Debbie Austin

The Park City Chamber/Bureau, National Ability Center, Kimball Art Center and Arts Council of Park City & Summit County were awarded a combined $457,410 in marketing grants from the Utah Office of Tourism. The state program is designed to help organizations attract visitors and bolster a community’s tourism economy through events such as the Kimball Arts Festival that was held in Park City earlier this month.

The National Ability Center also was awarded $105,410 in cooperative marketing grants. The organization’s grant application highlighted the importance of providing accessible, barrier-free tourism for a large consumer market that has remained relatively untapped.

The grant money will help promote adaptive recreation programs and future events. It will also fund a podcast that will feature adaptive athletes and participants and expand its ambassador program, a small team of people who identify as having a disability, dedicated to promoting accessible recreation in the state. Read more.

Rupa Valdez recently sat down with Sandy Hausman of Radio IQ to discuss accessible travel and how her non-profit group Blue Trunk works to help create a more inclusive travel industry.

Valdez is a professor of public health and engineering at the University of Virginia (UVA) and the founder of the non-profit group Blue Trunk. Blue Trunk’s goal is to provide information for disabled people who want to travel. It also advises small businesses in the States on how to be more accessible. The great news: spending a lot isn’t needed to accommodate all customers. Good communications could be the difference between welcoming disabled customers and turning them away.

Blue Trunk also offers information regarding good options for disabled travelers online, including ways to travel virtually for those unable to easily leave home. Read more.

Visit Baltimore, the city’s destination sales and marketing organization, has unveiled a new accessibility resource for the local hospitality industry, restaurants, museums and other attractions as part of its Warm Welcome inclusivity program, with guides on disability identity, etiquette, needs and preferences.

The Warm Welcome program was created to promote the destination’s inclusivity, regardless of gender identity, race, nationality, ethnicity and disability. Local businesses, hotels and attractions are encouraged to take the pledge to commit to training staff on bias, accessibility, race and more, and are provided with a toolkit of resources for training.

The training is presented by Visit Baltimore and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) and Accessibility expert, Melanie Hood-Wilson, owner of Melanie Hood-Wilson and Associates and Director of Special Populations at the Community College of Baltimore County.

Once the organization finishes training with its entire staff, they’ll be provided with a Warm Welcome kit, including a window cling to show that they’ve completed the training.

A Warm Welcome training module on the LGBTQ+ community will be released later this year.

For more information visit the link below. Read more.

There is no doubt the U.S. is one of the best countries to travel to. After all, there are 50 states available for exploration, each with its own style, culture and attractions. But not all states or even cities are created equal, especially in terms of providing facilities for those with disabilities. Accessible Travel Press has gathered a top 10 list highlighting some of these accessible cities, their venues and attractions. Beautiful places to visit, and all very accessible! Read more.

Majorca has launched a plan to implement public policies that increase the accessibility of tourism for people with disabilities and additional needs. The plan’s main objective is, as explained by the president of the Consell de Majorca, “to apply social justice, because everyone has to be able to visit Majorca, whatever their needs”.

Among the actions to be implemented is the improvement of information about the destination through the launch of a new tourism website. The website will detail all information about accessibility on the island. Additionally, work will be done to promote the destination among its main source markets, with specific campaigns focused on the disability sector.

Majorca will carry out training days in accessibility for the tourism sector throughout 2022. Read more.