Debbie Austin

The Lansing, MI region is now virtually accessible, thanks to a new program that specializes in 3D walk-in tours of public spaces. It all began when Julie Pingston, the President & CEO of the Greater Lansing CVB, had the opportunity to host a 100% sensory friendly performance of Disney’s The Lion King at their local performing arts center.  “I decided that it would be ideal to have all of our attractions offer sensory friendly programming to encourage those attending the performance to stay longer or return to our community to explore further.” Around the same time she met Meegan Winters, the founder of Able Eyes, who had created virtual tours for a number of Lansing businesses through the Able Eyes-3D virtual tours platform.  She found that the attractions fully supported efforts to make families on the autism spectrum feel welcome in Lansing.  All she needed to scale the program was the funding.

Enter Pure Michigan, the state’s official tourism promotion organization, which initiated a new co-op program providing matching grants to underwrite the cost of expanding the virtual tours throughout Michigan. 

We recently caught up with Julie for a quick Q&A about how the program unfolded as well as the costs associated with the program.

TravelAbility: Who initiated the program with Lansing?

Julie Pingston: The program was initiated by Able Eyes and the State of Michigan, as a way to create Able Eyes Certified destinations throughout the State of Michigan so travelers could find the same resource as they travelled statewide.

TravelAbility: What were the criteria for Lansing to become “certified”?

Julie Pingston: To be an Able Eyes Certified Destination, the destination needs to create virtual tours with five hotels, five restaurants and five attractions as a resource for travelers of all needs.  There is also an option for adding on additional sites which we were able to utilize as we were already designated as the first Able Eyes Certified Destination.  The state co-op program allowed us to include additional locations that are public entities such as our State Capitol Building, our all accessible playground as well as local parks.

TravelAbility: What about the training you did? Was it done individually or in group format by location?

Julie Pingston: We did training for our hospitality teams throughout the community to best serve those travelling here on the autism spectrum.  To date, over 1,000 people have been trained and the training is ongoing.

TravelAbility: Is the requirement for certification five hotels, five restaurants and five attractions about autism spectrum disorder alone,  or does it include mobility, deafness and blind and low vision as well?

Julie Pingston: The virtual tours really provide an opportunity for anyone of any need to discover more about our destination’s hotels, restaurants and attractions to be able to  plan accordingly before they arrive with any need including mobility, low vision PTSD, anxiety, autism.

TravelAbility: What are the costs for the destination?

Julie Pingston: Able Eyes offers a variety of packages and the state will pay half of the fee associated with becoming a Certified Destination. The full cost of for certification for all 15 locations was $20,000 with the state underwriting $10,000, which brought our cost down to an affordable $10,000. 

TravelAbility: What are your future plans?

Julie Pingston: Our next steps are to continue our autism training for our frontline team members throughout the destination.  We will transition our trainings in 2023 to ensure we are able to provide a welcoming environment to those with all abilities that visit our destination.

Air travel can present challenges for people with mobility issues. Hurdles at every step of the process, from getting into and around the airport to onboarding and disembarking, can pose unfair difficulty for travelers with disabilities. But there are some airlines around the world that take accessibility seriously and back it up with procedures designed to alleviate barriers to a smooth experience. Read more.

In the Fall issue of Accessible Journeys, sage advice on managing expectations when traveling with an invisible disability is offered. The world of disability is expanding as further delineations are made within its broader definitions. And the great news is that this is also a time when ability and accessibility are expanding too. More people are making more things possible. More people are sharing their discoveries of what is possible. Accessible Journeys is committed to featuring those people plus the places and products they create or recommend. Click here to read the issue.

In Part 2 of this series, Travel Weekly examines how destinations, cruises and tours confront their limitations while trying to accommodate all travelers as well as what advisors must recognize in order to serve this growing market.

“Over a billion people — 15% of the world’s population — live with some sort of disability,” said Matt Berna, president of Intrepid Travel North America. “Ensuring equal access to travel is simply the right thing to do. We know that travelers with disabilities are increasingly looking beyond specialized disability tour operators and want to travel in an authentic, exploratory way with their family, friends and other like-minded people. That’s why we like to use the term ‘inclusive travel.’” Read more.

For Julie and her family, travel began after winning a trip to Disneyland. Since then, they have returned to Disneyland in sunny California several times. This year they were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World in Florida. Both parks are infused with Disney magic, but it can be difficult to decide which park to choose if you are a first-time visitor. Read along as Julie shares her observations in the hope it helps others decide which Disney Park is right for them. Read more.