Accessibility Awards

Accessibility Champion: Charles Hammerman

April 30, 2024 by Dan Tobin

President and CEO, Disability Opportunity Fund

“The Schoolhouse Hotel is the first full-service boutique in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and the first all-ADA compliant hotel in the world.”

Q1. What motivated you to become involved in accessibility and do you have a personal connection to disability?

I am a former Merrill Lynch professional and former Assistant United States Attorney as well as being the father of a child with cerebral palsy, I launched The Disability Opportunity Fund in 2007. It is a national nonprofit that provides financing, technical services, and advocacy to increase access to appropriate and affordable housing and related services for people with disabilities. The fund was incubated under the umbrella of the Burton Blatt Institute of Syracuse University, named after my late uncle who was a pioneering disability researcher and advocate.

Q2. What is the goal of your organization?

As a Nationally Certified CDFI, DOF’s mission is to provide financial products, technical assistance, equity investment and financial advisory services that improve the quality of life and build personal wealth for people with disabilities and their families, as well as supporting organizations serving this market.

Q4. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

The Schoolhouse Hotel is the first full-service boutique in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and the first all-ADA compliant hotel in the world. We transformed the historic White Sulphur Springs schoolhouse into a hub for the community and visitors alike. The hotel features 30 uniquely appointed guest rooms and suites; the Varsity Club restaurant/grill; the Rooftop Bar serving small plates and cocktails in the open air before stunning mountain views; and flexible ballroom and meeting space for weddings, conferences, and other events. We believe The Schoolhouse Hotel showcases the best of West Virginia hospitality and lodging in a completely inclusive atmosphere.

Q3: What are the most difficult obstacles or barriers you face around accessibility and what actions/initiatives are you taking to address them?

The question is not really applicable to our work. The Schoolhouse Hotel is fully accessible and addresses the needs of our guests. We are very proud of being an example to other hospitality operators to also be inclusive.

Q: Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

We follow accelerators focused on disabilities like Multiple https://www.multiplehub.org/ and Enabled Ventures https://www.enableventures.vc/

Accessibility Champion: Jill Boggs

March 30, 2024 by Eliana Satkin

President/CEO, Visit Fort Wayne

Head shot with the caption: "Accessibility Champion: Jill Boggs"

Note: This interview is part of an ongoing series featuring interviews with 24 Champions of Accessibility for 2024 selected and celebrated by TravelAbility.

Q1. When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?

Our destination has always been focused on accessibility. Both the city and the county have dedicated departments and employees and there are several nonprofits addressing various accessible missions. One such organization, Turnstone Center for Children and Adults with Disabilities, has been in our community for 80 years. They are a free-standing not-for-profit providing a comprehensive continuum of supportive services serving the unique needs of people with varying disabilities and their families. Turnstone is one of eleven official Paralympic training sites in the U.S. The men’s and women’s goal ball teams live and train on Turnstone’s campus. One program offered is adaptive sports for varying ages. Visit Fort Wayne collaborates with Turnstone to bring in, and serve, adaptive sporting events.

"Turnstone is one of eleven official Paralympic training sites in the U.S."

Our destination has a head start over others regarding where we stand as a supportive, service-oriented community for local and regional residents, and visitors, who have varying abilities.

Q2. What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?

In my administrative role as President/CEO, I work with a team of experts to market and sell the City of Fort Wayne (Indiana’s second largest city) and Allen County as an exceptional destination to visit. In 2022, 8.8 million leisure and group visitors spent $995 million in our communities. We also use industry expertise and leadership, with community collaboration, to develop quality of place for residents and visitors, so Fort Wayne/Allen County can benefit from a vibrant and growing tourism economy.

Q3. Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination? What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?

"Being an accessible destination came out loud and clear as the overarching foundation of our 10-year plan."

