Federal regulations require newer hotels and motels to offer handicapped accessibility. Unfortunately, one person's idea of accessibility is someone else's "one ramp in the parking lot" and an elevator. We're in the middle of the summer travel season. If you plan to be on the move with someone who needs an accessible room, here are the questions you need to ask so you won't end up in an unfriendly hotel or motel room:

•  Is the bathroom door wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through?
  
•  Is there a low/no threshold stall shower?
  
•  Does the shower have a shower seat? If not, are shower stools, seats or chairs 
   available?
  
•  Are there grab bars in the shower?
  
•  Are there grab bars by the commode?
  
•  Is there space under the sink for a wheelchair-users knees?
  
•  Are light switches low enough to be reached from a wheelchair?
  
•  Are plugs in the bathroom reachable from a wheelchair?
  
•  Do the faucets have lever handles?
  
•  Do the doors have lever handles?
  
•  Are there steps up or down to the restaurant or any other public meeting rooms you
   may have to use?

If the reservation clerk you are speaking with doesn't know the answers to your questions, ask to speak to the housekeeping manager. No one knows all the rooms better than the person in charge of cleaning them on a daily basis.