Accessibility in Providence
Need some help getting around The Creative Capital? There are many services and programs to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to discover Providence.
For a list of restaurants, museums, cinemas and cultural sites in Rhode Island that have been surveyed according to the guidelines for identifying accessibility outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 click here to visit Accessible RI.
Transportation
The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority (RIPTA) operates a fleet of fully accessible buses. Their buses and trolleys are equipped with the capability to kneel or lower to make boarding easier. Each bus has two spaces at the front for passengers in wheelchairs, which include safety belts for extra protection. To find out more about RIPTA's accessibility, click here.
Wheelchair Getaways is a national franchise that services Rhode Island with wheelchair accessible rental vans. These vans are available to rent for tours around Rhode Island.
If you are looking to take a taxi, check out Rhode Island's wheelchair accessible taxi services at Accessible RI.
Outdoor Recreation
There are many parks to choose from in Rhode Island, and many of them have access for people with physical disabilities. Check out the Rhode Island Parks website for information on wheelchair accessibility.
Attractions and Events
Rhode Island has an abundance of attractions and events that are friendly to developmentally and physically disabled individuals. The Rhode Island Developmental Disabilities Council has a part of their website designated to help people with disabilities. Click here to find out about events and recreational areas that are accessible to all.
Accommodations
VisitRhodeIsland.com has a list of wheelchair accessible hotels and bed and breakfasts throughout Rhode Island. Rhode Island boasts 80 different hotels that are wheelchair accessible, 10 of which are in the Providence area, and 16 of which are in the Warwick area. No matter if you're in Warwick or Providence, there will be somewhere for you to stay.
The Deaf & Hard of Hearing Community
Partners Interpreting provides sign language interpreters and captioning services for groups looking for assistance with communicating with the deaf and hard of hearing. Click here for tips on how to work with sign language interpreters. Another option is video remote interpreting, VRI, which is a multilingual interpretation service provided through video conferencing. More details on VRI are available here.
The Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau has added closed-captioning to many of the videos on our popular YouTube channel. To access these videos, and their captions, click here. At the bottom of every video there is a button like the one below. Click to enable captions.
Website Accessibility — AudioEye
The PWCVB's partnership with AudioEye includes both the AudioEye Ally Toolbar, which immediately improves website accessibility, and a managed service to mitigate compliance risk by making sure GoProvidence.com achieves and maintains substantial conformance with ADA-related guidelines and best practices.
Website Translation
GoProvidence.com features a translation tool at the top of pages throughout the site, offering dozens of different language options. Please note that due to the complexity of language translation, accuracy is not guaranteed.