SPECIAL NEEDS AT SEA HELPS TRAVELERS NAVIGATE SMOOTHLY ABOARD SHIP AND ON SHORE EXCURSIONS FOR AN EFFORTLESS CRUISE EXPERIENCE—AND HELPS YOU TAP INTO THE $13.6 BILLION DISABILITY TRAVEL MARKET

FORT LAUDERDALE, FL (November 19, 2009)– Special Needs at Sea can help you capture your share of bookings within the $13.6 billion disability travel market while helping your clients take charge of their physical limitations. 

Whether your clients have serious mobility challenges, require supplemental oxygen, are hearing impaired or are simply concerned about walking long distances, Special Needs at Sea (www.specialneedsatsea.com), a Special Needs Group company, provides the equipment and services your clients need to make their cruise vacation smooth sailing from the moment of departure to the final disembarkation. Special Needs at Sea delivers motorized scooters, power chairs, oxygen equipment–including battery-powered concentrators– patient lifts and other mobility aides directly to your client’s stateroom at ports around the world. Now, there’s no reason for clients to delay cruise vacation plans or postpone a family reunion at sea because a family member, young or old, has special needs.

“Our goal is to make it possible for everyone who wants to travel to have the freedom to do so,” says Andrew Garnett, founder and CEO. ‘We even provide relief materials for companion dogs and hospital beds and cribs for cruise ship staterooms.”

Recently, Special Needs at Sea assisted the world’s largest gathering of deaf and hard of hearing cruisers by distributing 1,700 hearing impaired room kits onboard Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Deaf Freedom Cruise. The company is a member of the Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH), an organization dedicated to raising awareness of the needs of all travelers with disabilities and works closely with travel agents who specialize in accessibility travel. The company pays a commission on every piece of equipment rented.

An estimated 40 million Americans—about 1 in 7—have some form of disability. In the future, inactivity, obesity and diabetes will push these numbers higher, especially among the young and middle-aged, according to a report by American Institute of Medicine. This, in tandem with an aging population in the U.S., represents a large potential client pool.

Mr. Garnett points out that even with a large population of individuals with disabilities in the U.S., the majority of the rentals at Special Needs at Sea are to cruise travelers who may not use scooters or wheelchairs at home, but are concerned about walking long distances on shore excursions or walking from bow to stern on the larger new cruise vessels.

“Today, cruise travel is very accommodating for persons with disabilities and those with physical limitations,” says Mr. Garnett. “Most cruise ships provide special staterooms for passengers with disabilities along with wider hallways for wheelchair and scooter access, Braille markers and menus and lifts. Our products and services ensure smooth sailing throughout the voyage. We are dedicated to helping travelers with all types of disabilities or limitations fulfill their vacation dreams.”

For more details about Special Needs at Sea, a Special Needs Group Inc. company, to request a brochure or to register as a preferred agent, call Special Needs at Sea toll free 1.800.513.4515, email cnewton@specialneedsgroup.com or log onto www.specialneedsatsea.com.

ABOUT SPECIAL NEEDS AT SEA

Special Needs at Sea, a Special Needs Group Inc. company, is a global one-stop source for special needs travel around the world offering a broad range of special needs equipment for purchase and rental including wheelchairs, scooters and power chairs with capabilities to support 500 pounds or more; oxygen (liquid, cylinder, and concentrator); hearing impaired equipment, Braille printing, and more. Recommended by the world’s major cruise lines for superior service and value, we also provide consultation services for cruise lines regarding policy and new-build design. Special Needs at Sea, a U.S. company, is not a travel agency, nor do we compete in any way with travel agents.