TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessibility

Accessibility and the Great Outdoors: Empowering All to Explore Natural Beauty

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With less than a week until the 7th annual TravelAbility Summit in one of the most beautiful outdoor spaces on the planet, it seemed fitting to share this summit throwback on welcoming all into the great outdoors.

National Park Service Accessibility: From Compliance to Experience

Presenter: Jeremy Buzzell – National Park Service (NPS)
Mission: Make NPS more accessible not just by ADA standards, but by improving real visitor experiences.

🔹 00:30 | What is the NPS & Jeremy’s Role

  • 400+ park units (only ~60 are “National Parks”)
  • Jeremy is part of PAVE: Park Accessibility for Visitors and Employees
  • Offers training and guidance—not authority or funding

🔹 02:50 | From Civil Rights to Tourism Mindset

  • Shift from a “compliance lens” to visitor experience lens
  • Adopts Sage Inclusion’s three pillars:
    • Information
    • Facilities
    • Customer service

🔹 06:15 | Pillar 1: Accessible Information

  • Focused on improving trip planning
  • Moves away from vague terms like “accessible bathroom”
  • Example: detailed vs. generic descriptions of facilities

Tools & Resources:

  • 10:05 | Campground Information Standards
  • 11:02 | National Accessibility Website with map and direct park links
  • 13:20 | Examples of upgraded park website descriptions

🔹 16:00 | Trail Info & Adaptive Hiking

  • “Accessible hiking” = modifying trail
  • “Adaptive hiking” = user brings gear, needs detailed info
  • Trail data includes slope, surface, grade, etc., but also needs location-specific clarity

🔹 20:00 | Pillar 2: Customer Service

  • Common barrier: staff reactions, not terrain
  • Emphasizes:
    • 21:45 | Understanding nontraditional mobility devices
    • 23:15 | Handling service animals appropriately
    • 24:30 | Accommodating neurodiverse visitors

🔹 26:30 | Pillar 3: Facilities

  • No separate “accessibility budget” — it must be integrated
  • Look at entry-to-exit experiences, not isolated fixes
  • Follow where money is already going, then improve accessibility there

🔹 28:00 | Final Message: Focus on Success

Promote what’s working. Help users say:
“I want to kayak — where can I go?”
…Not: “Is Yellowstone accessible?”

Accessible Experience: Lincoln Caverns

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By Jennifer Allen

Jennifer Allen and her 3 children, including a child using a wheelchair, explore an illuminated cave featuring dramatic stalactites and stalagmites along a railed pathway. The golden-hued limestone formations create a striking backdrop as they blend with the natural geological features.

A journey towards the center of the earth typically requires a lot of stairs. Thankfully, there are now a small handful of exceptions around the globe. One of those is in a small town in central Pennsylvania. For the first time, I was able to take my three children into a cave – something that I wasn’t sure we would ever be able to do.

While the main entrance to Lincoln Caverns is not wheelchair accessible, Lincoln Caverns has created accessible tours through the original entrance, along the highway. From this entrance, we were able to wheel through tunnels towards the heart of the cavern. I don’t know how much of the cavern we weren’t able to see, but I was really impressed by how much we were able to experience. We didn’t feel like we missed out on anything. Our guide showed us all the features of the cave and we followed his lead as we wandered and explored.

For your own convenience, it’s best to call ahead for the accessible tour, since you do need a personal escort.

Luray Caverns in Virginia also offers tours on wide, paved, well lit paths with a barrier free entrance. Due to some moderate grades, they don’t list themselves as wheelchair accessible.

Congrats to AbleVu and CurbFreeCoryLee on Launching “VU From the Curb Consulting”

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AbleVu, best known for its information-rich platform featuring virtual tours, photos, accessibility features, and anonymous Q&A, makes it easy for visitors of all abilities to research businesses before they arrive. Meanwhile, Cory Lee, through his widely recognized CurbFreeCoryLee platform, has been inspiring and educating audiences for more than a decade with firsthand stories of wheelchair-accessible destinations around the globe.

Together, they’ve created a powerhouse in building and promoting accessibility. Their new joint venture, VU From the Curb Consulting, is designed to help destinations worldwide move beyond minimum ADA compliance and create spaces that welcome travelers with both visible and invisible disabilities.

Together, Cory Lee and Meagan bring heaps of data and lived experience to the table. VU From the Curb Consulting will partner with DMOs, hotels, attractions, and other travel businesses to ensure accessibility isn’t just an afterthought, but an integral part of the visitor experience.

Lived Experience: @Discover_with_dallas in Wheelchair Accessible Milwaukee

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Sand and forests are no longer barriers in Milwaukee, thanks to the city’s adaptive equipment options. Accessibility influencers Dallas and her mom—who inspire over 500,000 followers across YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook—recently showcased Milwaukee in their latest vlog. From the accessible zoo and world-class museums to inclusive parks, playgrounds, beaches, and trails, the family highlighted just how much Milwaukee delivers for travelers of all abilities.

Hotel Spotlight: Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa

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Aerial view of the Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa with distinctive blue metal roofing and a central domed cupola, set among manicured lawns and mature trees, with a parking area visible to the left. The property overlooks a scenic river landscape with a dam or bridge structure visible in the distance, surrounded by lush greenery under a partly cloudy sky.

Sometimes accessibility comes down to the little things—like a phone call that makes a guest feel truly seen.

At the Renaissance Shoals Resort & Spa, staff recently put their new Wheel the World Academy accessibility training into practice during a group booking. When a guest services employee, Keely Law, noticed that an incoming traveler was visually impaired, she didn’t make assumptions. Instead, she picked up the phone, connected with the traveler, and asked if he would prefer a room by the elevator.

The simple gesture surprised the guest, who shared how grateful he was that someone took the time to check in on his needs before arrival.

This is the kind of next-level customer service that accessibility training inspires—not just awareness, but action. After being equipped with practical tools and sensitivity, the hospitality team has moved beyond compliance to create thoughtful, personalized experiences.

For Renaissance Shoals, it’s proof that small moments can make a big impact—and that accessibility done well is about welcoming and care, not ADA checklists and guesswork.

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