TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Accessible Holiday Train Rides with Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad

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Historic trains don’t usually make it onto the radar for disabled travelers. Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad is changing that, and the magic of an accessible train ride runs well beyond the holiday season. 

Potomac Eagle Scenic Railroad offers different holiday train options varying in length and focus, including anything from a short ride, featuring storytelling, caroling, milk and cookies with Mrs. Claus, a visit from Santa, and pre- or post-ride activities in the Event Barn like letters to Santa, petting farm, cocoa, and s’mores, to a three hour peaceful, holiday-themed journey through the historic Trough canyon with eagle watching, festive dining in Premium, Superior, or Club Service, and stunning winter photography opportunities. 

All excursions feature the same accessibility, holiday spirit, and scenic adventure.

“We want every guest to experience the beauty, excitement, and wonder of our excursions—comfortably, safely, and without compromise,” 

shared Kimberly Byard, Public Relations Specialist. The historic trains are vintage, so not fully ADA-compliant, but the team has worked hard to create an experience that welcomes all.

Accessibility at the Station

Wheelchair-accessible parking, entrances, seating, and restrooms are available at the station. Select cars also include accessible onboard restrooms, allowing guests to enjoy the trip without worry.

Boarding & Onboard Assistance

Step-free boarding is available for all excursions at Wappocomo Station and during the All Day Petersburg layover. Our crew is always ready to assist with transfers, and two assist wheelchairs are available on-site. While aisles and doorways are narrower than modern trains, personal wheelchairs up to 23 inches wide can often be accommodated with advance notice. Wait staff in every car are trained to assist with seating, mobility, or other needs to ensure that every guest is cared for throughout the journey.

Seating & Classes of Service

Guests may choose from five classes of service, each offering a distinct way to experience the trip. Our Reservations Team can help select the best option based on mobility needs, restroom access, and comfort preferences. Observatory cars are step-free and feature bench seating for panoramic views, with crew members available to assist those using limited mobility devices.

Immersive Experiences from Your Seat

From your assigned seat, you can fully enjoy the journey—there’s no need to move from car to car to take in the experience. Guests are surrounded by live historical narration about the railroad, the region, and the wildlife along the way. Dining experiences are served right to your seat, with upgraded Dining and Club cars offering full climate control for year-round comfort. Standard Coach and Standard Dining cars feature windows that open for fresh mountain air. Select cars include accessible onboard restrooms for convenience.

Every Trough Canyon excursion provides breathtaking scenery through the historic Trough area where resident bald eagles live in their secluded habitat. Spring and early summer bring eaglets taking their first flights and calling to one another for feeding and security. Fall showcases juveniles interacting with adults against brilliant foliage, while winter reveals nest restoration and preparation for the next generation. Each season brings its own remarkable story.

Recreational activities—such as birdwatching, photography, journaling, sketching, or simply relaxing—can all be enjoyed comfortably from your seat. For a more immersive nature experience, guests may also visit our step-free open-air observatory cars, offering panoramic canyon views and an outdoor element to the adventure with crew assistance.

All Day Petersburg Excursion

This extended excursion includes a layover in Petersburg, with ramp access for boarding and deboarding. The town provides free public bus transportation, making it easy to explore local shops, dining, historic sites, and culture.

Environmental & Seasonal Considerations

Our open-air observatory cars provide immersive, up-close nature views but are naturally exposed to weather. Guests may prefer to enjoy the same sights from their seats in climate-controlled cars. We recommend dressing in layers and bringing lap blankets, sunscreen, hats, binoculars, and cameras for the best experience.

Dietary Needs & Medical Support

Please let us know at the time of booking if you have any allergies or special dietary needs. Our kitchen and onboard teams will do their best to accommodate requests. Crew members are trained in CPR and general medical response for emergencies.

Communication & Booking

To ensure the most comfortable experience, please call our Reservations Team at 304-424-0736 to discuss your specific needs and confirm the best seating arrangement. Online booking also allows you to leave notes, but speaking with our team directly helps us personalize your visit.

@PhoenyxTravels’ Accessible Guide to Blowing Rock, NC

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Amputee traveler, accessibility advocate, and expert travel blogger – Phoenyx is on a mission to make the world more accessible by empowering travelers of all abilities to explore with confidence! As a social media micro influencer and standout blogger, she inspires over 900 travelers each month.

This recent travel guide showcases Blowing Rock, NC with real tips, mountain views, accessible trails, good eats, and chill vibes.

Read the full article here.

