TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Awareness

New Disability Entertainment Agency Debuts at Cannes Film Festival

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Outlyer logo over Cannes screening theater photo.

Australian singer and former X-Factor sensation Emmanuel Kelly has faced tremendous obstacles throughout his life. As a baby, he was found abandoned in a box on the border of Iraq. Due to the chemical warfare used in his community, he was born with underdeveloped limbs and has undergone multiple surgeries and intense rehabilitation. Those challenges did not stop him from following his dream to become a pop star, and he has since performed with Coldplay and opened for stars like Snoop Dog.

This year at the Cannes Film Festival, Kelly announced a new venture: Outlyer, an entertainment agency focused on driving inclusion through multichannel entertainment businesses. Kelly’s company aims to promote disability inclusion through a six-step process of education, empowerment, enablement, elevation, empathy and effectivity.

To learn more about this exciting new company, visit The Outlyer Group’s website.

Don’t Say That! 5 Taboos When Speaking to a Disabled Traveler

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Woman in wheelchair on a grassy area next to a water body.
Image courtesy CarrieAnnLightley.com.

“We’ve all encountered those awkward and unnecessary questions and comments from people about our disability or health condition. It’s bad enough when you’re in your own country, but what about when you travel abroad.”

In a unique article for Disability Horizons, travel blogger Carrie-Ann Lightley shares 5 things she’s had said to her when travelling that are definitely taboo.

Carrie-Ann has heard it all, “from questions about my medical condition to offers of miracle cures and declarations of how ‘brave’ and ‘lucky’ I am.” To see the full list of taboo questions Carrie-Ann has been asked while traveling, read her article in Disability Horizons.

Celebrity Cruises Using World-Renowned Photographers to Showcase Inclusive Travel

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A group of world-renowned photographers, including the iconic American portrait artist Annie Leibovitz, have joined Celebrity Cruises in a ground-breaking new project to change the people portrayed in travel marketing.

In the world of travel, “all-inclusive” generally means that everything on your vacation is included. But what about the deeper meaning of the term? When you look at images of travel, do they actually portray inclusivity? Do you see adequate representation of people with disabilities, or people from different ethnicities or LGBTQ+ groups?

The answer, often, is no. But through its “All-Inclusive Photo Project” (AIPP), Celebrity Cruises is seeking to make the people featured in its marketing materials more reflective of the global population.

Among the disabled people featured in this new marketing campaign are fashion model Jillian Mercado, who has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair, and Amy Conroy, a Paralympic wheelchair basketball player for Team Great Britain in the 2012 and 2016 Paralympic Games.

To learn more about the AIPP, check out the Celebrity Cruises blog.

How Not to Offend People with Disabilities When You Meet Them

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Wheelchair user, amputee and a woman playing cornhole outdoors.

In the United States alone, about 61 million, or 1 out of every 4 adults, live with at least one disability.

It’s probably safe to say that you know someone with a disability or might be disabled yourself. Not all of these disabilities are visible or readily apparent, and many involve learning, developmental, or intellectual disabilities.

So, how should we talk to and/or about this community of people?

Emily Ladau headshot.
Emily Ladau

NPR recently interviewed Emily Ladau, a writer and disability advocate who recently published Demystifying Disability: What to Know, What to Say, and How to be an Ally, to ask about her thoughts on the matter.

Ladau told NPR that while it isn’t disabled people’s responsibility to educate people without disabilities about the nuances of living with a disability, progress is made through dialogue. She strongly recommends that nondisabled people interact with the disabled people around them, to build relationships and learn from their experiences.

To read more about Ladau’s perspective, check out the full article at NPR.

Vroom, Vroom! Accessible Motorcycle Gang Roars to Life in India

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Group of disabled bikers in India.

Aameer Siddiqui was diagnosed with Post-Polio Residual Paralysis after his right leg became paralyzed at 18 months old. The disability didn’t stop Aameer – he earned an education and now works for India’s Department of Education.

In an effort to improve accessibility and inclusion in India, Aameer co-founded Eagle Specially Abled Riders in 2015. The group was established “with the aim of spreading awareness amongst people about social issues, and to draw attention towards disabled people,” said Aameer.

The accessible biker group completed the world’s longest accessible awareness ride in 2019, focusing on the ‘Importance of Education for Differently-Abled’. The 3,500km long ride began at India Gate in Delhi and went all the way to Gateway of India in Mumbai, before turning around and going back to India Gat. The journey was completed using scooters accessible to the riders’ disabilities.

The group, through its advocacy, is focused on improving the accessibility of tourist attractions and destinations. Ameer said: “An able-bodied person can use a ramp just as easily as stairs. Then what is the need for stairs? We must have ramps alone. The same goes for trains and buses. Buses have ramps only in the name; nobody waits long enough for us to use them.”

To read more about the Eagle Specially Abled Riders, check out the full story in Banega Swasth India.

OUR TAKE: The advocacy of Aameer and his motorcycle group is shifting the perception of disability in India, and it’s fantastic to see disabled people taking the lead on accessibility improvements!

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