TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessibility

Columbus DMO selects an Accessibility Ambassador and Debuts New Accessibility Guide

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Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D

This past July, Experience Columbus, the destination marketing organization for Ohio’s capital city, launched its new Accessibility Guide. This new guide is designed to highlight Columbus as an inclusive destination that is welcoming and accessible to all.

Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., an internationally known disability inclusion expert and universal design and accessibility consultant has been selected as one of Experience Columbus’ ambassadors for its “Long. Live. Summer!” campaign. Dr. Rosetti is creator of the Universal Design Living Laboratory, where she and her husband designed and built their home using the principles of design for everyone.  Capturing the city’s Live Forward ethos and Experience Columbus’ ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion, the guide provides details on accessibility offerings in the categories of mobility, vision, hearing and cognition. It also provides additional resources so visitors and locals can access key information in one easy-to-find place. 

To learn more about Experience Columbus’ new Accessibility Guide click here.

Pottery Barn Develops 150-Piece Collection Designed for People with Disabilities

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Image ©potterybarn.com

Today, there’s one more option for those seeking accessible furniture and home goods. Pottery Barn has officially launched its new accessible furniture collection, making it the first large home brand to do so. Designed specifically for the elderly, the injured, and those living with disabilities, this collection is not only functional but also continues the company’s promise of style and quality.

Marta Benson, Pottery Barn’s president, and the company’s designers worked in consultation with the Disability Education and Advocacy Network to create not only new furnishings but also the adaption of 150 of their best-selling styles to fit the needs of all shoppers. While some pieces simply required a tweak to their design, others required more elaborate changes. These ranged from adding a tilt element to mirrors to more adaptive overhauls like incorporating power-lift and other mobility functions to their most popular armchairs.

Pottery Barn’s Accessible Home line initiative may be the nudge needed for the rest of the industry to realize that it makes good business sense to design more inclusively.

To learn more about the furniture options available, see the article from FastCompany

New App Helps Drivers with Disabilities Alert Gas Stations They Are Coming

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Person pumping fuel into vehicle gas tank.

“Even though gas is very expensive right now, most people take for granted the simple act of going to the gas station and quickly filling up, but for those in the disabled community, getting gas is more than just a quick trip,” according to reporting from NBC Washington.

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act requires gas stations to assist disabled drivers fuel their cars upon request, drivers say that the assistance is rarely offered. “Right now, there’s no uniform way of, you know, getting that person to come out,” said Lee Page with Paralyzed Veterans of America.

A new app, fuelService, is hoping to change that. The app allows disabled drivers to notify station employees that they require assistance with the tap of a button. More than 1,000 gas stations along the east coast of the United States have signed up and drivers say it’s working.

To learn more about the fuelService app, read the story from NBC Washington.

Visit Baltimore’s ‘Warm Welcome’ Program Promotes Accessibility

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Graphic reads Warm welcome, we embrace everyone.

Visit Baltimore has unveiled new accessibility resources for the local hospitality industry as part of its Warm Welcome Program. The program focuses on inclusion, with specific guides focused on disability identity, etiquette, needs and preferences.

The larger program includes resources for promoting inclusion regardless of gender identity, race, nationality, ethnicity and now disability. Soon, Visit Baltimore will release a new module focused on the LGBTQ+ community.

“We firmly believe that Baltimore is a top destination for a diverse array of travelers, no matter who you are or where you come from,” said Al Hutchinson, President and CEO of Visit Baltimore. “As we have been striving to become a destination that embraces diversity and inclusivity, we recognize the important role that accessibility plays when travelers with disabilities are making decisions on where to visit.”

To read more about this exciting program expansion, see the article from Travel Pulse. To review the Warm Welcome pledge that Visit Baltimore is asking local businesses to make, visit the Visit Baltimore website.

TravelAbility Launches “Destination Ally” to Help DMO’s Create More Accessible Experiences

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TravelAbility destination ally logo.

The purpose of TravelAbility’s recently announced Destination Ally program is to provide DMO’s with the resources to become accessible for visitors with disabilities and their families. These resources include training videos, slide decks and The Accessibility Playbook, a proprietary 40-page blueprint to grow accessibility for the destination.  “While the ADA provides a baseline for physical infrastructure accessibility, there’s no ADA for information,” stated Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility.

Participating Destinations include:

  • Visit Mesa
  • Visit Fairfax
  • Experience Kissimmee
  • Discover Lancaster
  • Visit Tampa Bay
  • Visit Lauderdale
  • Travel Lane County
  • Travel Oregon
  • Arizona Tourism
  • Visit the Oregon Coast

For more information about the Destination Ally program contact tricia@travelability.net.