We have received your email of 14 January 1999 asking about handicapped
accessibility during pilgrimage, and we provide the following reply, the delay
of which, owing to the pressure of work at the Bahá'í World Centre, is regretted.
Every effort is made to accommodate pilgrims confined to wheelchairs, and
consultation with the pilgrim guides during registration will assist in this
regard. Provisions are made, for example, whereby pilgrims are able to enter
the Holy Shrines in a wheelchair. There will be instances, however, when they
may be unable to participate in some activities, such as the full tour of the
completed terraces. There are also several Holy Places that you will be unable
to see, because the stairs are narrow and steep and we can no longer, even with
assistance, take people in wheelchairs over them. This includes the Mansion of
Bahji, the House of `Abbud and the House of `Abdu'llah Pasha in
Akka, and Bahá'u'lláh's room upstairs in the Mansion of Mazra'ih.
We do not have information regarding transportation, such as from the
airport to Haifa, or to and from hotels. This information should be obtainable
through a travel agent, or through the hotel where a pilgrim is staying. If
you contact directly the hotels listed in the enclosed leaflet, "Information on
Hotels and Transportation for Bahá'í Pilgrims," they should be able to provide
you with the most current information.
We hope this information has been of help. We look forward to receiving
your pilgrimage application, and to welcoming you to the Bahá'í World Centre
in due time.
With loving Bahá'í greetings,
Office of Pilgrimage