TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Disability Awareness

Rethinking Accessibility Survey Highlights How Travel Industry Partners Can Better Share Accessibility Features Already in Place

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In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), TravelAbility has released a new nationwide survey to spark a shift in how accessibility is presented across the U.S. tourism sector.

The Uncovering Accessibility survey, part of TravelAbility’s ongoing “Rethinking Accessibility” campaign collected responses from 143 tourism businesses, including hotels, attractions, restaurants, museums, and outdoor recreation providers. The goal: to better understand the accessibility features already in place and how they are (or aren’t) being communicated to travelers.

What the results revealed is encouraging: many businesses already offer inclusive features—but aren’t promoting them.

“Travelers with disabilities aren’t just looking for compliance—they’re looking for clarity. The ADA mandates certain physical features, but there’s no ADA for information. People with disabilities often have to guess what will or won’t work for them. That’s why Accessibility Landing Pages are so important—they help travelers discover what they can do, not what they can’t.”

– Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility

Key Findings from 143 Respondents

  • 85% offer step-free entry
  • 81% have accessible restrooms
  • 81% offer ramps or elevators
  • 68% provide accommodations for blind or low-vision guests, such as braille signage or audio guides
  • 60% offer features for deaf or hard of hearing travelers, including hearing loops or text transcripts
  • 44% offer sensory-friendly features such as calm spaces, sensory bags, or quiet hours
  • Yet 78% do not have a dedicated accessibility page on their website

In other words: accessibility is happening—it’s just not being shared.

This Isn’t About Perfection, It’s About Visibility

From large print menus and calm rooms to free pet stays for service dogs, many businesses already offer helpful features. An Accessibility Landing Page brings that information together in one place—helping guests plan confidently while showcasing the efforts of local businesses.

Simple, Scalable Steps for Progress

The report also highlights accessible features that businesses can easily promote—many of which are low-cost or already in place:

  • Sensory-friendly hours and quiet spaces
  • Tactile exhibits, large print menus, and guided tours
  • Use of visual or assistive apps (e.g., Aira, Be My Eyes)
  • Staff training or service dog-friendly policies
  • Accurate details about physical access, parking, and signage

“This survey gave us a whole new outlook on how we could be more accessible,” shared one respondent. “Our buildings were constructed in the 1960s, and as a small business, meeting some ADA compliance standards has felt cost-prohibitive. That said, many guests in wheelchairs still come and enjoy the property—and they find ways to navigate the shortcomings. This survey showed us how we can still be supportive. We already offer free pet stays for service dogs, and we’re looking forward to tackling more from the list.”

The Role of the Destination A11Y Club

Ten leading DMOs in TravelAbility’s Destination A11Y Club are already paving the way. Each maintains an Accessibility Landing Page highlighting inclusive local experiences for travelers with disabilities and older adults.

With help from the Uncovering Accessibility survey, they’re now expanding those listings—often uncovering accessibility assets they didn’t know they had. It’s a win-win for both visitors and the local businesses they rely on.

What’s Next

The survey findings are just the beginning. Here’s what TravelAbility and participating destinations are doing next:

  • Creating a best practice guide to help businesses build or improve accessibility pages tailored to the types of organizations surveyed.
  • Connecting interested businesses with training opportunities through TravelAbility’s partner network.

As destinations take these next steps, the goal is simple: empower travelers with better information and create more welcoming travel experiences for all.

Participating DMO’s

Media Contacts

Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
Anna Whitlow, Director of Marketing & PR
awhitlow@albemarle.org

Discover Lancaster
Olivia Novak, Senior Marketing Manager
onovak@discoverlancaster.com

Experience Kissimmee
Deirdre Shaw, Destination Stewardship Manager
dshaw@experiencekissimmee.com

The Palm Beaches
 Christine DeMichael, Director of Integrated Marketing
CDeMichael@ThePalmBeaches.com

Visit Lauderdale
Attiyya Atkins, Senior Manager, Global Integrated Marketing
aatkins@broward.org

Visit Loudoun
Jennifer Christie, Director of Marketing
christie@visitloudoun.org

VisitLEX
Arin Arnold‑Davis, Director of Destination Stewardship and Community Engagement
aarnold@visitlex.com

Visit Mesa
Zoey Shircel, CATP, Communications Manager
zoey@visitmesa.com

Visit Myrtle Beach
Stuart Butler, President
stuart.butler@visitmyrtlebeach.com

Visit Richmond
Toni Bastian, Director of Accessibility & Tourism Sales
tbastian@visitrichmondva.com

