The Intersection of Travel and Disability
Tourism is just one of Australia’s growth industries that faces workforce challenges. The National Skills Commission’s (NSC) 2022 Skills Priority List reveals national shortages of chefs, hotel/motel managers and tour guides. The accommodation and food services sector alone is predicted to account for 139,900 new jobs by November 2025. One way to address this skills shortage is to remove the barriers to tourism employment for people with disability. Read More.
On 19 and 20 November 2022, the True Colors Festival concert in Tokyo will bring together an international line-up of diverse singers, dancers, and musicians from around the world–including the fabulous Katy Perry.
They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure inclusivity for the concert event, in line with their mission to show what’s possible when it comes to disability and diversity. The concert will have sign language interpreters (for both Japanese Sign and International Sign), real-time subtitles and audio descriptions, and dedicated personnel on site for guests who need assistance.
Plus, for those who want to take part from home, it will be live-streamed for free as part of the True Colors Festival’s commitment to accessibility. Their website has been optimized to make it as inclusive as possible ahead of the event (compatibility with screen readers and switch control software, different pathways to necessary information using assistive technologies, and close vetting of all digital content to ensure accessibility).
Although Katy Perry is the headline act, the two-hour True Colors concert will feature over 90 performers. Read More.
Linda Ristagno, Assistant Director of External Affairs, International Air Transport Association (IATA), is the eighth recipient of the Open Doors Organization’s Disability Access Professional Award in recognition of her contributions to accessibility and equity in aviation. The ceremony took place on October 26, 2022, at ODO’s Universal Access in Aviation event, co-hosted this year by American Airlines at their Skyview Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
Linda joined IATA in 2010 and worked initially on various projects including Human Anti-Trafficking and various Cargo initiatives. Since 2018 Linda has devoted her energies to bringing accessibility to the forefront of all segments of IATA. Her tireless work led to the landmark 2019 IATA AGM Resolution on Passengers with Disabilities that committed IATA’s members to adopt policy and process principles to advance accessibility for passengers with disabilities. Read More.
Accessible gamers, this one’s for you. Street Fighter 6’s recent closed beta test has revealed a swathe of awesome accessibility features bound to greatly help those who need them.
The Street Fighter 6 closed beta, which ran from October 7 – 10 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, let players try the upcoming fighter online with the currently announced roster of world warriors. Content publisher at Riot Games, Kurominah, shared a screenshot of the game’s audio accessibility settings. And their findings showed an impressively robust suite of options. Read more.
The first parade of its kind in the state! The Disabled and Proud Parade of Kansas hit the streets on Saturday, July 23rd. Spearheaded by Kirstianna Guerrero, founder of the Disabled and Proud Foundation of Kansas and winner of Miss Amazing 2020, the parade’s goals were simple: to unite and celebrate the beauty and diversity of the disabled community while also creating awareness, visibility and acceptance in the state of Kansas.
It is safe to say that the event reached its objective. With celebration the main theme of the day, community members joined the parade to march around the capital building, showing their disabilities off with pride. The celebration culminated in a gathering behind the building with food and more festivity.
Though it was the first parade of its kind in the state, it certainly won’t be the last. Guerrero plans to move forward in making this an annual event. The question now: what other advocacy efforts will she implement for the community’s enjoyment in the future? Read more.
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