TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Advocates

Houston Vandergriff Named Official Photographer for the 2025 TravelAbility Summit

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A smiling man with glasses wearing an orange jacket holds a black camera while standing on a city street. Behind him is a blurred urban scene with historic brick buildings, parked cars, and a typical downtown streetscape.

We’re thrilled to announce that Houston Vandergriff of Downs and Towns has been named the official photographer for the 2025 TravelAbility Summit.

Houston is an award-winning photographer, advocate, traveler, and artist — a talented young man who also happens to have Down syndrome. He has a long history with TravelAbility, from supporting the movement early on, to speaking at the Summit, and joining the advisory board. This next step feels like a natural extension of a partnership built on shared vision and creativity.

Houston has traveled far and wide, capturing the beauty of the world through his lens. We’re excited to see the 2025 Summit through Houston’s eyes.

Planning Accessible FAM Trips: Expert Tips from the 2024 TravelAbility Summit

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Last year’s TravelAbility Summit brought together disability influencers, destinations, and travel professionals in hands-on sessions, panels, and networking opportunities. One highlight was the FAM trip presentation, designed to help destinations and creators get the most out of these collaborative experiences. It offered practical guidance on planning your first FAM trip and making the most of influencer collaborations.

Building on that momentum, the 2025 TravelAbility Summit will bring even more opportunities to connect and learn. Taking place October 13–15 at Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon, this year’s Summit features:

  • Panel discussions with industry leaders and influencers sharing best practices
  • Speed-dating sessions connecting destinations directly with creators
  • Hands-on training for growing influencers on how to work effectively with destinations

Watch the video and summary below from last year’s FAM Trip Presentation to help you to prepare for your first FAM trip, before booking your next influencer.

Summary

  • 📣 Reframing the Session Title – Introduction and highlighting that all fam trips—especially accessible ones—can be both tricky and rewarding to plan.
    ➤ Session Introduction
  • 🧳 Campaign with North Alabama – Highlights a 2025 yearlong campaign involving 10 creators to promote accessible experiences in North Alabama.
    ➤ North Alabama Campaign Overview
  • ✅ Basic Fam Trip Planning – Reviews essential planning steps: define objectives, carefully select creators, manage logistics, set content expectations, and measure ROI.
    ➤ Fam Planning Essentials
  • 💬 Matchmaker: Creators and Content – Urges planners to choose creators who align with their mission rather than just follower count, valuing niche engagement.
    ➤ Creator Alignment Strategy
  • 🛎️ Ensure True Accessibility – Check properties and activities for actual, not assumed, accessibility—including sensory needs—before the trip.
    ➤ Checking for True Accessibility
  • 🧠 Plan with Sensory Awareness – Discusses the importance of pacing and sensory-friendly planning to avoid overwhelming creators.
    ➤ Pacing & Sensory Inclusion
  • 🧍‍♂️ Train Partners on Etiquette – Educate hospitality partners on disability etiquette and guest preferences, down to details like greetings and interaction style.
    ➤ Partner Training on Inclusion
  • 🤝 Appoint On-Site Support – Assign a trained liaison to support creators during the visit, respecting personal boundaries and logistical needs.
    ➤ On-Site Support Role
  • ⌛ Create Space to Create – Schedule downtime for influencers to recharge and produce quality content, avoiding overstuffed itineraries.
    ➤ Build in Creation Time
  • 🏛️ Communicate Access Details Honestly – Inform creators of what is and isn’t accessible so they can decide how to engage with each experience.
    ➤ Transparent Access Communication
  • 🎁 Intentional Surprises & Emotional Hooks – Share examples of emotionally resonant experiences that built loyalty and lasting relationships with creators.
    ➤ Meaningful Surprise Stories
  • 📈 Share Results Widely – Encourage destinations to share content performance and creator praise to build future support and advocacy.
    ➤ Sharing & Advocacy

Insights Based on Numbers

  • 📊 ROI measurement and content repurposing are often neglected, undercutting the long-term value of influencer investments.
  • 🤝 Emotional experiences during trips drive ongoing creator advocacy—highlighting the power of authentic connection over logistics.

September Ambassador Report: On the Road with Kristy Durso

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Coffee and inclusion brewing in Colombia

Kristy Durso has seen plenty of destinations roll out the welcome mat for accessible tourism, but her recent trip to Colombia was something different: the country’s very first accessibility-focused FAM.

Hosted by PROColombia, the trip brought together a diverse group of travel professionals from the U.S., Spain, Portugal, and Argentina. Some were disability-owned travel agency leaders and some came armed with tape measures and accessibility checklists in hand.

Kristy was the only participant on the accessibility FAM trip with a physical disability, giving her a unique perspective on how theory translated into practice.

Over the course of the trip, the group explored three regions—each offering surprising accessibility in a country without ADA-style regulations. In the coffee region, Kristy rolled through a plantation, made chocolate, and sampled coffee alongside world-class cuisine in restaurants that were both inclusive and innovative. One standout stop: a holistic dining experience owned by a disabled entrepreneur, featuring healing foods and accessibility built into the very ethos of the restaurant.

The experiences were creative and immersive. A blind guide led a birdwatching tour. A ceremonial tree-planting introduced visitors to Colombia’s iconic wax palms—the world’s tallest palm species. Coffee and food tastings were reimagined as “blind” experiences, inviting guests to explore through senses beyond sight.

