TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Parks and Public spaces

In New York’s Central Park, Wollman Rink Incorporates features for Skaters with Disabilities

by

Parents with young daughter on ice skating rink at night.

Wollman Rink, now being run by a coalition of New York businesses and organizations, including Equinox, the YMCA, and The Boys’ Club of New York, welcomed skaters back last week with a plethora of new offerings including a cafe and more (Since 1986, the rink had been owned and operated by the Trump Organization).

The rink has also committed to “reinvesting in the community and the city” and operators will not be seeking or accepting any of the profit that comes from running Wollman Rink NYC, according to a press release. Any proceeds from the rink will be reinvested right back into it, with a priority on creating a sustainable and inclusive environment.

To learn more about the reopening of Wollman Rink, see the article in Travel + Leisure.

Taking in the Grandeur of the Grand Canyon with an Autistic Son

by

Group of people looking out over the Grand Canyon from a viewing platform.

Lisa Winner, a photographer, shared with National Geographic some of the challenges her son, who is autistic, faces when traveling. Despite her love of the outdoors, Lisa says that “There are many surprises in nature—and anyone who loves an autistic person knows surprises are not their jam.” She recounted the difficulty her son faced when visiting the Grand Canyon, where he was distressed by the unfamiliar environment.

Parents like Winner are encouraging governments and businesses to make outdoor recreation areas more accessible to those with autism. To learn more about Lisa’s family, their trip to the Grand Canyon and how public places can be made autism-friendly, see the article in National Geographic.

Florida Nudist Colonies Have Real Skin in the Game When it Comes to Accessibility

by

Man wearing a black face mask that reads, I'd Rather Be Naked.

During a reception at the Florida Governors Conference on Tourism I found myself seated next to someone wearing a mask that read: “I’D RATHER BE NAKED.” The provocative nature of the mask aroused my curiosity as I leaned over to inquire about what, besides his face, was behind the mask. He introduced himself as Martin Novoa, a board member of the South Florida Free Beaches Association, and the B.E.A.C.H.E.S. foundation, which advocates for nude beaches on public lands, beaches and waterways in South Florida. Curiosity prompted him to ask about my TravelAbility badge and when he learned that we produced a conference about making travel easier for people with disabilities, we discovered we had something in common: helping people with disabilities enjoy the travel experience.

After their request for a grant to purchase amenities for wheelchair users was rejected by Miami-Dade County officials, they held their own fundraising event that raised thousands of dollars for beach wheelchairs, beach wheelchair mats as well as showers that could be adjusted for wheelchair users. “It’s integral to our vision of full enjoyment that accessibility be built into all the opportunities,” said Novoa.

Watch TravelAbility’s interview with Martin below:

Our take: Sometimes accessibility surfaces when and where you least expect it. Perhaps nudists, an often jeered-at subculture of beach enthusiasts, have developed a baseline empathy for a group similarly overlooked by society. Or, while they may have been naïve to believe that a county government wouldn’t draw political derision for using taxpayer money to fund nude beach amenities, as a practical matter, they needed to provide access in order to retain members that were aging into a disability. Either way, while hats may be the only item of clothing considered optional, we collectively take ours off to them now as an homage to their proactivity.

Visit Florida Creates YouTube Series to Highlight the State’s Many Accessible Features

by

As part of their commitment to being inclusive for all visitors, Visit Florida is the first state to develop a 6-part video series highlighting accessible travel opportunities, which they have called Limitless Florida. Each of the videos are between 2-4 minutes in length and feature a different experience.

In the series’ first video, Visit Florida highlights unique, wheelchair accessible opportunities in Sarasota:

Accessible scuba diving attracts many disabled people to Florida, including St. Andrews State Park in Panama City:

In this video, an accessible sailing opportunity off the coast of Cedar Key is featured:

An Army Veteran – and amputee – shares how Kiteboarding has reconnected her with nature:

Florida is one of the world’s top places for cycling, with paved bike trails in all corners of the state:

Biking and kayaking opportunities in the Florida outdoors boost mental health by offering breathtaking views and an incredible way to stay active:

OUR TAKE: These six videos share just a piece of what Florida has to offer travelers with disabilities, and as the state continues its work to become the most accessible destination in America, we look forward to future additions to the Limitless Florida series.

Top 10 Most Popular National Parks Reviewed for their Accessibility

by

Trail in public park with mountain in distance.

Ashley Lyn Olson, founder of the blog Wheelchairtraveling.com, was paralyzed at the age of 14 in the same accident that killed her father, who worked as a park ranger. Since 2009, she’s been blogging her travel experiences throughout the United States and beyond on her blog – WheelchairTraveling.com – which is both a website, travel company, blog, social network and resource for disabled people.

Recently she completed a seminal report offering, in painstaking detail, accessibility and tips for 22 of America’s most treasured national parks. Her father would have been proud.

The Top 10 Most Visited National Parks in 2020

NATIONAL PARK, LOCATION2020 Visitors (millions)
1. Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Tennessee/N. Carolina12.1 m
2. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona6.2
3. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado4.6
4. Zion National Park, Utah4.4
5. Yosemite National Park, California4.2
6. Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming/Montana/Nevada4.1
7. Acadia National Park, Maine3.5
8. Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming3.4
9. Olympic National Park, Washington3.2
10. Glacier National Park, Montana3.0

To read Ashley’s reviews of the top national parks, see the article on her website.