Innovation of the Month: Koda – Breaking Barriers in Live Communication

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Koda, the third-place winner of this year’s InnovateAble Showcase, is an AI-powered accessibility platform transforming live events, travel, and public spaces by providing real-time captions and translations for the deaf, hard of hearing, non-native speakers, and anyone navigating noisy environments.

When Saida Florexil set out to create better communication tools for the deaf and hard of hearing, she was motivated by lived experience. Born deaf, she wanted technology that could support her daily interactions as a college student. At the same time, co-founder Aakriti was watching her grandfather transition to hard of hearing and saw how isolating and frustrating everyday conversations became for him.

Together, they developed Comunify, an early version of their accessibility tool designed to make everyday conversations more inclusive.

“As users began adopting Comunify at events and providing feedback, including event organizers who saw the value, it became clear that the technology could have a much broader impact,” Florexil recalls.

In the summer of 2023, the project relaunched and rebranded as Koda, shifting focus toward making live events, travel, and transportation more accessible and inclusive for all.

The Problem: Missing Out on Key Moments

Communication access in public spaces is often inconsistent or nonexistent. For the deaf and hard of hearing community, as well as non-native speakers or even people struggling to hear in noisy environments, critical information can easily be missed.

“Koda solves the problem of inaccessible communication in public spaces and live events,”

Florexil explains. “Whether it is someone who is deaf, hard of hearing, a non-native speaker, or simply struggling to catch announcements in a noisy environment, people are often excluded from key moments of information and engagement.”

The result can be anything from minor inconveniences—like missing a punchline—to serious challenges, such as misunderstanding flight announcements or safety information.

The Koda Solution: Real-Time, AI-Powered Accessibility

Koda is designed to bridge those gaps with live, scalable, AI-powered accessibility.

  • Conferences and Festivals: Real-time captions and translations help attendees follow along, network effectively, and stay engaged.
  • Sports Arenas and Public Transit: Travelers and fans never miss critical announcements, regardless of disability, language barriers, or the noise of the venue.
  • Entertainment Settings: From comedy shows to theater productions, Koda ensures audiences don’t miss a word, joke, or performance cue.

By providing instant communication access, Koda not only improves accessibility but also enhances engagement for all audiences.

Pricing Model

Koda’s pricing is designed to be flexible based on scale and event type.

  • Base rate: $50 per hour
  • Additional daily costs: Applied for remote support depending on event needs

This makes Koda accessible to a wide range of organizations, from small community events to large-scale festivals and conferences.

Building a More Inclusive Future

Koda may have started as a personal solution, but it is rapidly becoming a platform with global potential. By focusing on accessibility first, Florexil and her team are showing how inclusive technology can create better experiences for everyone.

The Future of Inclusive Travel Takes Center Stage at TravelAbility Summit 2025

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The 2025 TravelAbility Summit in Sunriver, Oregon, marked a true turning point for inclusive travel through record attendance, powerful storytelling, and partnerships that prove accessibility is shaping the future of tourism.

Nearly 200 industry leaders, from DMOs and hotels to tech innovators and disability advocates, came together under the theme “The Future of Inclusive Travel.” Ideas flowed, connections sparked, and the message was clear: accessibility is the heart of good hospitality.

“One of the most gratifying things to me is that the conference has added a moral dimension to the travel industry, creating purpose in attendees as they learn how to make a real difference in the world,” said Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. “This is what drives change. The next step is leadership buy-in, and the Longwoods study we presented gives the data to back the purpose. By partnering with AARP, we’re bridging today’s disability travel with tomorrow’s aging market.”

New This Year: Film Fest, Influencer Project, and More

This year’s Summit unveiled a series of firsts designed to keep accessibility at the forefront of tourism growth:

  • The TravelAbility Film Fest premiered during the event, celebrating powerful, real-world storytelling that builds empathy and understanding through the lens of accessible travel.
  • The Influencer Project paired destinations with disability creators to tell authentic accessibility stories and reach new audiences hungry for representation.

Partnerships in Action

This wasn’t a summit centered on talking, we were serious about doing.

Destinations took big steps – from partnering with Wheel the World to commit to accessibility verification and transparency, to moving forward with the Accessibility Playbook or connecting with innovators to transform spaces.

“This community is ENGAGED, we’re PASSIONATE, and we have a SOLID PLAN,” said Robert Harris, Manager of Global Accessibility at Royal Caribbean Group. “I came away with so much energy and so many ideas—now, to put them to work in a sequential, developmental, and sustainable way.”

Panels featuring disabled travelers grounded the discussions in lived experience, turning data into empathy and empathy into strategy.

Looking Ahead

As we wrap a record-breaking year, TravelAbility’s mission is clearer than ever: to educate, empower, and connect the industry so every traveler feels welcome.