INNOVATEAble Pitchfest 2025 Results: The Envelope Please…

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The virtual competition took place last Friday, July 25th, and highlighted impressive pitches from:

  • ADAPTS: A lightweight transfer sling for safer mobility in tight or inaccessible spaces.
  • BoardSafe Docks: Adaptive kayak launches and floating docks that expand waterfront access.
  • Koda: AI-powered live captioning that works on any device, no app required.
  • Lotus: A smart ring that controls devices with a simple point—no Wi-Fi or rewiring needed.
  • RightHear: Audible wayfinding for blind and low vision travelers navigating indoor and outdoor spaces.
  • ScanMeHome: A QR-code ID system that helps quickly reunite loved ones who may wander.
  • Touch2See: 3D Tablets that let blind sports fans follow the action in real time.

The judges praised the caliber of entries and noted just how tough the competition was this year. With so many standout innovations, choosing winners wasn’t easy. In the end, real-time announcements revealed the final rankings:

1st Place (tie): BoardSafe Docks and Lotus
2nd Place: ScanMeHome
3rd Place: Koda

People’s Choice Award: Scan Me Home

Special thanks to our judges: Nick Nerbonne of Travel Michigan, Chris Maher of Samaritan Partners, Autumn Saxton-Ross from the National Recreation and Park Association, and Kristine McConnell of Travel Oregon.

Stay tuned for videos and special features highlighting each innovation!

Calling All Filmmakers: TravelAbility Launches Inaugural Film Festival Showcasing the Future of Accessible Travel Storytelling

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TravelAbility is proud to announce the launch of its First Annual TravelAbility Film Festival, a dynamic new showcase celebrating excellence in accessible travel video storytelling.

Premiering at the 2025 TravelAbility Summit (October 13–15 at Sunriver Resort in Central Oregon), the festival will spotlight short videos that explore accessibility with originality, purpose, and impact. From lived experiences to destination campaigns, the Film Festival honors the creators, brands, and advocates who are reshaping how accessible travel is seen and shared.

Accessibility is not just a trend; it’s a critical aspect of how travel is evolving. Accessible storytelling is already happening across platforms, from destination marketing videos and social media reels to firsthand accounts of travelers with disabilities. However, until now, there hasn’t been a central place to honor these creators and the work they’re doing. The TravelAbility Film Festival fills that void, bringing together creators who are reshaping the narrative surrounding accessible travel.”

travelandtourworld.com

Submit Your Entry Today

Promotional flyer for the 1st Annual TravelAbility Film Festival. The top section features the festival name in bold text: “TravelAbility Film Festival – Celebrating the Best in Accessible Travel Storytelling.” It notes the festival will debut at the 2025 TravelAbility Summit, held October 13–15 in Sunriver, Oregon. Below, the submission details appear gray text (see caption for details). A small image of the TravelAbility Summit 2025 logo and a scenic photo of the Sunriver venue is included, along with a gold graphic of a vintage film camera in the bottom right corner. The background includes a blue filmstrip and dotted design elements

Submissions are now open in three categories:
• Destination Marketing Organizations
• Attractions, Hotels & Restaurants
• Content Creators & Influencers

Each entry must be submitted as an MP4 video no longer than 5 minutes, with participants limited to one category per submission.

Submissions will be accepted through August 15, 2025, or until the limit of 75 entries is reached.

View the full guidelines and submit your entry below!

Learn More

Finalist videos will be screened live during a special session at the TravelAbility Summit in front of travel professionals, destination marketers, and accessibility leaders. A diverse jury comprised of filmmakers, disabled travelers, and inclusive marketing experts will evaluate submissions. The top three videos in each category will be recognized, and one standout will be awarded Best in Festival.

Our goal with this festival is to amplify the voices and visual storytelling of those leading the way in accessible travel. We’re excited to honor creativity, inclusivity, and innovation in ways that inspire the entire travel industry.”

Jake Steinman, Founder of TravelAbility.

New Pop Up Masterclass Workshop Series Launch: Cultivating Accessibility Leaders

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We’re excited to introduce the Cultivating Accessibility Leaders Masterclass Series, a new, in-person workshop series from TravelAbility taking place in three regions across the U.S. — the South, East, and Midwest.

Ideal for DMOs, DMCs, airports, hotels, museums, attractions, event venues, this series delivers hands-on training to empower teams and leaders to assess, improve, and promote accessibility initiatives within their organizations. 

