TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Hearing

INNOVATEABLE Pitch Fest Showcases 11 Cutting Edge Adaptive Innovations for Travel

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Our Takeaway: For the past four years TravelAbility has hosted LaunchPad, a pitch event curating the best innovations that can help the industry make travel easier for disabled travelers. This year’s event has been rebranded as the InnovateAble Showcase and will be held via Zoom on July 26th from 10AM to 1PM PST to commemorate the 33rd anniversary of the ADA.

“We are excited to bring together some of the brightest minds in assistive technology to showcase their latest innovations,” said Jake Steinman, Founder of TravelAbility. “This is a B2B event and an opportunity to feature entrepreneurs with innovations that can be introduced through the destination channels to their industry partners.”

This year’s pitch event will be held via Zoom. Those interested in attending should contact us at: info@travelability.net.

NFL Backs Wheelchair Football League Super Bowl

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Before fans flocked to Phoenix for the Super Bowl, the city hosted another major football championship event featuring a different group of hard-hitting players.

The Wheelchair Football League held its second Super Bowl on Tuesday with a match between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Rams. The league, which was created by the NFL, the Bob Woodruff Foundation and Move United, is made up of athletes with disabilities who compete in wheelchairs, complete with uniforms and helmets of NFL teams. Read More.

Our Takeaway: The NFL has endured years of negative coverage about the perfunctory way they addressed the issue of player concussion injuries. Accessibility initiatives such as this and the half-time ASL halftime show interpretation of Rihanna’s dance (see “A Star is Born” story in this issue) demonstrates the way accessibility can be a boost to an organization’s reputation.  

A Star is Born: Did the ASL Signer Upstage Rihanna at Super Bowl LVII 2023 Halftime Show?

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Sign language interpreter Justina Miles started going viral on social media because of video showing her energetic interpretation of the performance’s lyrics. It’s not her first brush with internet fame. Miles has a popular TikTok account where she interprets popular songs into ASL with the same enthusiasm she put on display at the big game.

According to the National Association of the Deaf, Miles is from Philadelphia and was part of Team USA at the 2021/22 Deaflympics where athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing compete. She won silver as part of the 4×100 women’s track relay team. She has also interpreted for other artists around the country at various concerts, according to the NAD. Other well-known ASL interpreters were also part of the Super Bowl performance, including Troy Kostur. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Many commenters felt that Miles’ performance was physically more imposing than Rihanna’s and a huge breakthrough in awareness for what is possible for deaf interpretive dancers. Kudos to the NFL, which reportedly worked for nearly a year with the National Association of the Deaf to develop three ASL performances.

See Miles’ half-time performance here.

See Miles’ TikTok videos here.

Is there an ASL Sign for Hamachi?

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The type of service a customer receives can either make or break the experience of dining out. One couple who went out to eat at an upscale restaurant in Dallas, Texas found out what it really means to receive top-shelf service with a heaping helping of kindness. Read more.

Katy Perry Headlines Music Festival That Is Accessible For All

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On 19 and 20 November 2022, the True Colors Festival concert in Tokyo will bring together an international line-up of diverse singers, dancers, and musicians from around the world–including the fabulous Katy Perry.

They’ve gone above and beyond to ensure inclusivity for the concert event, in line with their mission to show what’s possible when it comes to disability and diversity. The concert will have sign language interpreters (for both Japanese Sign and International Sign), real-time subtitles and audio descriptions, and dedicated personnel on site for guests who need assistance.

Plus, for those who want to take part from home, it will be live-streamed for free as part of the True Colors Festival’s commitment to accessibility. Their website has been optimized to make it as inclusive as possible ahead of the event (compatibility with screen readers and switch control software, different pathways to necessary information using assistive technologies, and close vetting of all digital content to ensure accessibility).

Although Katy Perry is the headline act, the two-hour True Colors concert will feature over 90 performers. Read More.

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