I am in the very early stages of planning a trip to WDW--my question: are all of the transportation options (i.e., bus, boat, monorail) accessible? This will be a determining factor in which hotel to stay at. Thanks!

For all intents and considerations, all WDW transportation is accessible.

Since the latest modifications, the monorails can all fit six wheelchairs and/or ECVs per train. The ramps at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) and at Magic Kingdom (MK) were built prior to ADA and do not meet standards for steepness/grade. All the resorts have elevators to get to the platform. Epcot's ramps also are steep, but at least on the boarding side there is an elevator.

The oldest buses have wheelchair/ECV lifts. These are in the minority. The new buses have ramps, and the newest not only have ramps but they kneel, so the angle is not too steep. The capacity of buses is two wheelchairs and/or ECVs per bus.

The ferrys between TTC and MK are fully accessible.

The Friendships, which are in Epcot, and go between Epcot/Boardwalk/Yacht and Beach Clubs/Swan and Dolphin/Disney's Hollywood Studios are all full accessible.

Many of the other boats are also accessible. Some of the smaller yachts cannot properly load/unload an ECV during certain water levels.

Also, you might want to get a book called Open Mouse by Deb Wills and Deb Koma and published by Passporter. It only came out about six months ago and is an excellent reference for WDW or DCL with disablities (I was one of the peer reviewers). It can be purchased from Amazon or www.passporter.com

One of the only exceptions (in fact, the only exception I can think of are the small watercraft that go between the Contemporary, WL and FW, and the Polynesian, GF and MK. That being said, I have heard that if necessary they will swap out a larger boat (with a lot of notice I would assume).

Chris