What You’ll Learn:

· How to evaluate current offerings and identify gaps
· Tools and training methods that work
· Best practices for marketing accessibility and inclusive storytelling
· Low-cost adaptive solutions across mobility, sensory, hearing, and vision access
· Lived insights from disabled travelers and influencers

You’ll also have the opportunity to earn the Accessibility Leader Certificate of Completion, recognizing you as a leader in the field with the requisite knowledge to fulfill that role. The program has been developed in partnership with Rosen College of Hospitality Management to recognize inclusive leadership in travel.

Learn More

The first stop? Orlando!

A promotional graphic for the TravelAbility Cultivating Accessibility Leaders Masterclass in Orlando, FL on September 19, 2025. On the left, the TravelAbility logo appears above bold blue text reading “Cultivating Accessibility Leaders Masterclass, Orlando, FL |September 19, 2025.” Beside, a circular photo shows a panel discussion with seated attendees. Yellow and blue ribbon-like graphics curve around the photo and side of the graphic.

A One-Day Masterclass for Accessible Travel Leadership

Date: Friday, September 19, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM
Location: Rosen College of Hospitality Management, Orlando, FL
Price: Early Bird – $595 through August 2nd | Regular – $795 through September 1 | Late/Onsite $995 

All registered attendees of The Cultivating Accessibility Leaders Masterclas get a special $500 discount off their registration for the 2025 TravelAbility Summit.  

Be part of a growing movement to make accessible travel standard, not special. We hope to see you in Orlando.

Register Today!

Save the Date! The second stop will be Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on December 9th, 2025!

Thank you to our host, Rosen College of Hospitality Management, and to our major sponsor, Experience Kissimmee, as well as Visit Orlando, for their generous support in making this initiative possible.

Advice Line: Lessons with Kristy Durso Part Three

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Lesson 3: Minimal Budget, Maximal Impact

Between 2019 and 2020, travelers with disabilities spent $58.7 billion on accessible travel in the U.S. alone, according to a market study by Open Doors Organization.”

How can a destination make the greatest impact on accessibility with a limited budget?

Start by telling a real story.

If I had just $10,000 left in a budget, I wouldn’t spend it on checklists or audits. I would spend it on bringing in a family with accessibility needs and letting them explore your destination. Film them, not doing “disability-specific” things, but simply doing what they love. Let them be a family, and then show how your destination either supports or hinders their experience.

Capture the moments that work, and just as importantly, the moments where they struggle. That’s how you find the gaps. And that’s how you move hearts and minds.

Accessibility is not linear. There is no single checklist or seminar that can tell you whether your city is accessible. What’s accessible for me, as a wheelchair user, isn’t the same as what’s accessible for my friend who’s quadriplegic. Or for my daughter, who is cognitively disabled. Or for a traveler who is level three autistic. We all interact with places differently.

So the goal isn’t to declare, “This is accessible.” The goal is to tell your city’s story in a way that lets the traveler decide for themselves if it works for them.

And you do that by offering real, honest, visual access to what their experience might look like.

A great example is Lansing, Michigan. They partnered with a company called AbleVu, which I’ve worked with as well. AbleVu creates visual walk-throughs of attractions—not to judge or check boxes, but to tell the story of accessibility. A traveler can see what an entrance looks like, how the seating is arranged, or whether sensory-friendly spaces are available. That helps them make informed, safe choices.

One of their most surprising and inspiring features is an accessible indoor go-kart track. The owner, who was temporarily paralyzed after an accident, didn’t want to give up racing. So he designed a go-kart with hand controls and added a Hoyer lift. Now, anyone can join. Just reading “accessible go-kart” doesn’t quite capture it. But when you watch the video and see someone using it, you think, “Maybe I could do that too.”

That’s the ripple effect.

When you showcase real stories, you inspire people and not just inform them. You let families imagine themselves there. Suddenly, they aren’t just passing through. They’re planning full days, extended stays and return visits.

Information is the key. Many people with disabilities choose not to travel because they don’t know what to expect. But when that information is made visible, honest and welcoming, uncertainty becomes excitement.

It’s not about being perfect.

It’s about being prepared and transparent.

And that is something any destination can do, even on a limited budget.

Check back next month for Part Four! Noble Studios conducted a thorough interview with Kristy Durso going over the many facets of creating a destination that is truly for everyone. This series is pulled directly from the interview. Check out the archives for part 1 & 2. Click here for the full interview. 

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

Featured public speaker, accessibilities advocate, entrepreneur, Army veteran, and military wife Kristy Durso is Travelability’s Ambassedor and owns and operates Incredible Memories Travel, a full-service travel agency that assists everyone, including those with accessibility needs. She has three children, one who has autoimmune issues and food allergies, another on the spectrum, and another with cognitive and intellectual disabilities. 

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