TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Mobility

Best of the Web: News, Info and Inspiration

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A roundup of the best articles and resources we found in the past month related to disability and accessible travel.

The back of a child on a pier in New York Harbor looking at the NYC skyline through binoculars.

Neuro diversity:

Accessible NYC: Travel Tips for Neurodiverse Families | Free Autism Resources by InfiniTeach – FreeAutismResources.org

There’s Finally a Travel Group for Neurodiverse Young Adults – Thrillist

Wheelchair Accessible Tours:

2023 Accessible Travel Award Winners – Wonders Within Reach

20 of the Best Wheelchair Accessible Beaches in California

Accessible Beach Opens in Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast

Blind and Low Vision:

8 Trip-Planning Tips for Blind or Visually Impaired Travelers

All the Light We Cannot See star Aria Mia Loberti strolls Golden Globes red carpet with guide dog

Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

Meet an Alaska Airlines leader with a disability who says he is doing what he was meant to do

Disability Resources:

Travel Genius Introduces Geni-us: An AI Map For Travellers, Enabling Inclusive Journeys

TravelAbility Community Members Who Shined Bright

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Recognitions and updates from our partners in the field

Events

A photo from the Rose Parade of a dancer dressed as a three-headed red rose

Visit Lauderdale turns an industry lunch into a full-scale production

“We unveiled a dynamic new marketing plan for the year, a blossoming bouquet of innovative ideas and strategies that promise to dazzle and embrace.”

People

A collage of head shots of Alvaro Silberstein; Cory Lee, Suzanne Edwards, and Sylvia Longmire

Condé Nast Traveler Names 14 People Making Travel More Accessible in 2024

The list includes several current and former advisors to TravelAbility: Alvaro Silberstein of Wheel the World; Cory Lee of CurbFree with Cory Lee; Suzanne Edwards of AirBnB; and Sylvia Longmire of Spin the Globe

Head shot of Josh Loebner

Interview with longtime TravelAbility advisor Josh Loebner on inclusive design

Community/DMOs

A small boy using a wheelchair next to a man who is pointing out a mural of a dog's face on a city building

BBC features Fort Wayne as a model of accessibility

16 Michigan DMOs win accessibility grants

Visit Huntington Beach takes a field trip to Visit Mesa

Jansport Designs Adaptive Backpacks for Wheelchair Users 

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Pen and ink sketches of four different Jansport backpacks hanging on wheelchairs in various waysl

You can hang any old backpack on a wheelchair handle. But what if you asked top designers to build a better backpack for use with a wheelchair? What would it look like? That’s what Jansport did with its new Adaptive Collection. Read More

TravelAbility TakeAway: It’s wonderful to see a leading backpack maker dedicate a collection for the adaptive market.

EU Tour Operator Creates Accessibility Guides for 200 of their Hotels

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Photo collage with Image of a hotel behind two pages from the accessibility guide which show details about the swimming pool, toilets, and other amenities.

In the US, the ADA mandates hotels to provide travelers with specific information about their accessible features. In lieu of a comparable law in the UK, one prominent hotel chain is producing its own detailed accessibility guides to meet the needs of a growing market. 

TUI, in partnership with AccessAble, has just released guides for 200 hotels in locations including Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. Two hundred more are in the works. 

“Tui takes more than six million UK holidaymakers away each year and accessible holiday bookings have grown by 56% since 2022,” said Sue Bradley, Tui UK and Ireland director of customer experience. “We want to make travel easy and enjoyable for all our customers, but we know when it comes to planning, it can be a stressful experience for some.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: AccessABLE consulted with more than 1,000 disability groups to develop the guides, which are both comprehensive and easy to navigate. Check out the guide for the Hotel Rio Park in Spain. 

Oregon Coast Scores $1.1 Million in Grants for Accessibility

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Historical photo in sepia tones of an older Black man playing a violin

As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects. Of that total, more than $1 million will go to Oregon Coast organizations. 

The scope and diversity of the funded projects is vast. Travelers with disabilities will gain both new and improved access to a wide range of natural, recreational, and historic sites. The grants will also fund accessibility studies by Wheel the World in two regions along the coast. Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: If you want to see the impact that all of you are making through your participation in TravelAbility, take a trip to Oregon. Travel Oregon, which sent more than 30 staff members to the Savannah summit, is putting into practice ideas and partnerships they’ve developed through active engagement with the network. It’s inspiring to see an ambitious program implemented state-wide.