Next year, we’ll take the momentum to Tampa, Florida, on November 9-11th, 2026 where we’ll continue helping host cities become models of accessibility.

“Our goal is to help future host cities become examples of what’s possible,” said Steinman. “We’ll help them implement plug-and-play innovations to create destinations truly worth celebrating.”

TravelAbility Announces 2025 Accessibility Superstars: The Architects of Inclusive Culture

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Only a select few have been named as TravelAbility’s Accessibility Superstars. These industry leaders have gone beyond tireless advocacy to complete cultural overhauls. Their efforts have not only transformed policies, practices, and mindsets, but have also inspired global movement towards equitable travel experiences. They have laid a new foundation for an accessible future.

Toni Bastian: Transforming Richmond’s Tourism Landscape

Toni Bastian with dark brown hair smiling at the camera

Toni Bastian from Visit Richmond has transformed accessibility from a checklist into a mindset. Under her leadership, Richmond’s tourism culture now embraces accessibility as a core value—from frontline hospitality to strategic planning. Toni’s efforts have enabled local businesses to see accessibility not as an obligation, but as an opportunity to welcome all travelers with dignity and warmth.

Superstar Initiatives:

  • Accessible RVA Strategic Plan: A comprehensive plan that integrates accessibility into Richmond’s tourism strategy, ensuring that all visitors have a seamless experience.
  • Accessible RVA Champions: A program that trains local businesses to become more accessible, fostering a community-wide culture of understanding and respect.
  • Disability Inclusiveness Training: Workshops designed to educate frontline staff about disability etiquette, enhancing the overall visitor experience.

Sasha Blair-Goldensohn: Pioneering Accessible Navigation at Google

Sasha wearing a light blue shirt and gray pants poses in his wheelchair in a NY Subway station

Sasha Blair-Goldensohn from Google Maps has redefined what it means to build for everyone. His advocacy has sparked systemic change within Google, embedding accessibility into product development, UX design, and global mapping standards. Sasha’s lived experience and relentless drive have helped cultivate a culture where accessibility has been a model for innovation. In addition to mapping accessibility, he’s actively advocating for building accessibility as the voice behind NYC’s commitment to an accessible Metro system.

Superstar Initiatives:

  • Wheelchair-Accessible Transit Routes: Because of Sasha, Google Maps offers wheelchair-accessible transit routes in over 20 cities, in addition to widespread accessible walking route options, helping users navigate public transportation with ease.
  • Accessibility Icons: Through Sasha, Google Maps added icons indicating which establishments are wheelchair accessible, providing users with essential information at a glance. These icons have been expanded to include accessibility details for all canvassed locations.
  • Detailed Voice Guidance: Launched enhanced walking directions for individuals with low or no vision, improving navigation in unfamiliar areas.
  • Crowdsourced Accessibility Information: Thanks to Sasha’s efforts, Google Maps now provides crowdsourced accessibility information for more than 50 million places, empowering users to make informed decisions about their travel destinations.

Tami Reist: Championing Accessibility in North Alabama

Tami Reist smiling with long blond hair

Tami Reist from North Alabama Mountains and Lakes has championed accessibility across rural tourism with unmatched zeal and creativity. She’s cultivated a regional culture where accessibility is a celebrated value. From training local partners to spotlighting accessible trails and attractions, Tami’s leadership ensures that accessibility is not just an afterthought—it’s proudly visible in every visitor experience.

Superstar Initiatives:

  • Accessibility Handheld Guide: Published a print guide on accessible adventures, covering multiple disabilities and including sample itineraries.
  • Destination Verified Status: The region earned “Destination Verified” status for accessible travel, marking a significant step forward in inclusive tourism.
  • All-Terrain Mobility Device Donation: Through a TVA grant, Tami’s team purchased a state-of-the-art all-terrain hopper and donated it to Joe Wheeler State Park, allowing individuals with mobility challenges to explore rugged trails and scenic landscapes more freely.
  • Inclusive Marketing: Launched a new accessibility website alongside hosting disability content creators and sharing multimedia itineraries.

Honoring the Architects of Inclusive Culture

Toni, Sasha, and Tami exemplify the essence of leadership in the realm of accessible tourism. Their unwavering dedication to creating inclusive environments has not only transformed their respective regions but has also set a global standard for what it means to be truly accessible. As we celebrate their achievements, we are reminded that true accessibility is not merely about removing physical barriers but about fostering a culture of inclusion, empathy, and respect.

To Toni, Sasha, and Tami—thank you for showing us that true accessibility is not just what we build, but how we lead. You are the architects of inclusive culture and we honor you as TravelAbility Superstars.

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