TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Awareness

Australia’s Destination Gold Coast Launches Accessible Travel Trade Show, Conference, and Visitor’s Guide

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A man and a woman smiling while working at an exhibit booth promoting Australia's Gold Coast at the recent Summit.

The event welcomed over 120 agents, with some 20 Destination Gold Coast members— including Gold Coast-based accommodation providers, attractions and tour operators—providing an update on new developments and attractions while highlighting accessible tourism. (The article includes a download link to a 150-page guide to accessible travel options throughout the Gold Coast.) Read more. 

Our Takeaway: Nice to see our Summit concept taking hold Down Under!  Change to:  Australia had long been a leader in the accessible travel space and with the launch of this accessibility conference,  Destinations Gold Coasts is taking the lead in educating stakeholders about accessibility in their detonation.and proving them with the tools to serve travelers with disabilities. Special Bonus: There is a free download of their  Accessibility Guide for The Gold Coast which provides an easy to use summary of accommodations, attractions and public parks.

Travel Michigan’s Dave Lorenz Wins National Award as State Travel Director

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Dave Lorenz, State Tourism Director of the Year,. speaking at a podium at ESTO. (Photo Credit: U.S. Travel Association)

Travel Michigan’s Dave Lorenz has been named the State Travel Director of the year for 2023 by U.S. Travel’s National Council of State Tourism Directors If the Council had a Triple Crown Award, Dave would probably win that too. Not only has he revitalized the state’s tourism industry (and he has the stats to prove it), he has also played a leading role in accessibility and sustainability. Under Dave’s Leadership, Travel Michigan invested in developing a website promoting accessible travel options in the state, and recently launched a grant program to encourage local destinations to improve accessibility for disabled travelers. And in his spare time he has championed sustainability by promoting the expansion of electric vehicles throughout the state. 

“Dave was the first travel director in the country to recognize the potential for accessible travel,” commented Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility. “And through his leadership, Michigan was the first state to provide matching coop marketing to DMO’s for accessibility assessments. A true visionary.” Read more.

Our Takeaway:  The Council could not have chosen a more deserving recipient of the award than Dave Lorenz. We’re proud to claim Dave as a member of TravelAbility’s Advisory Board for the past five years. He puts into action our core principles of accessibility leadership and innovative marketing.

Utilizing Influencers to Market Your Destination’s Accessibility

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photo ofTravel Influencer panel at the Emerging Markets Summit Kristy Durso in a wheelchair wearign red dress adn cowboy boots, Cory Lee in his power wheelchair wearing khaki pants adn a green shirt, Chelsea Bear on her scooter wearing a floral printed shirt, Jennifer Allen sitting in a chair wearing a white sweater and floral print jumpsuit, Houston Vandergriff wearing brown pants and a white shirt

(L-R): Kristy Durso, Incredible Memories; Cory Lee, Curb Free with Cory Lee; Chelsea Bear, The Real Chelsea Bear, Jennifer Allen, Wonders within Reach; Houston Vandergriff, Downs and Towns.

By Jennifer Allen

Disability travel influencers are changing the face of inclusion in travel. They offer destinations a unique opportunity to simultaneously promote and improve inclusion. Four influencers of diverse backgrounds came together at the 2023 Travelability Summit to share insights on how a DMO can partner with influencers for growth and change.

Jennifer Allen, of Wonders Within Reach shared “First, it’s a celebration of an accessible destination. I love to share places that families like mine can do with minimal obstacles. That’s worth sharing. Second, I create content for better representation and inclusion. We’re naturally drawn to places that reflect who we are – and a place that showcases wheelchair users shows me that it’s a place I can visit! So we create media for the destination’s content as well as for our own page. Third, we love to help improve inclusion as we go. A lot of destinations aren’t sure how accessible they are or are not, so we give feedback as we go, so that the destination can improve. We use a combination of things from video to photos to blog posts and articles.”

These strategies were consistent across panelists, showing the trifecta of change initiated by partnering with disability travel influencers – in addition to creating DMO marketing materials, they bring their own audience to the mix and offer constructive feedback to improve the visitor experience for all.

Cory Lee Woodard – Founder of Curb Free Cory Lee – Wheelchair Travel

Since starting his disability travel blog ten years ago, Cory Lee has visited every continent and built an impressive platform of information for wheelchair travelers. He is often the go-to for wheelchair travel information, because of his vast experiences. Facebook is his most engaged platform, with 65k followers. He has similarly high numbers on Instagram.

His favorite DMO partnerships are when he’s offered unique experiences, like adaptive skiing and rock wall climbing. It’s great to be able to experience, and showcase, a world of travel that goes beyond the standard museums and tourist attractions.

Cory has an organized pricing structure, starting at $1,000 a day, that makes it easy for DMOs to assemble a partnership.

