TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Adaptive Sports

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.

TravelAbility and Becoming RentABLE Launch a Disability Events Calendar

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image of a calendar with 3 call-outs of disability events happening in May
TravelAbility and Becoming RentABLE are proud to announce the launch of a new calendar of events for disability conferences, events, and para sports events in North America. This collaboration aims to provide a comprehensive resource for individuals with disabilities and destinations so that they can prepare their stakeholders for upcoming events. The full calendar will be available on both the TravelAbility web site and Becoming RentAble web-site.

The calendar will include a wide range of events, from conferences on accessibility and inclusion to para sports competitions. The goal is to provide a one-stop-shop for individuals with disabilities to find events that interest them and provide opportunities for networking, learning, and fun.

“Disability has never had more visibility to the mainstream,” said Becoming RentAble CEO, Lorraine Woodward.  “Providing information about adaptive sports events and conferences creates networking and relationship building opportunities for a community that is woefully underserved.”

“We are thrilled to be working with Becoming RentAble on this project,” added TravelAbility founder, Jake Steinman. “Our goal is to raise awareness among destinations that hosting adaptive events and disability conferences provides an excellent opportunity to educate their hotels, attractions, restaurants about how to serve these visitors in a way that is welcoming and inclusive for everyone, and this calendar is a big step towards achieving that.”
The calendar will be available on both the TravelAbility.net and BecomingRentAble.com websites and will be regularly updated with new events.  
Stay tuned for more information on this exciting collaboration!
 
If you know of an upcoming event in your destination add it to the calendar . Listings are a free service for the community.

New Saudi Ultra-Luxury Resort Caters to the High-End Disabled Traveler

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photo of a man. seen from the back with a prosthetic leg wearing a wet-suit, carrying a surfboard and heading into the ocean

Our Takeaway: The Saudis have suddenly awakened to the fact that they will run out of oil in the year 2344, and, following the example of Dubai,  they’re building an infrastructure around aging gazillionaires who love to travel in the lap of luxury.

Red Sea Globalhas promised the giga project will be entirely disability friendly.

The developer, backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, will add ramps and accessible rooms at all its hotels, but also offer adaptive diving experiences and make sure that people with disabilities can stay in the “more challenging” accommodations, such as the Desert Rock Mountain Resort.  

RSG group CEO John Pagano said: “If we are truly going to do better for people and the planet, we can’t leave anyone behind. There are approximately 1.3 billion disabled people globally. It is not only totally inexcusable for our industry to exclude so many people, but commercially short-sighted.” Read More.