Senior Vice President Of Operations & Community Engagement
Experience Kissimmee
“In 2022, we formally unveiled accessibility as part of our guiding principles—topics too important to limit to traditional metrics and checkboxes.”
Note: This interview is part of an ongoing series featuring interviews with 24 Champions of Accessibility for 2024 selected and celebrated by TravelAbility.
Q: When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?
While we had made limited efforts in accessibility several years ago, we began in earnest as part of our strategic planning process in the nine months leading up to October 2022. That’s when we formally unveiled accessibility as part of our guiding principles—topics too important to limit to traditional metrics and checkboxes. Instead they deserved attention across our efforts and throughout the organization. The impetus was determining what we wanted for the destination emerging from the pandemic; how we can make travel and tourism a force for good and more welcoming to all? It has since also become a marketing focus to help sustain demand for travel as we exit the “revenge travel” period.
Q: What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?
A: I oversee IT, research, strategic planning, privacy compliance, accreditation, and community engagement. Accessibility and sustainability are core components in our strategic plan, so I spend a good bit of time in those areas.
Q: Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination?
A: Overcoming the historical belief that accessibility is just ADA compliance, when in fact it is at the core of hospitality itself.
Q: What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?
Joining TravelAbility’s Destination A11y Club has been a highlight because I get to learn from other destination leaders who have accomplished a great deal. Our team is continuously revising our organizational roadmap to accessible travel. We like to call it a journey without a destination, because while we want the destination to be accessible for everyone, we know there will always be more we could do. Part of the roadmap included signing on with Wheel the World and cataloging accessibility information from our industry partners. The roadmaps allow us to make it an ongoing part of the conversation in the destination so accessibility is always a consideration in marketing and development efforts.
Q: Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.
A: Jake Steinman and the TravelAbility crew.
Q: What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?
A: Continue to leverage roadmap successes and wins to make the destination evermore accessible. For Experience Kissimmee, 2024 will see greater integration of accessible travel information throughout the website, more accessible influencers and content creators, and greater industry interest in catering to everyone who travels, regardless of their abilities.
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