Chelsea Bear – Content Creator behind Real Chelsea Bear – Scooter Travel

While Chelsea may seem newer to the scene of content creation,she grew her social media from 1K to 315K+ followers organically in just two years Chelsea. She has built a large following through sharing life through the lens of Cerebral Palsy, and she recently hit 100k subscribers on YouTube. More recently, she has begun utilizing that platform to share accessible travel adventures. She brings that same perspective to the travel industry, highlighting accessibility and improving inclusion through representation.

What she appreciates most from DMO’s is when they’re open to feedback when it comes to accessibility. “I never expect anywhere to be fully 100% accessible, but the most important thing to me is when the people are willing to listen and make changes. For example, I went to a restaurant once that didn’t have a ramp at the front so instead I had to go into the building through a backdoor that was completely out of the way. The owner took my feedback and worked with the city to get approval to add a ramp along the curb to create an easier access point for people who use wheelchairs. I think it makes such a difference!”

Her travel content follows the theme of her lifestyle content – sharing genuine and authentic content that creates a comfortable space for productive conversations.

Chelsea’s costs vary, since she works with each destination to create a customized approach based on the DMOs current marketing needs. She’s typically willing to work with different DMO’s and squeeze in as much as she can for their allotted budget, but it really depends overall.

Houston Vandergriff – Founder of Downs and Towns – Intellectual Disabilities Travel

Houston’s specialty is top notch photography. He’s traveled to 29 countries, 49 states, and all 95 Tennessee counties. His biggest platform is TikTok, with over 417k followers, and more than 7 million likes. He travels with his mom, Katie, and they’ve had front row seats to the changing attitudes of disability inclusion in the travel world. 

They’re favorite part of working with DMOs is contributing to the growing awareness for people with disabilities. They spoke about the importance of awareness in changing attitudes. Katie expressed that, “Showing a diverse range of travelers lets everyone be able to imagine themselves able to do the same thing. It’s empowering on an entirely different level.”  

When asked about their price scale, Houston’s mom, Katie, responded, “We’ll travel for food, and our bags are always packed!” They’re an incredible team, always up for an adventure.

Jennifer Allen – Founder of Wonders Within Reach – Caregiver and Family Travel

When Jennifer received the diagnosis that her son would never walk, she envisioned herself spending the rest of his life trapped in their playroom. She had no idea that they could live life to the fullest with a wheelchair, because she had never seen someone else doing it. As she began to rediscover the world with a wheelchair user, she began to share the experience so that other parents wouldn’t have to learn the hard way. She built her audience through connecting with other parents who are trying to figure out how to get back to exploring and has an audience of 20k between Instagram and returning blog readers. 

Jennifer enjoys featuring the family fun side of accessible destinations, from trails and outdoor activities, to children’s museums and theme parks.

Jennifer’s prices are as diverse as her packages, since she does a combination of photography, video, UGC, content creation, and writing. Single posts for attractions start at $175.

An influencer campaign is a great marketing opportunity, since they offer a package deal of model/photographer/videographer, and sometimes writer, for one price. Influencers also  automatically extend the reach of a destination’s audience through their own connections within the disability community. All four influencers agreed that their favorite partnerships were with DMOs who showed a genuine interest in inclusion. Cory Lee even had an experience when he was asked to present his findings to the destinations leaders after his trip. They would all love to see this become a normal part of collaborations, because that’s where change comes from.

The Problem: Reaching the disability community with marketing efforts and representing diversity.

The Solution: Working with disability influencers to improve accessibility and spread the word.

Cory Lee:

Chelsea Bear:

Houston Vandergriff:

Jennifer Allen

  • Family travel (caregiver)
  • Over 12k IG followers and wide blog readership
  • Varied pricing by package, starting in low $100’s
  • jennifer@wonderswithinreach.com 

It’s a S**t Show: Disabled Travelers Share their Worst Memory

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photo of panelists at Emerging Markets Summit including Toby Willis, Dan Tobin, Houston Vandergriff and Becky Large

By Jennifer Allen

There’s nothing more powerful than learning from mistakes. Four disabled travelers took the stage at the Travelability Summit to share their worst experiences, and what the travel industry can learn from them. Here’s who shared, and what we can take away from their experiences.

Cory Lee, Founder, Curb Free with Cory Lee

Cory Lee is arguably the biggest name in disability travel. As a travel blogger, adventurer, and full-time wheelchair user who has visited all seven continents, you can bet that he has some stories to tell. Through his blog and social media platforms, he provides valuable insights into various destinations, offering advice on accessible attractions, accommodations, transportation, and more.

Cory was traveling for his work with his blog when he was given an “accessible” room that had a twelve inch step to enter. When he called to arrange for a new room, he was told that he could figure something out. It ended up being an ordeal to move to a different hotel that had a room that was meant for his power chair.

