TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Denise Brodey

New Ninja Warriors Park is EPIC-ALLY Accessible

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a climbing structure with several kids it I made of steel and wood.

Panama City, Florida is the new home to an accessible playground that’s inspired by the American Ninja Heroes TV show. How inclusive could a ninja park be? Very. There’s a wheelchair-accessible zipline and 30-foot climbing towers. Looking for a challenge? Hat tip to John Morris, the ultimate adventurer, for writing about this on his blog. wheelchairtravel.org. 

Panama City, Florida  is the new home to an accessible playground that’s inspired by the American Ninja Heroes TV show. How inclusive could a ninja park be? Very. THERE’S A wheelchair-accessible zipline and 30-foot climbing towers.Looking for a challenge? Hat tip to John Morris, the ultimate adventurer, for writing about this on his blog. wheelchairtravel.org. 

OUR TAKE: What a great way for parents to give COVID-19 the finger when lockdown ends! Of course, not everyone’s in Florida. If you can imagine one in your area, there are plenty of resources on fundraising, planning and building on accessibleplayground.net. Their motto is every child deserves to play! 

Feedback from 120MM Users Puts Accessibility on Google Maps

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A #localguide checks out the view and amenities.

With the “Accessible Places” feature enabled, business and points of interest with wheelchair-accessible entrances are marked with a wheelchair icon along with information about whether accessible seating, restrooms, and parking are available, according to a Gizmodo story.

OUR TAKE This change shows the power of crowdsourcing. According to Google, the change came about after  Google put out a call for accessibility information contributors in 2017. Since then, 120 million users posted updates on Google Maps regarding the presence of wheelchair-accessible facilities and now they’re not hiding in the ‘about’ section so they’re super easy to find. Plus, it’s a tiny trivia moment for us. One of the companies at our first summit, Wheel the World, was an early supporter of this initiative, which was part of #localguides. 

Bright New Ideas For TravelAbility Summit October 12-14, 2020

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gorgeous handing lightbulb with bright pink background

It’s clear that our focus should be on offering the industry reliable, simple-to-follow resources in this new COVID-19 market. That’s what we’re doing. Our 2020 Virtual TravelAbility Summit and Launchpad will highlight items that you need to know now, including training staff, gaining trust, and learning lessons from peers. As the industry changes, for better or for worse, we’re proud to make ourselves of service.

Note: To be on top of the news, our program will change to reflect any new realities for the travel industry in this crisis. Stay safe.

Try Game Theory to Secure Your Preferred Airline Seat

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drawing of inside an airplay with three rows of 2 seats
It even comes with a game board!

Ultimate traveler John Morris of the blog wheelchairtravel.org found himself in 4A instead of his favorite, 4F on the last flight he was scheduled to take pre-pandemic. No problem, he masterminded a plan, “I decided to play a classic game of chicken with Mr. 4F, hoping that fear of coronavirus would cause him to surrender the seat.” Find the seat map, or game board, here.

 OUR TAKE: This is pure genius in a six-feet-apart world. John even gave readers the gameboard or seat plan, above.

Will a Digital Jigsaw Puzzle Leave Your Heart in San Francisco?

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a San Fran view made into a puzzle

Offering six jigsaw puzzles (free) for people sheltering in place, San Francisco Travel just put a lock on people’s focus—at least for a while.  Visitors to their site can ‘see’ PIER 39 sea lions, gaze upon the Painted Ladies at Alamo Square Park or the skyline at Dolores Park, take a ride on a cable car or enjoy views of The Golden Gate Bridge. They are available to try, here. 

OUR TAKE: The organization’s tagline is “by the time you’ve solved all these puzzles, it’ll be time to start planning your next trip to San Francisco.” This follows the common wisdom that positivity, paired with a few free experiences (puzzles!), keeps visitors coming to your site. They may also draw in new travel fans.