TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessible Meetings

Scenes from TravelAbility EMS 2024 in San Francisco

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The 6th annual event showcases the vibrant convergence of innovative accessibility solutions, inspiring discussions, and diverse participants dedicated to create a more inclusive world for all travelers.

Joe Weber, Be My Eyes and Kristy Durso, Incredible Memories Travel

Kristy Vanek, Otis Elevators, Allison Rowe, Marriott International

Sophia Hyder Hock, Destinations International; Todd Brook, Unchained

Jake Steinman and Jane Howard

Influencer: Chelsea Bear

Jen Casey, Gray TV; Nida Duarte, Co-Producer & Jordan Wollman, Executive Producer, “Challenge Accepted.”

2024 TravelAbility Accessibility Champions: Back Row: Apoorva Gandhi, Marriott; Ron Pettit, Royal Caribbean Cruises; Nick Nerbonne (accepting for Julie Pingston), Travel Michigan; Arica Sears, Oregon Coast; Skylar Houck,(accepting for Patrick Harrison) Visit Tampa, Jake Steinman, TravelAbility; Toni Bastian, Visit Richmond; Alison Brooks, Visit Mesa; Dr. Alan Fyall, Rosen College (UCF); Attiyya Atkins,(accepting for Richard Gray) Visit Lauderdale; Stuart Butler, Visit Myrtle Beach;  Front Row: Kevin Wright, Travel Oregon; Jessa Campbell,(accepting for Jill Boggs) Visit Fort Wayne, Kathleen Harvey, Destination British Columbia; Lynn Smith; Hidden Disabilities Sunflower; Jason Holic, Experience Kissimmee

Ron Pettit, Royal Caribbean, Josh Loebner, VML

Ryan Becker, Visit California, Tricia Roth, TravelAbility

Jennifer Allen, Wonders within Reach; and TikTok influencers (450k followers) Katie and Houston Vandergriff

Meg Raby, Kulture City; Apoorva Gandhi, Marriott

Sassy Wyatt, Blind Girl Travels; Tricia Roth, TravelAbility; Taylor Aguilar, The Blind Movement, Anthony Ertle, The Blind Movement

Jeremy Buzzell, US National Parks; Kristine McConnell, Visit Central Oregon; Laurel Van Horn, Open Doors Organization

GUESS WHO’S COMING TO THE SUMMIT

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From Alabama to Oregon, NYC to Alaska, Florida to Michigan there will be attendees from over 30 states plus Australia, Ireland and Belgium. 

Attendee Job Titles:

  • Disability Community: 10.6%
  • CEO/Executive Director: 20.8%
  • Marketing/Communications: 28.3%
  • Tourism Development/Community: 13.3%
  • Other: 27.1%

What’s New This Year at the Summit:

  • Casting call for a new TV series, “Challenge Accepted.”
  • How to organize an Influencer Fam Tour.
  • One-on-one Speed Dating with content creators (pilot program).
  • Hotel Owners Panel.
  • AARP and the Future of the Aging Traveler

See the full agenda.

Why Attend? Disability travel is the fastest-growing segment in the travel industry.According to Longwoods, 17.5% of American travelers in 2023 had someone in their party requiring accessibility services. The TravelAbility Emerging Market Summit empowers destinations, hospitality, and travel professionals to become more accessible.

There are 18 spots left for the Summit so register today.

Credit Card Scams and Jake Steinman: Changing the World of Accessible Travel

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Congratulations, Jake, on this well-deserved recognition! Who knew a credit card scam would change the face of accessible travel? Your work with Travelability and the Accessibility Playbook cannot be overestimated for the impact they have on tourism in 2024.

Here’s the link to the article in Northstar Meetings Magazine.  

2024 Preliminary EMS Agenda

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The Emerging Markets Summit is happening November 13-15th in San Francisco at the Argonaut Hotel.Click the link below to download the Preliminary Agenda-Times, topics and speakers are subject to change. The conference is close to sold out so if you have not yet registered click here.

2024Summit-updated-and-edited-v6.1-2Download

Disability Opportunity Fund Awards $250,000 in their own Shark Tank

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Group of 13 people posing with an oversized check bearing the Maidenbaum logo and standing in front of a Maidenbaum backdrop

Long Islanders typically cringe at the mention of sharks, but eight companies serving the disability community were thrilled to enter the Shark Tank in Garden City last month organized by the Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF). The fund gave out $250,000 during the pitch fest to support product development and job creation benefiting individuals with disabilities. First prize of $50,000 went to Valence Variations, which has developed an AI-powered app that can read and interpret a speaker’s emotions.

“Thank you so much to the Disability Opportunity Fund for this opportunity,” said Valence Vibrations Co-Founder and CEO Chloe Duckworth. “This capital is going to accelerate our growth to be able to support more neurodiverse people and help in building digital accessibility.”

The Shark Tank competition was part of the DOFs (DOF) 15th anniversary celebration. The evening also included a major funding announcement from the Maidenbaum Property Tax Reduction Group, which together with DOF awarded $75,000 in grants to 15 Long Island nonprofit organizations that support people with disabilities. Each organization received a $5,000 grant to continue and expand on their work. Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: Are Shark Tank competitions taking a bite out of the traditional phone book-sized grant proposal? (By the way, what’s a phone book?) That could be a welcome trend in the industry, particularly for the extroverts out there who make it look easy. Don’t be fooled: Pitching to an audience is still a lot of work and a lot of pressure.

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SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Your name and email will never be sold to 3rd parties.