Last January, we embarked on the process of building our destination’s first tourism master plan. Through the listening and surveying process, residents and visitors provided the loudest voices on the plan’s focus for destination development to grow the local visitor economy. The resounding results of the data received caused the consultants to build into the 10-year plan, a foundational vision, mandate if you will, that building an accessible destination is priority in all 20 initiatives outlined in the final plan. Over 2,200 residents, over 600 visitors, and hundreds of stakeholders participated in naming and ranking initiatives. An accessible destination came out loud and clear as the overarching foundation of the 10-year plan. The opportunity challenge now is putting our plan into action. Out of the 20 initiatives listed in the plan, Visit Fort Wayne is assigned to lead eight, with Accessible Destination as one of them.

Q4. Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

John Morris, founder of WheelchairTravel.org. He will be our keynote speaker at our May inaugural Power of Tourism and Hospitality Awards Luncheon. I also follow Wheel the World, Destinations International, and various disability travel focused groups on Facebook. In addition, we rely on our own destination’s disability experts and non-profit organizations as resources.

Q5. What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?

Visit Fort Wayne is forming a task force that will assist us with the accessible destination initiative outlined in the 10-year tourism master plan. This group will advise and support the official launch of this overarching foundation of the plan. Fundraising for a destination accessibility assessment will be a priority. Our goal is to launch the assessment process in late 2024 or early 2025.

Accessibility Champion: Apoorva Gandhi

March 30, 2024 by Eliana Satkin

Senior Vice President, Multicultural Affairs, Social Impact and Business Councils, Marriott International

Note: This interview is part of an ongoing series featuring interviews with 24 Champions of Accessibility for 2024 selected and celebrated by TravelAbility.

Q 1. What motivated you to become involved in accessibility and do you have a personal connection to disability?

I have been connected to disability almost my entire life. One of my oldest and best family friends is deaf as well as my youngest daughter. This fuels my passion to do my part to create a world that is inclusive, empathetic, and welcoming to all. I have seen first-hand the innovative skills of people with disabilities, and I am proud to work to create business inclusion for all.

Q 2. What is the goal of your organization?

Marriott International’s goal is to connect people through the power of travel. As part of that, we work to welcome all to our hotels no matter who you are, where you come from, what your abilities are or who you love. We want all to have a sense of belonging when you come through our doors. Additionally, our core values include putting people first and serving our world. One way we do that is through our Serve360 social impact and sustainability global program.

Q3: Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers you face around accessibility and what actions/initiatives are you taking to address them?

It is generally important to make sure that when the topic of inclusion arises that the disability community is included. Disability exists across all demographics and backgrounds. I work to ensure that the voices and opinions of this important community are contributed to the venues and discussions that I am in.

Q4. What accomplishments are you most proud of?

One of the projects I am most proud of is our ‘Room for All’, where we worked with the disability community to listen, try to understand, and practice inclusive design to improve the travel experience for travelers with disabilities. We created an accessible hotel room that was welcoming, elegant, and comfortable. We believe in the idea of ‘nothing about us without us’ and we’re honored to host many travelers of all abilities to our HQ and hotels to listen and learn about accessibility and help us evolve how we inclusively welcome all.

Q5: Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

I am inspired by the example of my parents who came to the United States as immigrants back in the 1960’s. Through the great generosity of the United States and its people, their hard work and sacrifice, they were able to create a life full of opportunity for my sister and me. Their story inspires me and allows me to stand on their shoulders daily and to pay it forward.

Was 2023 The Year That Accessibility Entered the Mainstream Zeitgeist?

January 29, 2024 by Dan Tobin

Collage of logos of Conde Nast, the American Pavilion,, BBC, and USA Today accompanied by a pull quote from Jake Steinman: "It feels like the message of accessible travel is a growing part of the general zeitgeist."

This past year felt different. TravelAbility’s growth rate has accelerated in each of our five years, but we seemed to break through some sort of barrier in 2023. Inquiries and invitations have been coming from all directions—from regions and destinations from throughout the US, from large travel and hospitality companies, from new global partners like the American Pavilion at the Cannes Film Festival and Destinations International.

