TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessibility Funding

Travel Oregon Awards 3.6 Million in Grants for Inclusive Tourism

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Woman using a wheelchair on a beach with steep cliffs rising out of the ocean

As part of an ongoing and far-reaching statewide initiative, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects.

The grants program targets funding for accessibility and inclusivity for underserved and under-resourced communities including people with disabilities, BIPOC, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes and LBGTQIA+. Funded projects reflect and align with Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures—and must improve tourism infrastructure or enhance promotion of accessible and inclusive tourism.

“To say I’m inspired by the potential of this year’s grant awards would be an understatement,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “Upon completion, each project will make a substantial impact on the accessibility and inclusivity of the tourism industry in Oregon, supporting Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination for all where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: No question that Oregon is one of the key states to watch for leadership on inclusive and accessible travel. As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon had the largest contingent of attendees at the Emerging Markets Summit in Savannah in August, with more than 30 staffers. They are using the TravelAbility network to great advantage, studying model initiatives from around the country and the world and turning that research into sustainable practice.

Visit Lauderdale Expands Its Embrace of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower; Its Convention Center is First in North America to Adopt the Program

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Logo for US chapter of Hidden Disabilities Sunflower includes a close up of a sunflower and an American flag

Arriving at an unfamiliar convention center can be a confusing experience for anyone but particularly for travelers with disabilities, hidden or visible. The Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center is employing a range of tools to make sure all travelers feel welcome from the moment they pass through the door. The new approach represents a first-of-its-kind partnership with the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower.

The convention center is adding a variety of cues to indicate when someone needs special assistance at the facility. A permanent space will be dedicated to providing a person with a hidden disability or a traveling companion various Sunflower products, such as a lanyard, badge, wristband or pin.  And all convention center employees will be trained on how to spot and help someone with a hidden disability.

The initiative is just the latest chapter in Visit Lauderdale’s proactive moves to create a warm and inclusive welcome for every traveler.  The Sunflower, for example, has been incorporated into Visit Lauderdale’s accessible tourism marketing for the past two years and was subsequently adopted by Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. 

“Visit Lauderdale is committed to providing everyone a safe and supportive environment and has long championed inclusion and accessibility tourism by removing all barriers to a quality experience for everyone,” said Richard Gray, senior vice president of Inclusion and Accessibility at Visit Lauderdale. “We embraced the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program as soon as we learned of it and couldn’t be prouder that our newly renovated and expanded convention center is the very first on the continent to implement the program.” Read more.

 Our TakeAway: Credit Visit Lauderdale for the foresight to realize that their convention center will now not only be accessible for meetings and conventions, but also for the numerous local events and festivals that use the convention center.   Credit Sunflower creators for coming up with an image that is simultaneously subtle and powerful. The growth of the Sunflower is one of the accessible travel industry’s most promising trends.

Wheel the World Partners with Visit Florida to Scale Accessibility Audits

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Woman using a wheelchair beside a pool and a fountain along with logos of Visit Florida and Wheel the World

Visit Florida announced at the Florida Governors meeting in October that it is launching an ad co-op program to finance Wheel the World site assessments at 30 hotels, attractions, POI’s or dining locations in each region. Watch a video of the announcement.  

Wheel the World’s deliverables include not only assessments, but also training through their online academy and online marketing through their highly targeted database as well as their social media channels.

Our TakeAway: This initiative was originally one of the four pilot programs that were featured at this year’s Summit in which three Florida DMO’s (Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, and The Palm Beaches) participated.  Following the expansion announcement, seven other destinations signed up.  This is another unique example of Visit Florida’s role as an industry thought leader—along with WtW’s growing reputation for excellence in accessibility site assessments. We hope to see other states follow Florida’s lead. Hey, New York and California, are you listening?

