TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Mobility

When Life’s A Beach This Summer—Get Beach Trax

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woman in wheelchair on beach using a mat to roll to the oceanTo be sure that everyone on wheels can take advantage of the beach or uneven terrain this summer, why not roll out the ‘red carpet’ of accessibility? Beach Trax. The lightweight, foldable pathway gives portable access to every destination visitor regardless of the terrain.

The details: The best way to explain how easy the product is to use is to think of each ‘track’ as a highly-durable, thick square (imagine a doormat but BIGGER) that folds out in sections. (Or instead of taking our word for it, watch co-founder Kelly Twichel roll it out in seconds, here.) They’ve also kept the price reasonable. Beach Trax (sold in sets of 10) are $650 each. 

About the company: The San Diego-based company’s co-founders, both occupational therapists, were inspired to create Beach Trax when fellow adaptive surfers were looking for a way to get to the water independently. 

young woman in blue tee shirt on the beach smiling she has blonde hair and is wearing a hatWant more details on the product and Twichel’s work?

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Expectations Crushed…as Was Senator Duckworth’s Wheelchair 

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Senator Duckworth in a wheelchair at a. Democratic event

When Senator Tammy Duckworth (D, Ill.) pushed for a ruling mandating that airlines report damage done to wheelchairs and assistive devices, disability advocates predicted the monthly numbers would be crushing. And then…the first month predicted that the reporting went public, Duckworth’s chair was on the Department of Transportation’s damaged list. Ok, mistakes happen, but really? Read the full story, here.

 

 

photo credit: Flickr/Senate Democrats

 

5 Spots Where Spring Break Really Feels Like a Break

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See that happy traveler—the one waving on a beautiful day out on the Banshee? (below) That photo was taken on an adaptive sailing regatta run out of the San Francisco Bay area. It’s one of the many vacation suggestions from the Abilities Expo experts, who have vetted each one to be sure it offers adventures that are wheelchair friendly or accessible in other ways.

To browse the 5 Spots Where Spring Break Really. Feels LIke Spring break, click here. You can also find many more Abilities Expo Vacation picks—from trails to family centers with medical resources on hand—on the site.

For details on the Bay Area Association of Disabled Sailors (BAADS), click here.

mom waving from a. sailboat on the water named the banshee

Japanese OTA First to Create Wheelchair Accessible Tours

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2 female athletes hug after a raceA Japanese online travel agency, VELTRA, has teamed up with Tokyo Travel Partners, which operates private wheelchair accessible tours, to be sure visitors for the 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games can visit barrier-free. The games will be held in August 2020. 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