TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

John Morris

A Simple (and FREE) BABY STEP to Eliminate the #1 Pain Point for Wheelchair Users

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Standard wrenches o a black background.

I wanted to share with you an e-mail that Alison Brooks, Director Destination Experiences and Advocacy, Visit Mesa, sent to her partners as an example of a baby step suggestion spurred by a TravelAbility presentation by Lauren Van Horn, from Open Doors Organization that revealed that excessive door pressure was the number one barrier for people with disabilities in 2020 Harris Poll study of Adult Travelers with disabilities.  


We wanted to share Alison’s frisky approach to the e-mail she sent to her industry Visit Mesa parnters:

Subject line: Grab an Allen Wrench…

I recently attended the TravelAbility summit in Tampa, Florida which was all about making the future more accessible for people with a variety of disabilities. There were so many take-aways, but I wanted to share this simple one with you today.

It’s about doors! Have you ever encountered a really heavy door? The one that takes a lot of strength to pull it open and slams behind you? Imagine if you had a disability such as being in a wheelchair, or even being elderly! Those doors can be a struggle. 

Here’s where you, as a business owner or advocate, can help! Grab an Allen wrench, watch this quick video, and make a difference to someone with a disability today! It’s a simple, FREE, way to go above and beyond.

Thank you for your support of our vision to make Mesa the most inclusive destination in the country!

Alison

PS – let me know if you adjust your business door or encourage someone to do it. Your feedback is appreciated.

Note: Alison related that all TravelAbility Insider readers are welcome to use this copy verbatim to help reduce the number one pain point for wheelchair travelers when they travel.

Simpleview to Help Educate their DMO Clients About Accessible Landing Page Creation

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Simpleview logo

TravelAbility Summit attendee Jana Hayhurst, Director of Marketing at Simpleview, which has been a sponsor of TravelAbility for the past two years, is in the business of building and maintaining websites for over 500 destinations around the world. She reported that they are currently working on an article for their Simpleview newsletter about “DMO Tips for creating an accessible landing page,” that will contain not only the types of information to include but also how to format and what to be most mindful of when approaching the design. The article will launch on November 2, 2021, which is also Purple Tuesday in the UK.  

In an effort to continue to grow the number of accessible landing pages, they will follow up the article with a webinar on the same topic. The webinar will likely be a panel discussion consisting of a Simpleview designer, developer, and a representative from Audio Eye.    

The Top 5 Insights from the Accessible Travel Club

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Viewfinder looking down over city below.

The Accessible Travel Club, a private Facebook group with 12,000+ members, has evolved into a community from over 130 countries where questions are asked and answered about literally thousands of destinations. The club was founded as a passion project by former Airbnb Accessible product manager and TravelAbility Advisory Board member, Srin Madipalli, who presented virtually from London about the five key things he’s learned from hundreds of thousands posts and comments since the group was formed in 2016.

  1. Reliability. There’s a huge need for reliable information across the globe. Crowd sourced review sites do not have the critical mass of participants to cover the destinations people are interested in visiting.
  2. Authenticity. This community is a source of helpful and authentic advice provided by disabled travelers who have first-hand experience with the destinations, hotels, or attractions that are being asked about.
  3. Community. The community nature of the group means that conversations can develop where detailed and tailored answers can be shared. It’s not unusual for a thread to have as many as 100 comments that offer insights through comments that often become respectful debates.
  4. Crowdsourcing answers. The lack of global accessible standards makes international travel difficult to plan, which is why crowdsourcing in a Q&A format is so useful as the community understands the need for specificity.
  5. What is the most Accessible Hotel Chain in the U.S. for people with disabilities? The 94 comments in which actual hotel brands were named are summarized here.
    1. 34% cited brands owned by Hilton
    2. 19% cited brands owned by Marriott
    3. 12% cited brands owned by Choice Hotels
    4. 5% cited brands owned by Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG)

Top 10 Most Popular National Parks Reviewed for their Accessibility

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Trail in public park with mountain in distance.

Ashley Lyn Olson, founder of the blog Wheelchairtraveling.com, was paralyzed at the age of 14 in the same accident that killed her father, who worked as a park ranger. Since 2009, she’s been blogging her travel experiences throughout the United States and beyond on her blog – WheelchairTraveling.com – which is both a website, travel company, blog, social network and resource for disabled people.

Recently she completed a seminal report offering, in painstaking detail, accessibility and tips for 22 of America’s most treasured national parks. Her father would have been proud.

The Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in 2020

NATIONAL PARK, LOCATION2020 Visitors (millions)
1. Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Tennessee/N. Carolina12.1 m
2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona6.2
3. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado4.6
4. Zion National Park, Utah4.4
5. Yosemite National Park, California4.2
6. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Nevada4.1
7. Acadia National Park, Maine3.5
8. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming3.4
9. Olympic National Park, Washington3.2
10. Glacier National Park, Montana3.0

To read Ashley’s reviews of the top national parks, see the article on her website.

New Research Commissioned for TravelAbility Tampa

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Wheelchair user seated with friends at picnic table.

‘Hot off the press’ & commissioned specifically for the TravelAbility Conference is the very latest research on the attitudes and needs of U.S. travelers with disabilities. This custom research was conducted in early August 2021 by Destination Analysts and Miles Partnership as part of Destination Analysts’ ongoing COVID-19 Travel Insights research.

The study includes the latest insights on the US travel market, the impact of the new Delta Variant of COVID-19, and the opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses to engage with, support and convert travelers with disabilities. Chris Adams, Head of Research and Insights for Miles Partnership, will be presenting the research live at TravelAbility Tampa on Monday, August 30th.. Join us virtually at TravelAbility Tampa. Register Today.