My mother had polio. She had braces on both legs and walked with the aid of canes. When you grow up in a family in which a member is disabled you don’t tend to think of the disability as anything but normal.  Some people wore glasses, some people were forgetful, and my mother had braces on her legs. She was also a world traveler in a time when traveling could be difficult for the hardiest of folks. She took her first trip, with her parents, when she was 18 years old. In those days it was called “The Grand Tour”. They toured Europe for four weeks and I still have the wonderful pictures that they took. During her long life she saw all of Europe, Asia, parts of the Middle East, most of South and Central America, Canada, Mexico and she had traveled all over the United States. She had lived in the West Indies. When she died, at the age of 72 she was confined to a wheelchair, but despite that confinement she had just taken a trip to South America, alone. She had polio. She was disabled. She enabled herself, and that made all the difference.

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            Disabilities come in different forms and to different degrees. Therefore some of the vacations listed on the other pages in Learning Holiday may be quite suitable for you. The only real difference between those listings, and the ones that you will find here, is that these listing are more oriented toward people with disabilities. You will be more likely to find that they are designed to meet your special needs. I will add more to these listing as I find them. Go and experience the world!

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NASA Space Camp –

            NASA Space Camp has programs specially developed for the deaf and blind. The courses allow you to experience the thrill of space and to learn more about the space programs. This is a great opportunity to soar above the rest!

Contact –
                        Deaf and hard of hearing program-
            Amy Newland
            Tel:      412-371-7000
           http://www.spacecamp.com/deaf

            Blind and visually impaired program
            Tel:      Dan Oates
            304-822-4883

For general information contact-
NASA Space Camp
PO Box 070015
Huntsville, Al. 35807-7015

Tel:      1-800-637-7223

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Aegean Sailing School –

            Have you ever wanted to learn to sail a yacht? Where better to learn then on the Aegean Sea? Whether your disability is physical or visual, the Aegean Sailing School’s newest yacht, The Hellas l, can accommodate your needs. You can also take RYA Sailing Courses. Isn’t it time you felt the spray of salt water on your face and swam in the Aegean?

Contact –

Aegean Sailing School
Box 7238 Agii
Aegina 18010
Greece

Tel:      (+30) 22970 32009

http://www.aegeansailingschool.com/rya-disabled-sailing-courses-in-greece.php

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Have Horse will Travel –

            Special riding holidays are offered, in Arizona, USA, for the disabled rider. Approximately 3 hours from Los Vegas, Stagecoach Trails Guest Ranch will be your host to a myriad of fun activities. Riding lessons, trail rides, trips to a ghost town, gold mining camp and the Grand Canyon are just a few of the activities. If horseback riding and the Old West are of interest to you then see the contact information below.

Contact –

Have Horse Will Travel
PO Box 246
Hythe
CT21 4WP

Tel:      01303 862996

http://www.hhwtravel.co.uk/index.php

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New Directions Travel –

            This site lists vacations for individuals with developmental disabilities. It is a not for profit located in the United States and has been in operation since 1985. The tours are mostly in the United States, but there are a few international tours listed too. For the complete list of tours (it’s a big one!) and for more information please see below.

Contact –

New Directions
5276 Hollister Avenue, #207
Santa Barbara, Ca. 93111

Tel:      888-967-2841

Email: info@newdirectionstravel.org

http://www.newdirectionstravel.org/

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Mountain House Holidays –

            These holidays are geared for the learning disabled. They can adapt activities to special needs. Activities are pointed toward building confidence, new skills and agility. The activities range from hiking to rock climbing.

Contact –

Mountain House Holidays
Vale Cottage, Foolow
Eyam, Hope Valley
Sheffield, S32 5QR

Tel:      01433 639368

Email: info@mountain-house.co.uk

http://www.mountain-house.co.uk/Peaklearningdisability.html

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Challenged America –

            Founded in 1978 by disabled veterans, this all year round charitable program is located in San Diego, California, USA. Learn to sail. Lessons start at the beginner level and go to the advanced level. Contributions and donations are gratefully accepted.

