TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Jake Steinman

New at the TravelAbility Summit: The Grant Lab

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TravelAbility Tampa 2026 event graphic, "The Power of Accessible Travel," 8th Annual TravelAbility Summit, November 9–11, 2026, Hilton Tampa Downtown, over an aerial photo of the Tampa skyline at sunset with the Hillsborough River and bridges in the foreground.

Finding funding for accessibility work can be one of the biggest hurdles to turning a good idea into a real project. That’s why we’re bringing The Grant Lab to the 2026 TravelAbility Summit in Tampa.

As we’ve been building this year’s program, we’ve been looking for ways to give attendees practical tools, new connections, and ideas they can actually put to work.

The Grant Lab is designed to do exactly that.

This full-day breakout session will bring together grant funders, experienced grant writers, economic development officials, AI experts, and past grant recipients to help attendees navigate the funding process, from finding the right opportunities to writing stronger applications and managing funds once they’re awarded.

“Between 10-25% of grant funding is left unclaimed every single year simply because destinations don’t know where to look or how to apply. The Grant Lab gives destination leaders a real, actionable roadmap — from finding the right grants to writing winning applications to managing funds once they’re awarded.”

Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility.

A Full Day of Expert-Led Learning

The Grant Lab’s “Grant Seeking 101” curriculum brings together nationally recognized funders, writers, economic development officials, and past grant recipients for a day of practical, hands-on learning, including:

  • Meet the Grant Whisperer: Bevon Joseph, Founder and CEO of Grantlogic AI, opens the day with insights from 12 years as a grant funder and applicant, exploring how AI-driven platforms are transforming grant discovery and matching DMOs with the right funding, writers, and consultants.
  • Meet the Grant-Writing Maven: Fundamentals for Tourism & Higher Education: National grant consultant Cheryl Dettrick, who has secured funding for UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management and major tourism initiatives, shares proven strategies for crafting winning proposals.
  • Meet the Grant Winners: A panel of past grant winners walks attendees through the full journey of securing, managing, and maximizing funding for accessible tourism projects.
  • Meet the Grant Gate Keepers: A Fireside Chat with Local Economic Development Leaders: Regional officials discuss the viability of accessibility grants for local destinations and the untapped funding opportunities many communities are missing.
  • AI in Action: A look at how artificial intelligence tools are streamlining grant search, administration, and reporting.
  • Rotating Roundtables with Experts: Intimate, small-group sessions give attendees direct access to grant experts and experienced recipients before lunch.

Who Should Attend?

The Grant Lab is designed for destination marketing organizations, convention and visitors bureaus, economic development officials, tourism businesses, and any organization seeking to fund accessibility assessments, accessibility upgrades, or inclusive marketing initiatives.

Whether you’re just beginning to explore accessibility as a competitive edge or looking to take an existing strategy further, the goal is the same: help you find the funding and know-how to move your ideas forward.

Why Funding Accessibility Matters

Accessibility is not a niche concern. It is a rapidly growing economic imperative.

By 2030, 284 million Americans will be impacted by a disability. Destinations that invest in accessibility open their doors to a broader, more loyal visitor base while strengthening their communities for residents with disabilities and aging populations alike.

The Grant Lab equips attendees with the tools to turn that opportunity into funded, actionable projects, ensuring destinations of every size — from major metros to small regional communities — can compete for available funding.

And The Grant Lab is just one part of what we’re bringing to the 2026 TravelAbility Summit, November 9–11 at the Hilton Tampa Downtown.

We’ll be bringing together destination leaders, travel companies, accessibility professionals, creators, and advocates for three days of connection, fresh ideas, and practical strategies for making travel more accessible.

Ready to join us in Tampa?

Register for the 2026 TravelAbility Summit

How a Safari Clarified the TravelAbility Vision

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By Jake Steinman

Jake Steinman and his safari group smiling for a selfie at sunset, with a golden sky and dry savanna landscape behind them.

Stepping into the African savannah for a recent safari to celebrate my birthday, I expected breathtaking landscapes and incredible wildlife. What I didn’t anticipate was returning with profound clarity regarding our mission and the future of accessible travel.

Observing the natural world offers powerful lessons in survival, growth, and connection. Here are the core insights from the wild that are directly shaping our path forward.

The Power of the Pack

During the trip, I observed over 20 different species in their natural habitats. Despite their vast differences, one common thread was this: they all operated within clustered, tight-knit groups. Whether it was a herd banding together to protect their vulnerable young from predators, or a Pride operating as a synchronized team in pursuit of prey, community was their ultimate mechanism for success.

In the wild, isolation is a vulnerability. Progress relies entirely on the strength, coordination and collaboration of the collective.

Cultivating an Accessibility Ecosystem

A Cape buffalo standing partially hidden in dense green bushes, its large curved horns visible above a dirt clearing.

This natural dynamic perfectly reflects the fundamental purpose of TravelAbility. We are actively building and expanding a robust accessibility ecosystem around destination organizations.

The epiphany that I had was that our purpose is to build a community of DMO “A11Ys”—accessibility advocates and leaders who are committed to scaling accessible travel. 

Just as a herd works together to navigate survival, our network functions to overcome industry barriers and advance accessibility with a ripple effect of A11Ys that begins with the destination and scales through hotels, attractions, restaurants and tour companies. 