Getting the Grant

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Panelist at the Grant Wriitng Workshop at the Emerging Markets Summit sittin on stage with a TravelABility back drop

Left to right: Kristy Durso, Kristine McConnell, Camilo Navarro, Kimberly Danesi, Patrick Lennon, and Courtney Cacatian. (Photo by Jennifer Allen)

By Jennifer Allen

Grant funders and grant recipients converged to discuss the power of grants in enhancing accessibility and inclusion within travel destinations. KellyWolgamott, Director of Marketing with Travel Michigan, and Kevin Wright VP Marketing with Travel Oregon, represented grant funders. They came together with Patrick Lennon, Director of Marketing with Visit Fairfax, Courtney Cacatian, Executive Director for Charlottesville/Albemarle CVB, Kimberly Danesi, CTA and Interim CEO with Galveston Park Board, Camilo Navarro, Co-Founder of Wheel the World, and Kristine McConnell from Visit Central Oregon, to share tips and strategies for landing the grant.

During the discussion with industry experts and grant recipients, a wealth of insights were shared regarding the art of grant writing for inclusive hospitality. They emphasized the importance of strategic partnerships, alignment with accessibility goals, showcasing impact, leveraging technology, community engagement, and the necessity of robust measurement and evaluation processes. However, a poignant reminder emerged from their collective wisdom: accessibility should not be solely dependent on grants. Instead, it should be seamlessly integrated into regular funding and ongoing initiatives within the hospitality industry to create a truly inclusive environment, representative of the diverse population being welcomed. Every travel grant should include accessibility because the disabled are part of the traveler population.

Here are some of the key takeaways:

  • Passion Matters: You need someone with the passion to carry a heavy burden through. 
  • Include Disabled Travelers: Involve disabled travelers in your meetings and presentations to showcase the importance of accessibility and spark passion for the cause.
  • Be Proactive: Don’t wait for grants to initiate change; consider using budget funds for accessibility improvements.
  • Spread Awareness: Ensure that attractions within destinations are aware of grant opportunities for accessibility projects.
  • Simplicity and Eligibility: Keep grant applications simple, and read the fine print to make sure your DMO qualifies and that you’re a good fit. 
  • Pick up the Phone: It’s not only good for clarification, it puts your name forefront in the grant funder’s mind. 
  • Attend the webinar: Learn all you can before completing the application.
  • Diversify Funding: Don’t rely solely on grants; aim for 20% of your budget to impact accessibility.
  • Risk Assessment: Evaluate risks associated with your grant proposal and be mindful of not overspending. Putting the grant together shouldn’t cost more than the return.
  • Stay Informed: Attend webinars and stay updated on grant opportunities and requirements.
  • Energy and Coffee: Approach grant applications with high energy and a cup of coffee – you need to be alert and focused.
  • Use AI: Consider using AI tools for summarizing or enhancing your grant proposals.
  • Build Relationships: Connect with grant providers to make them familiar with your cause and recognize your DMO’s commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
  • Stay Organized: Many grant applications ask the same questions. Perfect your answers, save them in a Google Drive document, then copy and paste.
  • Showcase Impact: Demonstrating how the grant will lead to improved accessibility and inclusivity. Use quantifiable metrics, such as the number of individuals benefiting.
  • Support Your Community: Accessibility increases visitation, but it also benefits the local disability community. Make it a team effort.
  • Go Small: Consider a lot of low-budget, easy changes that can be replicated on a wide spectrum.

Oregon Coast Tourism Receives $200k to Conduct Accessibility Assessments

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Eight Oregon Coast destination management organizations (DMOs) were granted a total of $201,240 to partner with Wheel the World, a global accessible travel company, in their effort to make the Oregon Coast more accessible to travelers with disabilities

The funds awarded are the result of a coordinated approach among partners to apply for Travel Oregon’s 2022 Capacity and Small Project Grants. These communities and organizations are working to provide disabled travelers with comprehensive, accurate information to make their stay on the Oregon Coast more accessible. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Accessibility is contagious. Oregon Coast region DMO used grant funding from the state to send ten of their industry partners to EMS 2022, which included a mix of DMO’s. Several of the DMO’s brought attractions, city managers and elected officials which resulted in an accessibility strategy that is spreading to other regions.