Contact –

Challenged America
3590 Camino del Rio North
San Diego, California 92108-1716 USA

Tel:      (619) 594-8805

Email: Ahoy@challengeamerica.org

http://www.challengedamerica.org/

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Disability Snowsport UK –

            Disability Snowsport is a snow skiing and snowboarding school for the disabled. Located in several locations throughout England, this school endeavors to build confidence and self-esteem while teaching the disabled to ski. These schools are open to the physically disabled as well are the learning disabled. Contact the organization to see if they have special ski classes for the blind.

Contact –

Tel:      01479 861272

http://www.disabilitysnowsport.org.uk/

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NCPAD/The National Center on Physical Activity and Disability –

            DO by all means check out this web site. It is packed with tons of great information for all types of disabilities. There is simply way too much here to list, so please go to the web site and explore.

Contact-

The University of Illinois at Chicago
Department of Disability and Human Development
1640 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, Il. 60608-6904

Tel:      1-800-900-8086

Email: ncpad@uic.edu

http://www.ncpad.org/

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Endeavour Safaris –

            This company, located in Africa, is a wonderful find! They offer just about every kind of vacation for people with just about every level of ability. Tours for the physically, visually, disabled as well as the hearing impaired are offered. Also offered are tours for those needing oxygen and for those needing kidney dialysis. There are many tours to choose from so why wait?

Contact –

Endeavour Safaris 
Mike and Sibo Hill
23 Lark crescent
Flamingo Vlei
Tableview 7441
Cape Town
South Africa

Tel:      +27 (21) 556 6114

Email: info@endeavour-safaris.com

http://www.endeavour-safaris.com/

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New England Deaf Camp –

            Ready for some fun? This camp, located in New Hampshire, is ready for you! With 26 years of experience these folks have fun tacked down. They have all the usual camp activities. The counselors are all fluent in American Sign Language. There is an infirmary with a nurse on duty. Get ready to live in a tent and have a great time. They also have a C.I.T. (Counselor in Training) program for those 14-17 years old.

Contact –

New England Deaf Camp
112 Hoit Road
Concord, New Hampshire 03301

Tel:      603-886-3807

Email: nedc25@aol.com

http://www.newenglanddeafcamp.org/

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Worldwide Dive and Sail –

            If you are hearing impaired or deaf and have wanted to live aboard a sailing vessel and learn to scuba dive then this is the vacation for you! They employ several types of deaf communication (BSL, ASL, lip-speaking, gestures and finger spelling) to insure that you understand every instruction. Located in Indonesia, where the diving is unparallel, this is a great vacation for you!

Contact –

Worldwide Dive and Sail
38 Lee Park
SE3 9HZ London
UK

Tel:      0208 099 2230

Email: info@worldwidediveandsail.com

http://www.worldwidediveandsail.com/

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Jean-Pierre’s Cooking School –

            Although they don’t offer a vacation package this company does offer cooking classes at their school as well as videos and internet classes making this a great choice for those who would like to improve their skills, but cannot easily get out to take classes. Currently they have 6 cooking videos that you can watch on line with more to come. If you enjoy the on line videos please let them know. Knowing that people are watching will justify making more videos.

Contact –

Chef Jean-Pierre’s Cooking School
1436 North Federal Highway
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304

Tel:      954-563-2700

http://www.chefjeanpierre.com/

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UN Online Volunteering –

            Can’t get away this year but still want to make a difference? Are you willing to devote more time then the usual vacation will allow? Here are a listing of United Nations Volunteer possibilities online.  At the present there is a listing of 165 online volunteer possibilities for you to choose from and the list changes often. This is a great way for you to help the UN meet its Millennium Development Goals from the comfort of your living room!

Contact –

            Go to the UN Volunteering site (URL below) and click on “Contact” to ask questions and get more information.

http://www.onlinevolunteering.org/

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