TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Editorial

Rethinking Accessibility Project Honors Global Accessibility Awareness Day

by

TravelAbility is delighted to announce, “Rethinking Accessibility,” a pilot project to uncover and showcase accessibility information on the websites of participating destinations that are proactively trying to make travel easier for people with disabilities by highlighting what CAN be done instead of what CAN’T be done. This initiative will culminate on May 18, Global Accessibility Awareness Day.

“While the ADA provides some baseline for physical infrastructure such as ramps and grab bars in bathrooms, there’s no ADA for information,” remarked Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility.  The following members of our Destination Ally Club partners opted into the pilot program designed to uncover a variety of accessibility features that will make them more inclusive to people with disabilities and seniors.

A total of 201 surveys were completed revealing new and interesting accessibility features that will be added to their websites, all of which have a landing page dedicated to accessible content. 

Here are just a few examples of unique features from the survey results and links to their accessible content pages.

In Fairfax County, VA: While the Mount Vernon home of George Washington has inaccessible stairs leading to the second floor, they provide iPads that connect to the tour guide leading the tour upstairs.

In Mesa, AZ: Emotional support goats are available at a yoga studio located inside an addiction rehab facility.

In Kissimmee, FL: Local theme park offers wheelchair-accessible Zip Lines descending above alligator habitats.

In Tampa, FL: Visit a children’s museum that holds monthly sensory-friendly events for families and caregivers of children on the autism spectrum.

In Lancaster, PA: the Dutch Wonders theme park offers 35 rides that are fully accessible.

These landing pages will be aggregated as part of Travelability’s  “Destinations with Accessibility” project, which currently contains accessibility content for 143 destinations in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean islands.

Outcomes for the “Rethinking Accessibility” project will become part of a series of case studies that will be featured at TravelAbility’s Emerging Markets Summit, August 18-20, 2023, in Savannah.  “According to the World Health Organization, 15% of the population lives with some form of disability,” commented Steinman. “Travel is the toy department of life, and everyone should be able to enjoy it.”

Contact: TravelAbility: Jake@travelability.net

New on TravelAbility.net

by

InnovateABLE:  We carefully curated selection of technology, innovations and services that can reduce barriers for people with disabilities, several of which will be part of our annual pitchfest on July 26th. https://travelability.net/summit/innovateable/

Airport Accessibility page with links in all 50 states.

New Members of Our Advisory Board:

David O’Hara, Director of Accessibility, American Express Global Business Travel 

Houston Vandergrift, Founder, Downs and Towns.

Alan Fyall, Associate Dean, Academic Affairs, UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management.

Lorraine Woodward, Founder, Becoming Rentable

Six of the most prominent Disability Holidays in 2023.

We welcome Lansing Michigan as the newest member of our “Destination A11Y Club.”

Kudos to Visit Tampa Bay for creating the Accessible Riverwalk Pass, the first discount pass designed specifically for visitors and local residents with a disability.

FUN FAMILY VACATIONS

by

TravelAbility has collaborated with Mélange Publishing, to produce the world’s first digital magazine for travelers with disabilities.  Each quarterly issue focuses on a different theme with the just released winter issue exploring accessibility around family travel.

Nikki and Jimmy Lean into Life: Recounts the story of Nikki, a single mother and her son Jimmy, who is blind, and what they look for when planning a trip.

My WOW Experience: An 11-year-old blind tween tells us about his favorite travel experiences.

Overwhelmed by Joy: Guest Editor Jennifer Allen, shares her wisdom from years at the helm of Wonders Within Reach, a family travel blog that focuses on accessible destinations and products for families. 

The issue contains 12 other feature articles and is the only publication that provides quick summaries and links to recent posts of 42 accessible travel bloggers, vloggers and Instagrammers. 

Read the full issue here.