“It does feel like the message of accessible travel is penetrating all parts of the industry and is a growing part of the general zeitgeist,” says Jake Steinman, TravelAbility founder and CEO. “Companies are seeing it as a lucrative market and they are bringing in trainers to improve their service. And, as evidenced by the unprecedented growth of the number of adaptive/assistive technologies as well as ‘Age-Tech’ at this year’s CES in Las Vegas, the level of innovations is staggering.”

Steinman adds that TravelAbility is riding a wave that begins with travelers with disability and advocates. “It’s about quality of life and predictability. Individuals have configured their homes and studied their neighborhood so that they can live independently. But when they go to travel, it’s Russian Roulette because there’s so little information.”

The mainstream media is also paying more attention to the issue, according to Tricia Roth, head of marketing and engagement. “One of the main reasons we’re trying out more of a roundup approach in this issue of Insider is because of the number of articles we’re seeing in major publications, from USA Today to NPR, The New York Times, Condé Nast to the BBC has mushroomed.”

Here is a rundown of some of the markers and highlights that stood out for us in 2023:

A pull quote from Tricia Roth: "The number of articles we're seeing about accessibility in major publications has mushroomed."

Partnering with Destinations International, the world’s largest resource for destination organizations, to reach over 700 destinations worldwide and help them improve their accessibility.
Hosting the sold-out EMS Summit, the premier event for travel professionals and experts to learn, network, and showcase the latest innovations in accessibility. (Our 2024 EMS Summit will be held November 13-15, in San Francisco.)
Growing the Destination A11Y Club, a membership program that provides destinations with access to exclusive content, tools, and support to enhance their accessibility to 18 destinations last year from nine in 2022,
Nearly doubling the content of the Accessibility Playbook, a comprehensive guide that contains over 100 links to videos, presentations, and examples of accessibility best practices from various sectors of the travel industry.
Publishing a special edition of USAE News, a leading publication for association executives, that featured a wrap-up of the EMS Summit and offered exposure to the sponsors and speakers.
Launching Accessible Journeys, a quarterly online magazine in collaboration with Mélange Publishing, that showcases inspiring stories, tips, and destinations for travelers with disabilities. The magazine reached over 1.7 million readers in the summer edition.
Rebranding the Launchpad pitch fest as the InnovateAble Showcase, an annual event that celebrates the most creative and impactful accessibility solutions in the travel industry. The event coincides with the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26th.
Invite to advise the American Pavilion at Cannes Film Festival about how they can become for accessible in 2024.

In addition to these achievements, TravelAbility also introduced several pilot programs in 2023, such as:

Academic Accessibility Learning module, an online course that uses the Accessibility Playbook to teach hospitality students about accessibility. The course was offered by the Rosen College of Hospitality Management and received such positive feedback from the 800 enrolled students that it will become a graduation requirement for all 3000 students in the future. This program aims to change the way hotels treat and welcome guests with disabilities.
Rethinking Accessibility, a turnkey program that helps destinations discover and highlight their existing accessibility features. The program involved five destinations and revealed 210 new accessibility features that can attract and accommodate travelers with disabilities.
Visit Tampa Accessible Riverwalk Pass, a discount attraction pass that offers access to the most popular and accessible attractions along the Tampa Riverwalk. The pass sold over 1900 tickets and generated $109k in sales in two months.
Introduced the Visit Florida/Wheel the World (WTW) coop program, in which WTW accessibility features in 30 locations in three Florida destinations where the state covered 50% of the costs. The program was offered to all DMO’s in Florida at their annual industry conference and has been expanded to 14 destinations in the state.

TravelAbility is excited to continue its mission of growing accessibility in 2024 and beyond. For more information, visit www.travelability.net.

Best of the Web: News, Info and Inspiration

January 29, 2024 by Dan Tobin

A roundup of the best articles and resources we found in the past month related to disability and accessible travel.

The back of a child on a pier in New York Harbor looking at the NYC skyline through binoculars.

Accessibility Awards

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A roundup of the best articles and resources we found in the past month related to disability and accessible travel.

Neuro diversity:

Wheelchair Accessible Tours:

Blind and Low Vision:

Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

Disability Resources:

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