58 GoodLifeFamilyMag.com MAY | JUNE 2018 It was Miriam’s mother Emma, who lived with multiple sclerosis, who inspired her to research where and how to, rather than not to, travel and experience the world. W ith her first-class enthusiasm, Miriam Eljas Goldman found her way to providing full-service accessible trav- el in 2017 after launching accessibleGO.com. The web- site is the only accessible travel platform providing search, reviews and bookings of hotels, cruises and transport. It was Miriam’s mother Emma, who lived with multiple sclerosis, who inspired her to research where and how to, rather than not to, travel and experience the world. “The United States is a big place, and we’ve found ‘the’ places to be,” said Miriam. The Travel Ideas section of her site provides for 20 cities including Austin, Dallas and Houston. In Dallas, highlights for accessibility include the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, the Dallas Museum of Art and the Perot Museum of Nature and Sci- ence. Top hotels recommend- ed are the Crowne Plaza Dallas Downtown, the Element Dallas Fort Worth Airport North and the Embassy Suites by Hilton Dal- las Park Cen- tral. Hotel listings provide infor- mation about service animals, step-free entranc- es, door widths, restroom accessibility and accessible business center and registration areas. Beyond mobility issues, the site makes recommendations for those with hearing, sight and other disabilities with ratings, reviews and booking capabilities included. Resources for caregiver agencies, sign language services, travel companions, equipment rentals, tour companies, attractions, recommended itin- eraries and more are also provided. “We’ve researched, and we connect the dots, but it’s the reviews and comments by travelers themselves who help make the site. Unfortu- nately, what is advertised isn’t always what is,” said Miriam, who re- calls a visit to a San Jose movie theatre where management consid- ered a piece of plywood laid over stairs – not likely to support any wheelchair or its user – enough to register as “accessible.” AccessibleGO.com’s Traveler’s Club, at no charge, provides dis- counts to its users, and its 15 bloggers provide insight to issues re- garding travel and other concerns for those with disabilities and those who might be traveling with them. “There’s no reason anyone shouldn’t be able to enjoy almost any- where,” said Miriam. “There are theatres and restaurants to be en- joyed, beautiful places to stay and adventures to be had by all tourists - they just have to be found.” TRAVEL For One and For All AccessibleGO.com Shares the Where To, How To and More By Deb Silverthorn EMBRACE! m'brās/ verb Embrace! was created to provide information and human interest articles to help families with differently-abled children. Whether your child has ADHD, Autism, Down syndrome or any other special need that qualifies him or her for programs in public schools, we will be researching and covering important, educational and inspiring content that addresses a wide variety of issues.