The big takeaway here has little to do with physical accommodations and everything to do with disability awareness and attitudes. The person on the other end of the phone couldn’t get their mind around the fact that he couldn’t just hop his heavy chair up a large step. We train people to ask questions, which is a great starting place, but they also need to accept the answers as what they are.

Toby Willis, Sr. Product Manager, Expedia

Toby Willis is currently building an inclusive travel product strategy and vision for the Expedia Group Marketplace division. The goal is to help travelers from marginalized backgrounds feel safe, welcome and understood. Accessible travel is at the heart of this effort. He is also a founder and current President of the Ability Inclusion Movement, which is the first Expedia employee resource group to give voice and representation to Disabled employees with a diverse range of accessibility requirements. 

As a frequent traveler with vision loss, Toby has had his share of rough experiences. The one that sticks out most in his memory was when he was denied entrance to a hotel because of his service dog… repeatedly. At the end of a long travel day, the last thing you want to do is try to find a hotel that will accept you. On his third try, a hotel clearly labeled as “pet-friendly” let him in.

Similar to the way we educate people that a wheelchair is a mobility impaired person’s legs, a service dog is a part of the body for someone with vision loss. The dog cannot simply be left behind any more than a part of the body could be stashed in the coat room. The dog is not a pet, it is an essential.

Dan Tobin – Traveler with Parkinsons

Dan Tobin is a versatile writer and editor with deep experience in journalism, educational publishing, and nonprofit communication. He’s also a frequent traveler who has Parkinsons.

Dan’s travel nightmare was a fall in a hotel shower. The shower didn’t have a mat or tread strips and as soon as he stepped in, he wiped out. He was unable to move for a while, but eventually forced himself up because he knew his daughter was on her way to the hotel, and he didn’t want her to find him that way.

Dan’s story is a great example of how little differences go a long way in accessibility. A bath mat or shower strips aren’t a big financial investment, but they make a big difference in safety.

Houston Vandergriff, Founder, Downs and Towns

Houston Vandergriff is a travel photographer based in Knoxville, Tennessee.  He has traveled far and wide with the simple vision of making the world a better place through inspiring others to live life to the fullest and to live life with compassion.

Houston, and his mom, Katie, have been to 26 countries and 49 states and have experienced a changing world as accessibility and inclusion have become more mainstream. Their worst story was from a flight with family, when a cousin’s son who has autism and Down syndrome got sick on a plane. No one helped. They cleaned everything themselves, without even a flight attendant offering so much as a napkin. And after they got everything cleaned up she accidentally left her bag with all their clothes on the plane and they wouldn’t let her go back. The experience spoke to the attitudes and lack of awareness of both the crew and passengers. 

Thankfully, their next hardest travel moment was redeemable. They left the camera… with all of the trip pictures… on a train in Italy. They cried and tried to move on. Incredibly, the police department called and everything had been handed in, unharmed. The police officer’s daughter happened to know Houston from Instagram, and reached out to them after the fact to make the connection. This became another example for them of how the attitude towards people with special needs is becoming more open. There’s an awareness that they didn’t see before, and it makes all the difference.

The main thread that all four travelers kept coming back to was the need for training. They all agreed that was the number one way for destinations to improve. Patience, kindness, and understanding go further than any other accessibility initiative.

The Problem: Travel can be a nightmare for disabled travelers

Solution: Enhancing Accessibility and Attitudes in Travel Experiences

  • Prioritize disability awareness training for travel industry personnel to bridge gaps in understanding.
  • Educate staff about the diverse nature of disabilities and encourage open communication with travelers.
  • Emphasize that service animals are essential to individuals with disabilities, not merely pets.
  • Invest in simple safety measures like bath mats and tread strips in showers to prevent accidents.
  • Implement clear guidelines for handling emergencies involving disabled passengers, ensuring timely assistance.
  • Foster an inclusive and compassionate environment through training, promoting patience and understanding.
  • Recognize the importance of service animals as extensions of the disabled traveler and vital companions.
  • Promote awareness of accessibility requirements for individuals with Parkinson’s and other mobility challenges.
  • Encourage the adoption of accessibility initiatives beyond compliance to ensure the comfort and safety of disabled travelers.
  • Develop standardized protocols for handling incidents involving disabled travelers, ensuring prompt and respectful assistance.
  • Elevate the role of training in transforming attitudes towards disabled travelers, fostering empathy and inclusivity.

