TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Advisory Board

Two Disability Advocates Reveal (Almost) All on Hilarious Vlog

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Hannah holds out her ring with a big smile Shane is next to her

Shane Burkaw and his now fiancé Hannah are no ordinary couple, which is why the story of their life, travels and recent engagement has captured the attention of 407,000 subscribers on YouTube. The non-profit Burkaw founded with his cousin, Sarah is called Laughing at My Nightmare and its mission is to spread a message of positivity while providing equipment grants to those living with muscular dystrophy. You can see more about their recent 5K race on their Instagram.

 

The couple, who vlog under the title Squirmy & Grubs, will be speaking at the TravelAbility Summit in San Francisco and Burcaw will be part of an Accessible Itinerary Design Team being formed through the Summit.

OUR TAKE: Talking about being an inter-abled couple isn’t easy, but these two make it look like it is, informing a new generation of people with disabilities who are doing things their own way—and often with a sense of humor. Save some time to watch their engagement video…and more, because once you start watching you won’t be able to stop. (We also recommend the one where they take viewers questions about having kids.)

 

Race day photo credit: Jeremy Cohen

 

 

TravelAbility Summit Welcomes Head of NYC Tourism Bureau to Advisory Board

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Headshot of Fred Dixon wearing a white shirt and grey suit jacket standing outside

Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company has been named to TravelAbility Summit’s Advisory Board. Dixon has taken on the daunting task of making New York City, and it’s five boroughs, as accessible as possible; hiring consultants and taking steps that go far beyond the basics. To learn more about Dixon and his accomplishments, including transportation apps that help make NYC more accessible to visitors.

OUR TAKE: We are pleased that our Summit Advisory Board members now fully reflect a cross-section of the travel industry and disability community thought leaders who will help us develop content most helpful to both groups.

 

Profile: Airbnb’s Srin Madipalli Finds 27 Ways to Make Accommodations Accessible (Even When Everyone Is Doubting Him)

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When I last visited Srin in the lobby of Airbnb’s headquarters he had recently built the company’s accessibility team to a total of 16 people. He had just returned from a tour of four Asian countries where he was raising awareness among Airbnb hosts about the need for more accessible homes. Srin, due to his academic pedigree and natural charisma, is emerging as the most public voice of accessibility in travel with major backing. Not only is he approaching Airbnb hosts but his team is also approaching hotels to list their accessible inventory on Airbnb’s website. He generously offered to help develop content for TravelAbility Summit. “I’m approaching this like a political campaign,” said Srin. “Airbnb needed to find a simple message that appeals to the basic emotions.” —Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit.

A recent profile in New Mobility really nails the issues around accessible travel and captures Srin’s energy. 
READ MORE

 

Travel Pro, Speaker, and Trendmaster Bill Geist Joins TravelAbility Summit Board 

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For more than 20 years, Bill Geist has been pushing the envelope, challenging the status quo and calling out sacred cows and buffoons in the process. He also is quick to praise—and share news about— the truly innovative people, processes and projects he sees. Through his newsletters and speaking engagements, he provides high-level information and thought leadership on the top Destination Marketing news. We are pleased to welcome him to our growing TravelAbility Summit Advisory Board. You can find his work at  https://dmoproz.com.

 

A Warm Welcome to Three New TravelAbility Summit Advisory Board Members

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headshots of three men who are now adivisory board members all wearing suits
(left to right) Dave Lorenz, Myron Pincomb and Marc Garcia.

 

Dave Lorenz is Vice President of Travel Michigan based in Lansing. It was Dave who challenged their 2018 Governor’s Conference to submit any new initiatives around accessible travel. One year later, at the 2019 Governor’s Conference on Tourism, his partners submitted 19 new proposals. The goal was to work across state organizations to create attractions and transportation that would be fully accessible to people with disabilities and other needs. Read more about it here. Dave also helped implement the successful Pure Michigan advertising and marketing campaign that has vaulted Michigan into tourism prominence around the nation.

Myron Pincomb, investor and Chairman of the Board of IBCCES (International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards) has 20 years of experience starting, building and leading healthcare and edtech companies. In 1999, Myron founded Educational Tools, Inc. Under Myron’s leadership, it has grown from a small technology start-up to a major player in the digital curriculum for children with special needs. Among his many accomplishments, Myron was appointed by the Board of Governors to lead the Online Learning Taskforce for the state of Florida, which focuses on mapping the future of online learning for Florida’s 12 universities, 28 state colleges, and nearly 4000 K-12 schools.

Read more about IBCCES’s work across the country here and here.

Marc Garcia was named the president and CEO of Visit Mesa in 2012 and in just a few years he’s led the community of Mesa, Arizona, into a new age of tourism. One of his most recent distinctions is helping the firm become the first travel marketing company to become a Certified Autism Center. Read more about their certification process, here. Before arriving in Mesa, he led tourism efforts in Phoenix, including leading the Phoenix bureau’s sales and service efforts for high-profile national events including Super Bowl XLII, NBA All-Star Weekend 2009, WrestleMania XXVI and 2011 MLB All-Star Summer.