TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

John Morris

New season of Autism Friendly Performances on Broadway Announced

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Silhouette of actors against red curtains in theatre.

TDF, the not-for-profit service organization for the performing arts, presented the first in-person autism friendly performance of a Broadway show in almost 2 years with COME FROM AWAY on Sunday, January 30, 2022 at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre. Autism friendly performances provide access for families with children and adults on the autism spectrum and other developmental disabilities. The last autism friendly performance prior to the pandemic was on March 1, 2020 at HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD.

A full list of upcoming autism friendly Broadway performances is available in Jake Steinman’s recent LinkedIn article.

Don’t Drive with the Top Down in Bearizona

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Two people standing next to a large statue of a bear.

Bearizona? What’s that?

According to Marlene from Deafinitely Wanderlust, it’s a wildlife park – in Arizona – that you won’t want to miss.

She writes, “Bearizona Wildlife Park is not one of your typical zoo, they offer people an opportunity to drive through and see animals in their natural, wildlife environment. Yes, you read that right. You can drive in your own vehicle to see these animals up close.”

Sounds exciting!

When Marlene arrived at Bearizona, she had no idea what to expect, but was excited to explore the park and see the animals. As she entered, an employee issued a warning: “When you enter the wolves and bears sections, you must have your windows up”

You probably don’t want to visit Bearizona in a convertible.

To read more about Marlene’s adventure in this unique attraction, check out her article at Deafinitely Wanderlust.

Wheel the World Launches 9 New Disability-Friendly Tours

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Wheelchair user in front of Machu Picchu ruins.

Wheel the World, the leading online travel booking platform for people with disabilities, has launched nine new accessible multi-day group tours for 2022, helping travelers with disabilities come together to discover some of the world’s greatest wonders.

The tours offer accessible accommodations, activities, ground transportation, in-destination guides and more, all with a thoughtful focus on the needs of disabled travelers. Group tours offer spaces for eight to ten travelers using manual or power wheelchairs depending on the destination. Destinations range from New York City to Israel, Greece, Costa Rica, Morocco and Switzerland.

To learn more about Wheel the World’s expanded offerings, see the full article in Travel Pulse.

Accessibility Products We Loved at CES 2022

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Consumer Electronics Show exhibit hall.

We live in a time of tremendous innovation, and sometimes that innovation can be life-changing for people with disabilities. This year’s Consumer Electronics Show featured a large number of products designed for disabled people, some of which are already available to the public. While some of the products were over the top and may never see the light of day, it’s nice to see the increased attention to accessible product design and development.

Every year at CES, Reviewed awards the best of the best with the CES Editor’s Choice awards, but this year they created a new awards program designed to recognize products that have the potential to improve the lives of disabled people.

To see the full list of the top accessibility products from CES 2022, check out the article from Reviewed.

TravelAbility Launches Accessible Destinations Portal

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Screenshot of TravelAbility Destinations page.

We are delighted to announce the first Accessible Destinations portal, a free service developed by TravelAbility to make travel easier for people with disabilities. Currently, the resource, which lives on the TravelAbility.net website, links travelers with a disability directly to 125 destination pages in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico containing content about the accessibility features of the destination.

While the ADA provides for the physical infrastructure to accommodate people with disabilities, there is no ADA for information, which is what’s needed to give this underserved segment of travelers the confidence to travel again.

The portal’s launch was recently covered in the Travel Industry Times.