TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Adaptive Sports

What Does an Adaptive Bike Fest Look Like?

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A woman on a golf course strapped into an electric bike/wheelchair at a bike fest testing event

Sponsors Alpine Electric Bikes and Capital Bike teamed up with RAD to put on the free Adaptive Bike Fest in September, which featured everything from hand cycles to guided bike rides to bike and wheelchair tune-ups.

Organizers said the event was aimed at showing how accessible getting outside and having fun can be, even for those with limited mobility, and providing an opportunity to try out the often hard-to-find accessible equipment without cost. Read more.

TravelAbility Takeaway: Great idea for an event that celebrates new mobile options and emphasizes the fun side of being outdoors on a set of wheels.

Actors With Intellectual Disabilities Steal the Show in “Champions”

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Five actors with disabilities, including Down Syndrome, wearing basketball uniforms huddle in a scene from the film "Champions"

Never mind Woody Harrelson. The real standouts of the movie Champions, directed by Bobby Farrelly and adapted from a Spanish film by Mark Rizzo, are the actors who portray the Friends basketball team.

“As a writer, you hope that the actors like the material and that they elevate it in some way,” Rizzo said in a recent interview. “In this film, each and every member of the cast did exactly that. I was blown away by how the funny scenes were just funnier with them in them. They made brilliant choices that I could not have imagined.”

Woody Harrelson plays a tough minor-league coach whose dream of working in the NBA is derailed when he is court-mandated to work with a team of players with intellectual disabilities, the Friends.

Rizzo said his goal was to allow plenty of room for the young actors to make the creative choices necessary for bringing their characters to life.

“For me, it was making sure that the disabled people in the movie carried as much story and as much agency as the non-disabled people. That was really my sole focus. I wanted to give them as many choices and emotional arcs as any other character would have.” Read more.

TravelAbility Takeaway: Who doesn’t love a good underdog sports movie? Harrelson is convincing in the Tom Hanks “there’s-no-crying-in baseball-role”, but the movie is stolen by the team of actors with intellectual disabilities. They are at once funny and believable. Note: Both the original Spanish film and the American remake draw inspiration from the true story of the Aderes basketball team, a Valencia-based team of players with intellectual disabilities who who win multiple championships in Spain.

Travel Oregon Awards 3.6 Million in Grants for Inclusive Tourism

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Woman using a wheelchair on a beach with steep cliffs rising out of the ocean

As part of an ongoing and far-reaching statewide initiative, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects.

The grants program targets funding for accessibility and inclusivity for underserved and under-resourced communities including people with disabilities, BIPOC, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes and LBGTQIA+. Funded projects reflect and align with Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures—and must improve tourism infrastructure or enhance promotion of accessible and inclusive tourism.

“To say I’m inspired by the potential of this year’s grant awards would be an understatement,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “Upon completion, each project will make a substantial impact on the accessibility and inclusivity of the tourism industry in Oregon, supporting Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination for all where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: No question that Oregon is one of the key states to watch for leadership on inclusive and accessible travel. As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon had the largest contingent of attendees at the Emerging Markets Summit in Savannah in August, with more than 30 staffers. They are using the TravelAbility network to great advantage, studying model initiatives from around the country and the world and turning that research into sustainable practice.

Dubai Makes Night Swimming Possible for People with Disabilities

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Dubai had announced the opening of three new beaches for night swimming in May 2023. Now, authorities have made these beaches accessible to people of determination. Residents and tourists can swim on these beaches anytime — even after sunset.

The Dubai Municipality has equipped the beaches with lighting systems and electronic information panels and has now employed dedicated services for people of determination. The beaches will have qualified cadres of rescuers and supervisors to ensure a comfortable and safe night swimming experience for all.

New signs have been installed pointing out the beaches are now accessible to people of determination. The beaches have been fitted with special ramps to ease movement to the beach. A ‘Beach Floating Wheelchair’ has been allocated, further expanding beach accessibility. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Beaches have always been one of the most challenging destinations for people with mobility needs. Dubai has gone beyond the standard beach wheelchair and mobi mat to truly welcome all to enjoy the full beach experience.

Double Amputee Conquers Mt. Everest

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Our Takeaway: Showing that no challenge – not even Nepal’s outlawing of climbers with a disability – was too great a challenge for Hari Magar. After returning victorious from summiting the 29,032-foot mountain, he announced his next challenge will be to dedicate the rest of his life to helping others who have a disability conquer their own life goals.   

Former Gurkha soldier living in Britain, Hari Budha Magar, climbed Mount Everest last week, making him the first double above-the-knee amputee to accomplish the feat.

“My main aim for the rest of my lifetime is going to be working to bring awareness about disability,” says Mr. Magar, speaking to journalists from the Associated Press on his return to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal.

Hundreds of supporters and officials, including Nepal’s tourism minister, were there to meet him at Kathmandu’s airport and offer him garlands. He left the airport in an open truck decorated with flowers, waving to people along the way.

“We all have our own weaknesses and disabilities, but instead of the weaknesses we should be focusing on our strength, and only then, we can all lead a better and meaningful life,” he says.

Mr. Magar lost both of his legs in Afghanistan during his time in the British army, when he accidentally stepped on an improvised explosive device in 2010. He was born in a remote mountain village in Nepal and now lives with his family in the United Kingdom.

Hari has previously dealt with legal issues because Nepal’s government had banned people with a disability from climbing high mountains. A case was filed in the Supreme Court to overturn the ban, allowing Mr. Magar to continue his plan to climb Everest. Read More.