TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Editorial

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.

 

Blind Mountain Climber Scares the Crap Out of TODAY Show Hosts (Video)

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blind climber on a mountain with red jacket and helmetLast February, NBC’s Harry Smith went climbing with Erik Weihenmayer, the adventurer who has conquered some of the most dangerous places on earth. He also happens to be blind. Click here to watch the TODAY show video, including the end, where every newsperson at the table looks scared out of their mind just talking about the climbs Weihenmayer lives to complete. It’s really an amazing story that puts life in perspective.

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.

 

Flying Tips for Wheelchair Users, From Wheelchair Users

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arrival and departure board at an airportIf you’re taking to the air with a wheelchair, there’s almost always an added level of stress. Learn from people with lived experience thanks to this New York Times story.  READ MORE

Wheelchair Demolition Derby: Which Airline Mangled the Most Wheelchairs in February?

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wheelchair accessibility sign that is old and needs repaintingCongress passed the FAA Reauthorization Act last year, which included a ruling that requires airlines to report the total number of wheelchairs carried and mishandled each month. Now the first damage data is out. See who received a good grade for accurate reporting, while others are scoring ‘incomplete’. READ MORE