TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Mobility

Google Goes Accessible with Routes for Wheelchair Users. Plus: More Options

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birds eye view of planes and houses

The tool: Google maps that integrate wheelchair accessible public transit routes into its directions feature.

The reviews: Cautiously optimistic, according to a New Mobility review.

The buzz: Few travel industry folks we spoke with even knew about the Google tool, which could become a helpful solution, particularly for city wheelers.

Who its best for right now: According the New Mobility review, “Users in six cities – New York, Boston, Tokyo, London, Mexico City, and Sydney – can search for directions between locations, choose public transit as the method of travel and then select “wheelchair accessible” from the route-options menu. As with all public transit searches in Maps, a selection of routes will appear, but now only routes with accessible stations and modes of transit will be included.” 
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Another option: Project Sidewalk, a crowdsourced navigation tool that gamifies collecting data has been developed at the University of Washington Makeability Lab, was successfully tested in Washington, D.C. and according to their Twitter feed, has launched in Seattle with massive success. A recent tweet via @projesidwalk: “Project Sidewalk is now officially live in Seattle! In our first week, we collected over 10,000 sidewalk accessibility labels. Help us get to 20,000! You can participate from all seven continents–all you need is an Internet connection & a laptop!

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Our vote: Project Sidewalk, which looks like it’s off to a promising start.

Editor’s note: Don’t confuse Project Sidewalk with another (controversial) initiative from Alphabet called Sidewalk Labs, which will collect data on commuter routes in Portland. (This piece in Geekwire makes no mention of tracking wheelchair users or routes.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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. 
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Senator Duckworth’s Wheelchair Advocacy Will Not Be Crushed

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Senator Duckworth in a wheelchair at a. Democratic event

Change can and does happen, even in Washington, D.C.—at least if you are the invincible Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-Illinois). As a direct result of legislation introduced by Senator Duckworth in 2018, the Department of Transportation (DOT) revised the Air Travel Consumer Report, requiring airlines to disclose the number of damaged wheelchairs and scooters monthly. That number hadn’t been previously available (wheelchairs had been reported as ‘luggage’ in the past). Senator Duckworth is a longtime advocate for people with disabilities (see earlier posts)

We applaud you, Senator Duckworth, for helping to measure what matters with our all-new “Duckworth Damage Report,’ below.


chart of totals airline chair damage for 3 mostThe fine print: U.S. airlines with at least 0.5 percent of total domestic scheduled-service passenger revenues must report the damage to any chair or mobility scoot transported in its aircraft cargo departments. This report covers December 2018, January & February 2019. Year to Date numbers reflects the change in reporting required by 14 CFR 234 and consolidated data from branded codeshares. Source: Department of Transportation Statistics Bureau

 

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

 

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