TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Parks and Public spaces

Splish-Splash! Beach Wheelchairs Truly Make Oregon Beach “Free For Everyone”

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A close-up view of Haystock Rock and its resident tufted puffins are now accessible to wheelchair users, thanks to new beach wheelchairs in Cannon Beach, Oregon. The city’s long, sandy coastline is among the most beautiful in the state.

Visitors can rent the beach wheelchairs for free, checking them out from the nearby police station. Officers will keep watch over the visitor’s personal mobility equipment, which is safely stored inside the station.

“It’s making our beach, which is free for everyone, free for everyone,” said Pooka Rice, the outreach coordinator for the Haystock Rock Awareness Program in Cannon Beach.

OUR TAKE: Cannon Beach is the latest city to make an investment in beach accessibility, and its new beach wheelchairs will make it possible for disabled visitors and residents to enjoy the sun and sand!

For the full text of the local news report, see the original article.

After 2,460 years, the Acropolis in Greece is Now Accessible

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Acropolis hill against a blue sky.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the Prime Minister of Greece, visited the Acropolis of Athens earlier this month to inaugurate a new lift and pathways which bring wheelchair accessibility to the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Thanks to these new accessibility features, wheelchair users and others with limited mobility will be able to see the ancient buildings that sit on the top of the hill, most notably the Parthenon. The Prime Minister praised the investment in accessibility, calling it “a project for the whole world.”

OUR TAKE: Modern technology can be integrated into ancient historical sites to enable greater access for everyone. The work done at the Acropolis of Athens has received widespread support and will now make one of the most iconic world heritage sites wheelchair accessible.

To read more, click here.

Spotlight: 6 of the Best Wheelchair Accessible National Park Trails

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Trail in public park.

Candy Harrington, the writer behind the accessible travel website Emerging Horizons, recently shared a list of six national park trails that are accessible to wheelchair users. With her guide, wheelchair users and others with mobility challenges can explore some of America’s most beautiful parks, including Sequoia, Shenandoah and Yellowstone.

OUR TAKE: As disabled people begin to think about planning trips for the new year and in the midst of a global pandemic, it’s hard to think of a safer environment than America’s beautiful national parks. Accessible trails offer visitors of all abilities the opportunity to get out there and explore nature, surrounded by the tranquil beauty of the great outdoors.

To check out the list, click here.

Accessibility at Disney World During the Pandemic – Is it still “The Happiest Place on Earth?”

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Cinderella's castle at Walt Disney World.

Kelly Mack, a wheelchair user, recently traveled with her husband to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and wrote about her experiences for the Disney Information Station blog.

Mack says she traveled to Disney because she “felt very good about the precautions” taken to keep guests safe and because “it’s a place we can travel where we don’t worry as much about accessibility of the hotel, the transportation, and the overall fun because Disney has planned it all out.”

OUR TAKE: Accessible travel can be done safely during the pandemic and Kelly’s story highlights some of the steps Disney has taken in their parks and hotels that provide travelers with a sense of security.

To learn more about how Disney has safely reopened its parks and what visiting a theme park during the pandemic is like for a wheelchair user, click here.

EXTREME JEEPING: Wheelchair User Goes Off-road in Moab, Utah!

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The Moab Area Travel Council has released a new video that spotlights David Adams, a Jeep enthusiast with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a form of Muscular Dystrophy. David uses a wheelchair, but thanks to a specially modified Jeep, he is able to explore Moab’s national parks, which he says offer the best views and vistas in the world.

The marketing video follows David as he takes the Jeep off-road, conquering obstacles like the Hell’s Revenge Sand Flats, Steel Bender Trail and Mickey’s Hot Tub. It’s an exhilarating journey that you won’t want to miss – and further evidence that disabled travelers are ready to explore your destination!