TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Advocates

Creating Events That Reduce Stigma About Cerebral Palsy Worldwide

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A young man with a baseball cap on and glasses is shown with a backdrop of a monument and the words Tuesday October 5 2020 World Cerebral Palsy Day.

When the Cerebral Palsy Foundation held a competition, a University of Virginia team crafted a solar-powered wheelchair prototype for the win. Read about it here. It is just one of the many ways that CPF builds awareness of medication, research, civil rights and opportunity during World Cerebral Palsy Day each year. There is still time to start planning an event for World CP Day in the U.S. on October 6, 2020. Learn more here.

OUR TAKE Thank you, Cerebral Palsy Foundation for continuing to support events that change the conversation around CP and disability. A whole different picture is emerging—about minds and bodies—as people with disabilities participate in hackathons, see films and participate in exercise programs, to name just a few. This year, leaning into student-driven virtual or socially distanced events in the community makes sense this fall, especially when many of American’s young leaders are sitting out the semester or sitting at home doing their work thanks to the pandemic. Learn more about World CP Day, here.

What Exactly Is Sensory-Friendly Shopping?

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Malls and shopping centers are struggling for business. Parents are stressed out trying to maintain some sense of calm in their homes during the pandemic. Together Champions Autism Network, a South Carolina based advocacy group,  created a Sensory-Friendly Shopping Days this August with Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach. Both local residents and visitors found it refreshing. Read more here

OUR TAKE  Use this ‘pause’ in business to learn more about sensory-friendly events and think of how to integrate simple sensory precautions at all of your events. The basic definition: fewer people and less buzz—loud music and fountains are off, people offering samples, crowded dressing, or bathrooms are all minimized. All of those things can feel like an assault on a child’s system, making shopping with them nearly impossible. 

Start by getting to know some of the local organizations that work with people with disabilities and ask them what they’d like to see. If the event is small and manageable, it should be do-able in the current pandemic. Use this socially distanced, sensory-friendly day of shopping for parents of children with autism as a model in your area.

We’re Proud to Introduce the Podcast “Explorable”

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An Expert Q&A Series You’ve Got To Add to Your Podcast Lineup

Explorable is a new podcast that is a collaboration between TravelAbility and Designsensory, a branding and marketing firm in Knoxville. Twice a month leaders in the accessible travel community will share their insights with Josh Loebner and Toby Willis, two blind members of TravelAbility’s Advisory board. Episode one kicks with John Morris, a triple amputee who, prior to Covid-19, traveled 320 days a year. John doesn’t pull any punches when it comes to his reviews of airlines, hotels, and destinations.

OUR TAKE: Collaboration is the future. This podcast came about when Loebner discussed having a live podcast studio at TravelAbility Summit. The goal: to interview speakers and thought leaders in the community. Great minds think alike! Toby Willis, a leader of the accessibility movement within Expedia had the same idea. We’ve all joined force and the result is truly worth a listen.

TravelAbility 2019 Insiders ‘On the Move’ In 2020

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Here’s what our fabulous 2019 attendees and Advisory Board Members have been up to since we last met in San Francisco.
Congratulations to….

Josh Loebner headshot

…Josh Loebner, Director of Strategy for DesignSensory, for partnering with TravelAbility Summit on the launch of a new podcast series, ExplorAble.

upper body shot of John wearing a navy jacket and blue shirt sitting inside a plane smiling, wearing glasses

…John Morris on launching his new Wheelchair Travel podcast series. This is in addition to his weekly reporting on travel issues, accessibility and COVID-19.

...Sylvia Longmire for winning first prize at the Indie Book Awards for her recently released travel guide: Everything You Need to Know About Wheelchair Travel.

headshot of ed Harris with suit and red tie smiling brown hair brown eyes

 …Ed Harris, who was Chief Marketing Officer for Valley Forge CVB when he presented at TAS 2019, on his appointment to President and CEO of Discover Lancaster.

…Julie Jones on her video interview with Tapooz Travel’s Lauren Roffe. 

headshot Cory lee in teeshirt smiling

…Cory Lee Woodard for the launch of a Facebook series of interviews with destinations from Rochester, NY to Tempe, Az, and Winnipeg, Manitoba.

 …Sara Emmert, Director of Tourism Policy for New York’s state tourism office who was among the five New Yorkers that attended TAS 2019, on the launch of their new I LOVE NY accessibility landing page. 

…Kathryn Inglin, TAS attendee and marketing strategy and communications executive for the Presidio Trust in San Francisco, for upgrading their accessibility offerings and becoming the first park in the U.S. to achieve the international Green Flag Award, which recognizes the highest standards of management, maintenance and development in the public parks and green spaces sector around the world.

…Eric Lipp, founder of Open Doors Organization, on the release of their new ODO/Harris Interactive, a study of travel by Americans with disabilities. A summary will debut at virtual TAS 2020. 

…Myron Pincomb, Board Chairman of IBCCES, on the launch of the IBCCES Teletherapy Certification program insuring the individuals and students with special needs have the support they need during the Covid-19 epidemic. 

5 Accessible Design Changes Most DMOs Don’t Think About (but should)

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group of adults some using a wheelchair some using a cane talk in the center of a large lobby

Before writer Brad McCannell explains five architectural changes that work for everyone, he points out his pet peeve. That would be when someone he is meeting with about building accessibility says, ‘I’m already accessible because my building meets code’. His story focuses on making meaningful changes to buildings. Read his full post, here.

OUR TAKE: A few facts to keep in mind when planning accessibility design in the age of concurrent pandemics, wildfires, tornadoes, and murderous hornet invasions. First, you’d best have an emergency plan for everyone, including people with disabilities. (The ADA law doesn’t stipulate that you must.)  Second, implementing a design that’s accessible for all should not only about wheelchair access. Second, according to the Centers for Disease Control, while it’s true that 13.7% of people with disabilities use a wheelchair. It’s on you to think about agility, hearing, vision, and cognition, too. Roughly 30 million Americans said they had difficulty climbing stairs or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches, or walker according to the last nationwide census.

To read more on this topic, visit our archive of disability advocates, here.