Kristy Durso describes September as another “lightish month” that brought powerful change. She joined a group of 12 other influencers and disability advocates in Colorado for a real-world accessibility workshop with Wheel the World.
“We had a short accessibility workshop with the Colorado Tourism Board and several of the cities around that have started partnerships with accessibility,” Kristy explained. Representatives from Colorado Springs, Denver, Boulder, Red Rocks, and other Colorado destinations participated in the discussions.
Kristy gave a brief keynote, while other speakers, like Julie Tallman from Breakthrough Sports, shared how adaptive recreation transforms lives. “She spoke quite a bit about the impact of sports on her son who has disabilities,” Kristy said, noting the parallels with the work of the National Sports Center for the Disabled.
Experiencing Accessibility in Colorado
The trip wasn’t all meetings—there was plenty of immersive, adaptive adventure. The group toured the Red Rocks museum, explored Meow Wolf, rolled through Boulder, and even practiced adaptive yoga. “The amount of equipment they had, everything they had to make that accessible, was incredible,” Kristy said.
Adaptive kayaking and paddle boarding may have been the biggest hit. “They had tons of different kayaking options,” Kristy explained. “They accommodated every level of disability—from kayaks with full chairs already installed to paddleboards.” Even Kristy’s dog, Gulliver, joined in for his first paddleboard ride.
At Brewability, a fully accessible brewery staffed by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, Kristy had one of those moments that remind us why we do what we do. “We rolled up to a table that had a large group of wheelchair users sitting at it. They were patients from Craig Hospital, some just weeks out from injury. It was really special to get to talk to them and encourage them about life after disability.”
Challenging Barriers at Stadiums
Back home, Kristy found herself in the middle of another advocacy moment: booking tickets for the Air Force–Army football game. While professional stadiums have made strides in accessibility, she discovered college venues still lag behind.
“There’s no accessibility tab to filter for just the accessible seating,” Kristy said. “You have to click on every section and look to see if there’s accessible seating there, and I had to call when I wasn’t able to find what we needed. It was a much harder process than it needed to be.”
Worse, the stadium initially told her only two people—one wheelchair user and one companion—could sit together. Kristy pushed back:
That’s not the way this is going to work. Unless you’re requiring that of everybody who books, this is discrimination.
After asking for a manager—and then that manager’s manager—she finally secured accessible seating for her full party of five. But she’s determined to push for systemic change. Her proposal is simple: “Implement an accessibility feature on the website. Ask whether someone will stay in their wheelchair or transfer into a seat. Both are legal accommodations, and both are legal questions to ask. That would eliminate so many problems.”
Meet Kristy: Kristy is a writer, speaker, and disability travel advisor. She has experience across multiple disabilities traveling as a wheelchair user with a pace-maker along with her children with intellectual disabilities, autism, ADHD, and over 30 food allergies.
As TravelAbility’s ambassador, she networks and speaks around the globe to promote accessibility and inclusion in the travel space.
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