TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessibility

Audubon “All Persons Trail” Helps Birders with Multiple Disabilities Enjoy Nature

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photo os 5 people on a birding expedition ; one man has a white cane and sunglasses and another woman is using a walker

Mass Audubon’s Wachusett Meadow Wildlife Sanctuary debuted its new All Persons Trail on Oct. 12, as dozens of supporters, well-wishers and staff celebrated an outdoor route designed to welcome and engage an increasing number of visitors including those with mobility, sensory and other accessibility needs.

The trail features a rain garden, tactile exhibits of natural artifacts, an interactive audio tour and Braille signage. Introduced on a beautiful fall afternoon, the Wachusett Meadow trail is Mass Audubon’s 14th APT, with more to come as the statewide conservation organization honors its commitment to making nature more accessible to everyone.

Our Takeaway: This is an example of how local non-profit organizations are able to raise funds to provide access to nature for people with multiple disabilities, which can then be promoted and amplified by the local or state tourism organization. Read More.

New Study Shows Accessible Websites Enhance SEO by 12%

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the letters SEO on a blue background

Many have asked the question: Does website accessibility positively impact SEO?  To date, there have been no conclusive answers. To see what impact, if any, accessibility has on SEO, the team at AccessibilityChecker.org, which developed an accessibility audit tool, conducted the study. They checked organic traffic to a series of websites before and after the sites were remediated for accessibility. The upshot:

“We found that, on average, the websites in the sample group had a 12% increase in organic search results most likely to be attributed to the change in the website layout following the accessibility remediation.”

Our Takeaway:  Back in 2010, Google announced that websites that were not mobile-friendly would receive reduced organic traffic, which created the concept of responsive design in which the website is coded for both desktop and mobile at the outset. We hope this study will do the same for website accessibility as businesses have a business case to justify the expense. Read More.

EnChroma and Visit Seattle Help Color Blind Museum Guests to Experience Many Shades

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Woman wearing Enchroma glasses stands on stairs in a museum looking at artwork on the wall

Since the first person in America to test Covid positive was from Seattle,  Ali Daniels, Chief Marketing Officer of Visit Seattle, was looking for an antidote to the barrage of negative publicity that would also allow  them to control the narrative.“We noted that Tennessee received many awards and recognition by helping color-blind travelers enjoy fall foliage after having EnChroma lenses inserted in their viewfinder telescopes,” Ms. Daniels told us. “Arts and culture are one of our differentiators. Having Enchroma glasses placed at over 20 locations during our 2022 Refract Glass Art Festival resulted in video testimonials of people emotional their first time experiencing a full range of colors.”

Often overlooked, color blindness affects one in 12 men (8%) and one in 200 women (.5%), 350 million people worldwide. While people with typical color vision see over one million shades of color, people who are color blind only see an estimated 10% of hues and shades.

Our Takeaway: The positive reaction from visitors and the community was so profound that they are now exploring other opportunities to apply EnChroma’s technology to enhance the visitor experience at key landmarks. Read More.

For more information about EnChroma, contact Kent Streeb at kent@enchroma.com.

Planes vs Trains: Which is Best for Blind Travelers?

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Woman looking out the window of a train- her face is reflected in the glass of the window

If you can’t see, you can’t drive. It’s that simple. However, throughout the ages, blind people have found many ways to get around. They are adapters and problem solvers. It’s in their DNA. For long trips, it boils down to just about two options: planes and trains. Throughout this post, the author unpacks three categories for both travel options: price, accessibility, and time required. Let’s see which one comes out on top from the Blind Wanderer.

Our Takeaway: For the Blind Wanderer, here are our pros and cons at a glance. Read More.

Canadian Family Takes the World’s First Autism Certified City to the Test

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picture of a glowing green scorpion

It could have sparked a meltdown, landing in a strange city and driving a child who needs routine and predictability to a Sonoran Desert Park full of scorpions, black widow spiders and rattlesnakes for a full moon hike. But Jennifer’s 10-year-old son, Charlie, took an instant liking to Arizona’s Lost Dutchman State Park, probably because of the philosophical storytelling of ranger Jackie Vallejos, and the feeling of anonymity that came with joining 40 strangers to explore the unfamiliar landscape.

“Is anyone scared of a mouse or a grasshopper?”, the ranger asked at the start of the 90-minute night hike. “How about venomous desert creatures such as spiders and snakes?”

Our Takeaway: Autism to Mesa.AZ is poised to become what Broadway is to New York. 80% of their hotels, attractions museums, restaurants, and tours not to mention, city police and fire departments, having all been autism certified through International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). Read More.