Seyfarth, a prominent Washington firm, has a series of three videos, each only a few minutes in length, that illustrate 30 tips to help improve accessibility. Find them, here.
30 Accessible Tips to Celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the ADA
Founder’s Note: How We’re Celebrating the ADA at 30
Getting over the crappy horror of Covid-19, we expect marketers will want to make the world better for all. In the future, our work will have purpose and business motivation baked into its model. The world got a warp-speed technical update during the pandemic—and that will continue in the recovery phase, too. It’s a movement for the future that will generate revenue and build opportunity. You’ll find this issue packed with links to learn more superstars like the author of Being Heumann and star of Crip Camp, plus actionable ideas and content from industry insiders. —Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit
To learn and share more information with colleagues about the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), we are sharing the link to their FAQ.
Reinventing TravelAbility Summit: Humanizing the Virtual Conference Experience
Our 2020 goal: Not the new normal or the next normal, but a case study to find the BEST normal.
(Oakland, CA, June 8, 2020) While some travel industry conferences and events are adapting and embracing virtual attendance, many are scaling back, canceling, or rescheduling to 2021. As the industry’s only disability-focused conference, the TravelAbility Summit team, supporters, and advisory board believe that the destination and disability-focused education, insights, and networking that takes place at this event is essential for the tourism industry and that the conference will go on.
Customizable Attendance Options
With a variety of customizable attendance options via the in-person/virtual attendee hybrid model, the TravelAbility Summit is further reinforcing its slogan, All Means All. The conference’s 2020 location, Orlando, Florida, provides easy access for many considering attending in-person and virtual event options elevate opportunities for European destination marketing organizations and others across the US to participate.
The Best Online Experience
“Over the past two months, our team has spent hours of screen time attending virtual conferences ranging from technology to education to comedy clubs, evaluating new Zoom-like platforms that best capture the experience of live events.” said Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “And, we’ll be applying the best of the best of what we’ve found to our event and openly sharing the results with the industry.”
Turnkey Platforms, Innovative Tech
The online conference will serve as a case study for travel industry meeting planners who don’t have the time to research and evaluate all the of new self-service turnkey platforms and innovative technology that have been released. A few highlights include…
- Collaborating with pros: a former Broadway producer will direct both the live and virtual event; and a stand-up comic will serve as emcee, and a behavioral psychologist will help design in-person spaces where physical distancing protocols will feel less unnatural.
- Virtual tools: virtual whiteboards, virtual business cards, QR codes, games, holograms
- Shorter presentations/better takeaways.. 73 total presenters limited to 7 to 10 minutes + Q&A
- Random One-on-one speed dating: 3-minute sessions
- Testing flexible registration options–including a la carte options by the hour
- New insights about sponsorships, value proposition, and ROI
- New tools that make virtual conferences accessible and may help avoid litigation
- Several virtual reception ‘breakout rooms’ that emphasize human connection…
- Who let the dogs in? introduce your favorite pet
- My Covid crib: home tours
- Did you hear the one about? humorous stories/jokes
- The hot tub: attendees appear in bathing suit attire
Broader Reach
According to the Convention Industry Council (CIC*) $115 Bn of the $263 bn in direct spending of meeting in the U.S. is travel and tourism-related. Leading trade associations believe that virtual trade events will have a permanent role as a complement to broaden the reach for those who cannot attend in person.
Case Study: What Works, What Doesn’t
“We’re willing to do our small part to help the meetings industry, which has been decimated by the pandemic, understand what works and what doesn’t,” said Steinman. “While we understand that some of our ideas may fall flat, we’re willing to openly share our experience afterward to help the industry rise again, as planners may not have the time to do the due diligence or the appetite for risk.”
*(CIC summary here).
For more information go to TravelAbility Summit 2020, Find up to date news on TravelAbility Insider
Contact: Jake Steinman jake@travelabilitysummit.com
New Cleanliness Sessions Added to TravelAbility Summit 2020
COVID-19 is a fast-changing story. Two topics we believe will remain top of mind for a long while are guest experience and social distancing. The TravelAbility Summit 2020 team just added new sessions that address these topics. Find the full agenda for the Summit, here.