Unlocking Hidden Potential: The Power of Partnering with Local Disability Organizations in the Travel Industry

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Kristy Durso wearing a red dress adn seated in a wheelchair speaks with Neul LIgon, the Executive Director of the Center for Independent Living Savannah

By Jennifer Allen

Neil Ligon spoke at the 2023 Travelability Summit to share the hidden gem of a resource that the travel industry often overlooks: local disability organizations. Destinations are often wondering what they’re missing, seeking accessibility assessments, and struggling with marketing to the disability community, all while overlooking the free resource of local experts. These organizations, dedicated to supporting individuals with disabilities, offer a wealth of insights and opportunities that can greatly benefit destinations, businesses, and travelers alike. Neil shed some light on the untapped potential these partnerships hold.

Neil Ligon passionately believes that accessibility should not be confined to mere survival; it should extend to recreation, life enrichment, and the holistic well-being of all individuals. Travel, a fundamental aspect of life, should be accessible to everyone. Neil’s own experiences have shown him the transformative power of travel, especially in places like national parks that inspire imagination and offer new challenges and opportunities. 

One of the most significant hurdles lies in the perception of people with disabilities as individuals with different needs. Neil emphasizes that all people, regardless of ability, share fundamental needs, desires, and aspirations. It’s a common misconception that people with disabilities require heroes to guide them; what they truly need are opportunities, tools, and the freedom to pursue their dreams without others dictating how they should do so. When we’re trying to market to all travelers, all has got to mean all. 

So, where should the travel industry start in harnessing the potential of local disability organizations? Neil’s advice is simple: start with coffee and conversations. He highlights that the onus is on the travel industry to initiate contact. Nonprofit organizations, which are often resource-constrained, hold essential knowledge about barriers, expectations, and limiting factors. Start with looking up your “Independent Living Network,” “Statewide Independent Living Council,” “Centers for Independent Living,” or “Agency on Aging,” then make a phone call. Your office of aging may be the missing link in promoting travel – they work with seniors who have the funds, the time, and the priorities to make travel dreams a reality. Just call the general line and tell them you’d like to have a conversation about accessible travel. “We get excited about this, and we know who is in the best position for the conversation. You always need a champion, and the person on the phone will know who that is.”

The symbiotic nature of this partnership becomes evident when considering the invaluable local perspective these organizations offer. They can provide local guides who can show you insights into barriers, expectations, and the specific needs of their community. They can help with marketing strategies by sharing what’s already working in the disability community. By engaging in dialogue, both sides can unlock a universe of opportunities. and help tailor experiences to meet the unique needs of this demographic. Conversely, you can reignite the imagination that has been lost in the struggle of getting from point a to point b every day.

Neil highlights a systemic issue in the benefits system that restricts many individuals with disabilities from pursuing their travel dreams. The paradox of needing to remain asset-poor to qualify for certain benefits creates barriers to saving for travel. Neil suggests innovative solutions like trips on layaway to make travel more financially accessible. He also reminds us not to overlook the extensions of the disabled traveler  – they often travel with family or caregivers. A 50th wedding anniversary trip could involve an extended family, all needing an accessible trip. Engaging in conversations, asking questions, and understanding the challenges can lead to meaningful solutions.

As Neil aptly puts it, disability is a part of the lived experience that impacts us all differently. By demonstrating the possibilities and showing that accessible travel is achievable, a tipping point can be reached. People who experience accessible travel will share their stories, becoming the best advertisement for destinations and businesses that prioritize inclusivity.

Neil was grateful for the opportunity to share at the summit, and emphasized the common thread of connection. The essence of travel is connection—with each other and with the world. Local disability organizations also serve as natural connectors, aligning with the core values of the travel industry. By embracing these partnerships, destinations can enrich their offerings, amplify inclusivity, and create lasting connections that benefit everyone. 

Neil’s insights remind us that as the travel industry evolves, so should our perception of accessibility. By embracing local disability organizations as allies, destinations can tap into a world of opportunity that leads to a more inclusive and enriching travel experience for all.

The Problem: Inaccessible destinations and a lack of connection to disabled travelers

Solution: Partnering for Inclusivity:

  • Recognize Valuable Insights:
    • Local disability organizations offer crucial knowledge about barriers and expectations.
  • Empower Shared Goals:
    • Disabled travelers seek enriching experiences, not just survival.
  • Challenge Misconceptions:
    • Disabled travelers desire opportunities, not heroics.
  • Initiate Productive Conversations:
    • Engage nonprofits for mutually beneficial partnerships.
  • Leverage Local Wisdom:
    • Gain insights into community needs and effective marketing strategies.
  • Break Financial Barriers:
    • Innovate solutions like layaway trips for affordability.
  • Foster Advocates:
    • Empowered travelers become promoters of inclusive businesses.
  • Celebrate Connections:
    • Travel thrives on connections; disability organizations amplify this.
  • Enrich Through Collaboration:
    • Embrace partnerships to enhance accessibility and inclusivity.