In Medellín, accessibility met adventure. A city tour using trike-style vehicles offered detachable motors, similar to Kristy’s Firefly, that clipped directly to manual wheelchairs. Riders could glide alongside their peers without transferring, simply detaching the motor when stopping at restaurants or attractions.

The trip wrapped up in Bogotá with strategic conversations. Kristy met with DMOs and hoteliers eager to learn what worked and what needed improvement. Her expertise was not only welcomed but invited—three tour operators asked her to collaborate on developing new accessible tour options, and PROColombia requested her ongoing partnership. 

Clic Air, a Colombian national airline, stood out above most U.S. airlines with their wheelchair policy. The carrier has a dedicated cabin space where rigid-frame wheelchairs can be safely secured for the entire flight. While passengers still transfer to their seat, the chair itself travels in-cabin—no questions asked.

Kristy returned from Colombia energized by both the progress already in motion and the genuine interest in building a more accessible future. With AFRO Tourism, LGBTQ+ travel, and now accessibility all priorities for PROColombia, the country is positioning itself as a leader in inclusive tourism across the Americas.

Kristy Durso is sitting in her wheelchair on the beach, smiling over her shoulder with the beautiful turquoise ocean in the background.

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.

Innovation of the Month: Scan Me Home

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ScanMeHome’s QR Code that Can Save Lives

The seventh annual INNOVATEAble highlighted groundbreaking ideas transforming how people with disabilities live and travel. The competition was close, with judges noting how tough it was to choose among such strong pitches. Taking second place was ScanMeHome, already making a huge impact for families living with autism. Below, founder Justin Behnke shares the story behind his innovation.

How ScanMeHome Came About

The idea for ScanMeHome came from my son, Jaxon. He’s nonverbal and autistic, and like many on the spectrum, he has intense sensory sensitivities. That meant wearables like GPS trackers or bracelets weren’t an option — he simply couldn’t tolerate them. Yet the fear of him wandering off and not being able to tell anyone who he was or how to reach me kept me awake at night.

I realized there was nothing in the marketplace that could meet his needs. Families like mine were left without a practical, immediate way to reconnect if their loved one got lost. That’s when I started building ScanMeHome: a simple, universal solution that doesn’t rely on batteries, devices, or apps — just a QR code that anyone can scan to instantly connect to a parent or caregiver.

The Problem it Solves

ScanMeHome bridges the dangerous communication gap when someone can’t speak for themselves. In those critical moments — whether it’s at an airport, a beach, a theme park, or even a neighborhood walk — a quick scan of the code gives first responders, staff, or good Samaritans immediate access to contact details and instructions to help reunite families.

Use Cases

  • Families: Parents of children with autism or other communication challenges.
  • Seniors: Those living with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
  • Travel & Tourism: Airports, hotels, and attractions offering ScanMeHome to guests, creating safer and more inclusive travel experiences.
  • Schools, camps, and events: Adding a layer of safety in group settings where wandering risks are high.

For families
Memberships start at $9.95/month or $99/year, with a 7-day free trial. During the trial, families can immediately access ScanMeHome by printing their own digital QR code or ordering iron-on tags.

For destinations & organizations
ScanMeHome also offers bulk membership programs as well as flexible short-term visitor passes, making it easy for destinations and partners to provide added safety and inclusion to the communities and travelers they serve.

At its heart, ScanMeHome was built so families like mine can experience the world with less fear and more freedom — knowing there’s always a way home.

What Would You Do? 

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Each month we address various accessibility issues that may arise within the TravelAbility community. 

What Would You Do?

Imagine you’re no longer allowed to use the words “inclusion,” “equity,” “DEI,” or “diversity” in any of your marketing or communications. How would you propose programs or initiatives that are designed to welcome and serve everyone? What alternative words or language would you use to describe those efforts?

Responses: Insider Editor, Jennifer Allen Responds

Surprisingly, we didn’t have many responses come in for this real-world problem. Perhaps it’s a little too real and a little too daunting. As someone who is actively facing this challenge, I thought I would share what I’m doing personally. It does seem strange to promote the idea that all are welcome, while deleting the terms that state it clearly, but it’s a necessity that many of us are facing.

I’m currently reworking a presentation that had been titled “Seeing the World Through Inclusion-Colored Glasses.” While it was a little tempting to replace each instance of “inclusion” with a “#!?!” to show that a “bad word” was being left out, I opted for a clearer message. I could have just replaced each I-word with “accessible,” but that isn’t what I mean. Inclusion isn’t just being able to get in and get around: it’s being made a part of all the action. 

If a program is designed to welcome and serve everyone – that’s exactly what I’ll say. If I mean that there are no stairs, I’ll say there are no stairs. If a concert hall is being inclusive through their sensory options, hearing loops, and audio descriptions I’ll describe what they’re offering. The label may not be needed when we understand how people are being welcomed and made a part of all that is being offered.

In some ways, maybe being forced to use descriptions instead of labels will be helpful to the disability community. No one likes the hotel IG posts that praise an “accessible room” without saying anything about it, because accessibility looks different for everyone. “Inclusive” used to be a feel-good label that said all were welcome. Instead, it’s time to show just how we’re truly welcoming all.

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