.
The city government's special task force COPINE (Comisión para la Plena Participación e Integración de las Personas con Necesidades Especiales; tel. 11/4010-0300, ext. 13407; copine@buenosaires.gov.ar), put out a tourism guide called Guía Turismo Accesible in 2009, which might be available at select tourism kiosks or at the airport. The national task force, COPIDAS (Comisión Nacional Asesora para la Integración Personas Discapacitadas), Av. Julio Roca 782 at Diagonal Sur, 4th Floor, Belgrano (tel. 0800-333-2662 or 11/4331-7344; www.cndisc.gov.ar), has a new resource guide available with a small portion on tourism. Other 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), which publishes the Open World magazine and also offers a wealth of resources; and the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB; tel. 800/232-5463; www.afb.org), a referral resource for the visually impaired that includes information on traveling with Seeing Eye dogs. Also check out the quarterly magazine Emerging Horizons (www.emerginghorizons.com).
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