Who Is Wheelchair Jimmy and Why Should We Care?
If you don’t already know ‘Wheelchair Jimmy’, you’re missing out on a treasure trove of information. This month, TravelAbilityInsider.com got a chance to catch up with the man behind the site, Jim Parsons, to talk about his accessibility reviews. There are more than 4,000 reviews in the site of accessible hotels, attractions, destinations—and just about any damn thing he feels like reviewing. He’s developed a credible rating system with the help of other disabled travelers to let folks know where to go and what to avoid. Since he retired, he’s been sharing his wheelchair travel insights through his website/online guide WheelchairJimmy.com.
Q: When and what prompted you to create Wheelchair Jimmy?
A: At the age of 20, I became paralyzed in an accident and began using a wheelchair for mobility. After the accident, I finished up my MBA at Indiana University and began a career in banking that required extensive travel. Well before the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), I had to learn to navigate hotels, restaurants, airlines, from my wheelchair.
Q: How many destinations and reviews do you have on the site?
A: Five continents and 40+ countries in 50 years.
Q: What is the purpose of your website and how many followers have signed up?
A: My travels over the past 50 years have taken me to so many places around the world—some great, some horrible. There are always challenges involved when traveling in a wheelchair. When I retired, I decided to create the site, WheelchairJimmy.com. I wanted to put together a site to review and rate hotels, restaurants, attractions, and transportation. My purpose is to let people know what’s accessible and, more importantly, what to avoid. With that in mind, I created the Wheelchair Jimmy Accessibility Rating (WJAR) system.
Q: How does the WJAR Rating System work?
A: Indiana University has an accessibility program, so I asked one of the professors there to work with me to create the WJAR system. As we were building it out, hospitality Professor Cynthia Mehia at the University of Central Florida Hospitality (UCFH) program helped us create a database for the students. As they visited various properties, they collected accessibility information along with videos and photos. I then went in and analyzed the data and decided on a WJAR score for each venue. With the UCFH program, we’ve now covered all of Orlando and much more. I’ve also received calls from other hospitality programs wanting to get involved, so we’re working on bringing them on as well. They’re learning that it’s not just about ADA compliance it’s also about customer service and training. Some of the students rented wheelchairs to do their reviews. Through these programs, we’ve added over 200 entries to the database including hotels, restaurants, casinos, transportation, and attractions.
Q: What recommendations do you have for wheelchair users?
A: Never book anything online or even with the call centers for a hotel chain. When you reserve with a call center, they take down the booking information and then send the instructions to the specific property. However, sometimes the pertinent details aren’t properly relayed, so you end up arriving at your hotel and discover they didn’t reserve you an accessible room. I always reserve with the front desk of the specific property I’m going to stay at. I also have a list of 20 questions I ask them about accessibility.
Q: How many listings do you have on the site now?
A: Currently, we have over 4,000 listings of hotels, restaurants, attractions, transportation companies, cruise lines and destinations. Our YouTube channel has 400 video reviews. A total of 70 were done by hospitality program students from UN Las Vegas, and Rosen School of Hospitality at the University of Central Florida.
Q: When people with a disability will be feel comfortable traveling again?
A: I’m carefully watching Las Vegas resorts and cruise lines. They operate as self- contained cities that have been catering, in varying degrees, to travelers with a disability. Las Vegas is opening in June. Carnival Cruise lines are taking reservations for August departures. From what I’ve seen, if the standards and practices they have been communicating work to create both a high safety level and a positive guest experience, they will be able to attract some people. That said, I don’t think the disability community will be traveling again until there’s a vaccine or pharmaceutical treatment that’s safe and widely available.
Q: Have you traveled since sheltering lockdowns were in place?
A: We drove from Phoenix (where I spent the winter) back home to Washington State and spent two nights in hotels. I could see how sensitive they were to touchpoints, physical distancing, and food and beverage. Room service arrived in bags left outside our hotel room door.
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