TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessibility

Disabled Travelers Share The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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The sometimes shocking experiences of real disabled travelers.

At the TravelAbility Summit, disability advocates and travel and hospitality professionals come together to reimagine what inclusive travel can truly look like. The event blends practical workshops, expert panels, and meaningful conversations that empower destinations, brands, and organizations to create more accessible experiences for all.

At last year’s summit, a panel of disabled travelers shared their firsthand experiences—the good, the bad, and the eye-opening. Lived experience remains the most powerful measure of true inclusion. We’re excited to keep the conversation going at our 2025 Summit in Sunriver, Oregon, taking place October 13–15th. Learn more and register today!

Watch the video below and explore the timestamped summary. How does your destination measure up?

At the 2024 TravelAbility Summit: Kristy Durso (TravelAbility, Incredible Memories Travel), Jessica Jordan Ping (The Rolling Explorer), Craig Radford (360 Direct Video), Sassy Wyatt (Blind Girl Adventures), and Talia Salem (Marriott).

Summary

  • Opening with Vulnerability – A wheelchair user shares a deeply personal and emotional experience of inaccessibility in Vancouver’s airport restrooms, transforming a humiliating moment into a story of compassion and advocacy.
    ➤ Restroom Accessibility Issue
  • Fairmont Hotel’s Kindness – The Fairmont Hotel provided sanctuary and dignity, reinforcing the power of empathy in service and influencing future travel recommendations.
    ➤ Fairmont’s Response
  • Denied Experiences on Honeymoon – Jessica recounts being refused full participation in a planned ATV adventure due to assumptions about her limb differences, underscoring the need for autonomy and transparency.
    ➤ Adventure Denied
  • Advocacy for Honest Accessibility Info – The discussion emphasizes how honesty about accessibility levels is more beneficial than misleading claims.
    ➤ Transparency in Accessibility
  • Communication Barriers for Deaf Travelers – Craig details a disappointing hotel and theatre experience where inadequate communication efforts highlighted systemic gaps in serving deaf guests.
    ➤ Lack of Accessibility for Deaf Guests
  • Navigational Struggles for Blind Travelers – Sassy shares multiple challenges at airports and train stations, from forced wheelchair use to being abandoned without communication or support.
    ➤ Travel Disorientation for Blind Travelers
  • Train Access Without Support – Despite being in a wheelchair and having heavy luggage, Sassy was left alone to navigate a train station without announcements or assistance.
    ➤ Abandoned at the Train Station

Insights Based on Numbers

  • While this session is anecdotal, the stories reflect pervasive issues affecting millions, particularly the frequent failures in communication and physical accessibility at transport and hospitality venues.
  • Real-time lived experience remains the most powerful metric for evaluating accessibility.

Lived Experience: Sylvia Longmire’s high-flying Hawaiian experience

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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.

Accessible Hotel Spotlight: The Hilton Mclean Tyson’s Corner

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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:

  • ROll under sinks
  • Lower room controls
  • Accessible swimming pool
  • Accessible on-site restaurant
  • Assistive listening devices for meetings upon request
  • Audible alarms
  • Doorbell w/Audio/Strobe Alert
  • Lower or Adjustable Closet Rod
  • Phone Audio/Vibrate/Strobe
  • Raised toilet seat
  • Roll-in Shower
  • Service Animals Welcome
  • Teletypewriter for guest use
Two children sit back-to-back on a hotel bed, smiling broadly with their arms crossed playfully. In front of them is a wheelchair.

Not-So-Best Practices

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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.

Best Practices: Visit Mesa Launches New Paradigm for Accessibility Landing Pages

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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.

Dive into the full guide—and start applying Visit Mesa’s game-changing strategies to your own content.