TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Museums & Attractions

Why Sundance 2020 Deserves A Standing Ovation for Accessibility

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sign that says Sundance Film Festival in white neon lights
Sundance upgrades their accessibility this year.

The Sundance Film Festival is making changes to improve accessibility for attendees with disabilities. The Ruderman Family Foundation on Wednesday announced a partnership with the Sundance Institute to provide more resources for attendees with disabilities and to include a greater amount of programming featuring people with disabilities, including an opening-weekend film, according to Hollywood Reporter.

Our take: Extending accessibility using assisted listening devices, among other resources, is becoming a selling point for attractions hoping to win over the one in five people in this country who have a disability. Successful initiatives happen when CVBs, attractions and local disability organizations work cooperatively to go beyond compliance. If you accessible-ize it, they will come. At Sundance, theaters have CC, AD and ALD devices that can be requested from theater staff at the start of an event and retrieved by them afterward. All theaters are additionally wheelchair-accessible and offer seating for attendees with disabilities and companions

 

The Most ‘Intrepid’ Disability Project Yet In NYC

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Nose of a plane atop the intrepid on a grey day in New York City.
photo courtesy: Andre Ravazzi

Senses—such as sound, touch and feel—may be the key to unlocking a better experience for people with disabilities visiting historic sites. Thanks to a $500K grant, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum will partner with New York University’s Ability Project to develop sensory-based interpretive experiences for historic sites. The research from the NYU Ability Project, dedicated to the intersection of disability and tech, will be replicable by historic sites of all sizes, according to an NYU news release.  

READ MORE ABOUT THE NYU ABILITY PROJECT

What’s LEGOLAND Florida’s Blue Hero Pass All About?

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Photo of young people gathering beneath the Legoland sign wearing blue t-shirts. Sign is made of legos, of course.

It’s about inclusion. After research showed that Legos are very popular with kids on the autism spectrum, Legoland Florida created a special Blue Hero Pass for visitors. This follows a trend—making disabilities a non-issue for Universal’s Seaworld and Disney World, among others, according to this story in the Orlando Sentinel. READ MORE

OUR TAKE: Like many other people, visitors on the spectrum and their families like head out with a solid plan. Sensory surprises—smells, tastes, noise levels— can throw off the day in unexpected ways. So can long lines that can bring on sensory overload. Why not make planning ahead as simple as possible? To help families enjoy the rides, a new Blue Hero pass helps move ‘hero’s up in line. In addition, at their autism center, LEGOLAND has sensory ratings for every attraction. 

Airlines, Hotels, Attractions Prove Disability Inclusion Isn’t Just the Right Thing to Do—It’s Great for Business

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an average of 28% higher revenue, 30% greater economic profit margins

According to a recent study of 140 U.S. companies by Accenture–alongside the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) and Disability:IN those businesses that offered the most inclusive working environment for disabled employees achieved an average of 28% higher revenue, 30% greater economic profit margins, and twice the net income of their industry peers between 2015 and 2018. Here are 2019’s top travel-industry scorers on the Disability Equality Index (DEI), a national comprehensive benchmarking tool.*

The following companies scored 80% or above on the DEI:

  • Airlines/Cruise Lines: American Airlines, Delta, Southwest, United Airlines, Royal Carribean
  • Hotels: Choice Hotels
  • Attractions: The Walt Disney Company, Comcast NBCUniversal
    To learn  more about how they became models of inclusion in the travel sector, READ MORE

OUR TAKE: The business benefits of creating an inclusive workforce are now abundantly clear. But what are the benefits for travelers? The upside is huge, actually. An inclusive internal workforce is a natural pathway to creating accessible products and authentic marketing. The more first-hand knowledge you have of the disability community and the particular needs of a certain group, the better you will be able to serve that consumer. Kudos to all who scored in the top ranks on the Disability Equality Index, the most comprehensive benchmarking tool for disability inclusion.

*Please Note: A score of 100 does not mean to convey “perfection.” AAPD and Disability:IN recognize there is no one “right” way to practice inclusion, and that some practices may be more practical for some companies or industries than others. A score of 100 on the DEI simply means that a company adheres to many of the numerous leading disability inclusion practices featured in the DEI.

 

Can You Hear Me Now? How the Travel Industry Is Answering That Call

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man standing in grand central Written by Stephen Frazier

Telecoils embedded in personal hearing aids have long been a discreet solution for people with hearing loss. They improve the quality of the sound they hear—whether it be in a noisy train station or on a city walking tour. Today many venues—from airport terminals to hotel conference rooms and theaters—offer a next-level hearing experience using a hearing loop. The loop transmits sound via an electromagnetic signal to personal hearing devices with telecoils, boosting volume and clarity. (With microphones turned off and telecoils turned on, travelers can hear public address systems, tour guides, ticket agents and others as though the person speaking was within inches of their ear.) Most background noise that can otherwise cover or interfere with understanding speech is eliminated. Sound is customized by the hearing aids to match the hearing loss pattern of each individual user, giving an extra boost to those frequencies that a person has the most difficulty hearing. Sounds great right? The only problem: Most people aren’t aware of how many places now use hearing loop technology and skip out on experiences they think they won’t enjoy, particularly when traveling abroad. Here’s what you need to know:

Where they are: In the U.S., a growing number of airports have installed the technology at departure gates and ticket counters. All New York City subway information and fair booths now feature hearing loops and new taxicabs are fitted with them. Many places of worship, museums, theaters, and other destinations now utilize this technology at ticket counters, for performances, and on walking tours. Even the 12,000 seats in the Breslin Center at Michigan State University offer hearing loop access to sporting and other events held there. All hearing loops use the same frequency in the U.S. and throughout the world. Whether you are at Domodedovo airport in Moscow, visiting Westminster Abbey in London or enjoying the Sydney Opera House in Australia, there are hearing loops.

How to know if there is a loop: The presence of hearing loop technology is usually announced by the display of an international symbol (T). If it carries a “T” the venue is either looped or provides neckloops to visitors. In the U.S. it is the standard blue and white disability signage colors but abroad it can be different colors. For travelers who have cochlear implants or telecoil equipped hearing aids, experts encourage people to purchase their own personal neckloop. Virgin Atlantic provides passengers on their international flights the choice of earphones or neckloops to connect to the aircraft’s sound system to listen to music or watch TV. On other airlines, personally owned neckloops will work as well or better. They also work any place that has an earphone jack, be it an airplane or at a theatrical production.

When to ask for a personal neckloop: Whenever a receiver and earphones are offered, travelers should ask if neckloops are available. Being able to hear better can help to ensure even greater satisfaction from a planned trip to any location in the U.S. or abroad. The 2010 revisions to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandate that any public place of assembly with a functioning public address system must also have an assistive listening system (ALS) that can wirelessly connect to the telecoils in hearing aids. This requirement applies to any new or significantly upgraded PA systems. More and more venues now feature it whether it be the neckloop option at a multiplex or the looped U.S. Supreme Court chamber.

Additional information on hearing loop/telecoil technology can be found at Hearing Loss Association of America.  To find looped venues, check www.loopfinder.com/,  www.aldlocator.com/  and  www.time2loopamerica.com/loop-locator/

Stephen O. Frazier is a hearing loss support specialist, member of the Hearing Loss Association of America’s National ‘Get in the Hearing Loop’ Steering Committee and director of Loop New Mexico.