The Intersection of Travel and Disability
By Jennifer Allen
Sylvia Longmire is the accessible travel writer behind Spin the Globe. She’s also a filmmaker and producer, bilingual voice actor, media personality, and disability rights advocate.
Sylvia has been on a handful of helicopter tours around the globe, but her experience in Honolulu, Hawaii stands out in accessibility. Blue Hawaiian Helicopters has an innovative way to make helicopter rides accessible to all. Sylvia Longmire shares her experience here.
By Jennifer Allen
I have to agree with my eight-year-old that The Hilton Mclean Tyson’s Corner is one of the most accessible hotels we’ve ever stayed in.
As a family, we often have a hard time finding hotel rooms that meet our needs. An accessible King is the only option at many hotels – which isn’t great for families with kids or for disabled adults traveling with a caregiver. Hilton Mclean Tyson’s Corner had several room options across both bed types and shower types. We opted for an accessible tub and low bed heights – perfect for our family with young kids, including one who can’t stand up to get into bed.
We had pretty high expectations when our key card automatically opened the room door, and we weren’t disappointed. Other features included:
Each month we try to address various accessibility issues that may arise within the TravelAbility community.
An Uber driver pulls up to a scheduled ride and sees that the passenger is accompanied by a guide dog. The driver immediately shares that he has a severe allergy to dogs and says that he can’t let the dog in the car. The passenger, who is blind, is now stranded. Neither the driver nor the passenger are sure of what to do. If you were the driver? The passenger? The platform? What would you do?
“I think the Uber driver should arrange for another driver to come asap and if the person is alone stay with them until the next driver arrives.It would be great for Uber to include some type of filter on the app that addresses this issue so it does not happen repeatedly.”
“The platform/app should have an option to indicate “guide dog” for the traveler, and “allergies” while onboarding new drivers.”
“Uber could provide incentives to drivers to provide these services. The online platform should have accessibility options to connect people with disabilities with equipped drivers.”
“The driver needs to contact Uber before pulling away and Uber should send a new driver.”
“The platform could ask about guide dogs, but that could make it even harder to get a ride.”
All respondents agreed that Uber should be responsible for finding a replacement driver before leaving the passenger. Adding accessibility filters to the platform would help avoid the situation altogether.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments!
The Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, AZ has introduced several groundbreaking accessibility features at its Astronomy Discovery Center, one of the best “dark sky” experiences in America; including wheelchair-accessible telescopes, ADA-exceeding exhibits for visitors with vision impairment, advanced assistive listening systems for those with hearing impairment, and optimal sightlines in lecture spaces for wheelchair users.
Despite these impressive improvements, neither the Observatory nor the Discovery Center provide an accessibility page on their websites to share this information, truly a missed opportunity.
Visit Mesa has done it again. As leaders in the accessibility and inclusion space – first in autism certification, first to receive Wheel the World’s Destination Verified Seal – it should come as no surprise that they’ve designed a whole new framework for accessibility landing pages.
The Accessibility Travel Guide is available through Visit Mesa’s website and provides valuable information on accessible attractions, accommodations and sensory-friendly experiences for visitors and residents alike. The 19 page guide dives deep beyond sample itineraries and accessible options with resources, tips, anecdotes, and even a podcast devoted to “City Limitless.” The guide opens up the heart of Mesa’s past, and their direction for the future, showing how every type of traveler can feel welcome and explore without barriers. QR codes and numbered maps make it easy to plan your trip.
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