My definition of an “A11Y” has broadened. It now includes anyone who attends an accessibility breakout session at a conference, responds to a survey, signs up for a webinar, or—most effectively—adds an accessibility page to their website. In other words, an A11Y is anyone who has shown an interest in learning more.

TravelAbility Tampa: Our Watering Hole

TravelAbility Tampa 2026 Summit graphic featuring friends, one a wheelchair user, gathered around a waterfront table, with event dates November 9 to 11 in Tampa, Florida.

Every functioning ecosystem requires a central gathering place—a “watering hole” where different groups converge to share resources, expand networks and learn from not only experts but also from each other.

For our community, the upcoming TravelAbility Summit Tampa is that essential watering hole—a place where like-minded A11Ys gather to connect, learn, and plan. There, we can provide the tools, education, and network they need to expand accessibility across their industry partners’ networks.

Reducing Friction: Integrating Accessibility into Existing Workflow

In the wild, survival strategies aren’t optional—they are seamlessly woven into the pack’s daily rhythm. Animals don’t overthink collaboration; it’s instinctive.

A herd of zebras grazing on dry grassland at sunset, with a tree line and pastel sky in the background.

Similarly, to truly advance accessibility, Travelability must eliminate friction by integrating accessible practices into existing departmental workflows. We’ve been exploring how accessibility fits not only into marketing and PR, but also as a competitive edge for convention sales and destination development. By simply highlighting accessible features in existing attractions and museums, destinations can tap into new markets without needing new construction. When an ally integrates accessibility into someone’s current workflow, securing leadership buy-in becomes much easier.

Two lions resting on the grass at night, illuminated by a spotlight or vehicle light.

Overcoming FOMU

While our Summit brings us together like a watering hole, the real work happens when the herd disperses and continues the journey. That’s where Travelability Tampa attendees come in.

One of the biggest barriers to progress is what accessibility advocate Brittany DeJean calls FOMU: Fear of Messing Up. People often hesitate to act out of fear of making a mistake or offending someone, making inaction feel like the safer choice. However, doing nothing doesn’t just stall progress—it steals the opportunity to learn.

The Travelability Summit creates an ongoing, reverberating community. Attendees become allies who, in turn, recruit others across hotels, attractions, and suppliers. Because every destination operates on different budgets and capacities, this network helps members scale their efforts in practical, sustainable ways. 

Click here to learn more about Travelability Tampa.

As we look toward 2030—when over 30 million baby boomers will live with a disability, impacting tens of millions of family members—one thing is clear: lasting progress in accessible travel is not just possible, it is inevitable.

7 Unintended Consequences of Being an Accessible Destination

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It’s been over three years since we started TravelAbility, and in that time, I’ve learned a great deal from the DMO’s that have embraced accessibility to become more inclusive and welcoming to everyone. It inspired our tagline: “All Means All” and resulted in many unintended consequences that surprised destination leaders.

Here’s a summary of what we found:  https://destinationsinternational.org/unintended-consequences-becoming-accessible-destination

John Morris Creates Wheelchair Travel Group Tour Programs for 2022 and 2023 Departures

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John Morris sitting in his wheelchair in front of a bay and city skyline.

John Morris, founder of the accessible travel website WheelchairTravel.org, will welcome his readers to Portugal later this year, with a disability-friendly group trip. Disabled people from around the world will join Morris, exploring Lisbon, Batalha and other cities in Portugal for an accessible journey to remember.

“When selecting destinations for an accessible group tour, I look for places that have the infrastructure to support accessible travel, and that have demonstrated a commitment to greater inclusivity,” said Morris. “My local partners and the Portuguese tourism authority (Visit Portugal) have worked with me to ensure that my readers will receive a warm welcome to one of Europe’s premier travel destinations,” he said.

Accessible travel demand is increasing as we emerge from coronavirus lockdown, and Morris sees a strong future for his group tour business. Later this year, he’ll be announcing additional tours that will take place in 2022 and 2023. “My promise to the disability community is to ‘Open Your World,’ and through these group tours, I’m able to play a more direct role in connecting disabled people to the world, and the world to disabled people.”

To learn more about the accessible group tours led by John Morris, see his website, Wheelchair Travel.

Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota Fights for More Accessible Bathrooms

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Linda Hood wearing the Miss Wheelchair Minnesota crown.

Linda Hood, a clinical scientist who has worked at the Olympics since 1984, contracted a rare autoimmune disease — Guillain-Barré syndrome – in 2018, and now uses a wheelchair. Earlier this year, Hood was crowned Ms. Wheelchair Minnesota, and is using her position to advocate for increased accessibility in public bathrooms.

Many wheelchair users, Linda included, require an adult-sized changing table in order to use the bathroom. Few businesses offer such an accommodation, and Linda’s husband Richard Smith strongly supports her advocacy. He said, “I have literally changed Linda on hospital floors, bathroom floors, many airport floors, bathroom floors and many other places, many times and it’s not comfortable,” Smith said.

Hood told CBS that “I just hope that some of the powers that be will hear me and say, ‘I wanna help, I wanna show her when she comes to US Bank Stadium to cheer on the Vikings that look, there’s a bathroom for her.’ And not just for me but for everyone in this situation.”

John Morris, founder of WheelchairTravel.org, has been tracking the installation of adult changing tables in U.S. airports. As of March 2022, only 12 airports offered the accessibility feature, so there is still a great deal of opportunity for airports and businesses to make their bathrooms accessible.

To read more about Linda’s mission, see the news report from CBS Minnesota.

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