Department of Commerce Appoints 3 TravelAbility presenters to U.S. Tour and Travel Advisory Board

by

White House icon on blue background.with texgt saying White House, Washington
White House, Washjngton DC logo

Congratulations to Advisory Board members Eric Lipp, founder of Open Doors Organization and emeritus member, John Sage, founder of Accessible Travel Solutions, both wheelchair users and legends in the accessible travel industry, who along with Andrew Leary, Director of Sustainable Travel and Partnerships for Leave No Trace were appointed by Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. They join other industry leaders such as the CEO’s of Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Expedia. See the full list of members here.

TravelAbility Insider Insight: Having two legends who’ve been deeply involved in accessible travel for over twenty years with a seat at the table contributing to future travel policy is a big win for the future of accessible travel and an acknowledgement that travelers with disabilities are an important segment for the future of the industry. 

TravelAbility Partners with Nation’s #1 Hospitality Management College to Change the Way Travelers with a Disability will be Treated in the Future

by

Rosen College logo with black type and yellow shell plus TravelAbility logo with wordsThe Intersection of Travel adn Accessibility
Rosen College of Hospitality Management and TravelAbility Logo

TravelAbility is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, a part of the University of Central Florida, to develop TravelAbility: Filling the Accessibility Gap in Hospitality, a self-paced learning module that will be part of the college’s experiential education program, a requirement of graduation for all 3000 students in the program.  A quiz will be administered.

“Perhaps more than any of the other projects we developed over the past four years,” said Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. “This collaboration has the potential to make the most impact as it will infuse a new generation of future hospitality supervisors and general managers with the awareness and empathy necessary to not only change the attitude about the way people with disabilities are perceived, but also how they are treated.”

TravelAbility will be contributing its expertise as well as content from The Accessibility Playbook, a copyrighted compendium of business cases, tips, products, innovations, and 99 videos from prior conferences and events.   

“All 3,000 plus students at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management are introduced to the wider societal challenges that impact our industry through their courses, our incredible Internship program, and the opportunities to engage through their P.R.E.P. activities,” commented Alan Fyall, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Rosen College of Hospitality.” “Our partnership with TravelAbility represents an important milestone as the travel industry awakens to the significance of travelers with a disability and the steps required to both welcome and accommodate them in a seamless manner.”

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management was rated #1 academic level tourism program in the U.S. and #2 in the world.

“Building on the success of our education on human trafficking,” remarked Dean Fyall, “our partnership with TravelAbility will have a huge impact on our students and ensure they are suitably equipped to take their industry into the future in a more inclusive and accessible manner.”

What is the Accessibility Gap? Since every disability has a spectrum, and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) was written for the median, even if they are fully compliant, hotels, attractions and restaurants still work for only 50% of the people. The Accessibility Gapcan be filled by showcasing information online, providing training about accessibility needs, and implementing adaptive innovations that are currently available.

The course will begin with the spring semester and allow the next generation of travel industry executives, meeting planners and event managers to learn how to be welcoming to all guests. “Travel is the toy department of life,” said Steinman, “everyone should be able to enjoy it.”

About TravelAbility, now celebrating our fifth year, is an organization that works within the travel industry to improve the experience that people with disabilities have while they are traveling. As part of this initiative, we also act as a one-stop source that connects travel organizations with the expertise, innovations, and resources they need so disabled travelers have the information they require to ensure smoother sailing while planning travel.

About UFC Rosen College of Hospitality Management offers their students the opportunity to learn and work in the center of hospitality. The students at the college are given the opportunity to study within an internationally recognized faculty that consists of cutting-edge research, innovative academic programs, and strong industry and community partnerships. 

For more information, contact: info@travelability.net.

TA Insider Insight: This initiative came together after Gisela Canova, Head of internships and Associate Dean Alan Fyall, attended EMS 2022 in Orlando. In a follow up meeting in which they were shown our proprietary Accessibility Playbook, it was decided to move forward with the learning module which, hopefully, will lead to a full online course that will inspire more academic institutions to add accessibility to their curriculum.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Your name and email will never be sold to third parties.

SUBSCRIBE TODAY!

Your name and email will never be sold to 3rd parties.