TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Parks and Public spaces

Meet ‘Obama the Pony’ Who is Helping Make Glasgow Parks More Accessible

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Man using a wheelchair that is secured to a carriage pulled by a pony.

The English and Scottish countrysides are breathtaking – gorgeous rolling meadows meet grassy hilltops and lead to beautiful beaches. Simon Mulholland, through his Pony Access organization, is working to make Scotland’s public parks and beaches wheelchair accessible through an innovative wheelchair accessible pony-drawn carriage.

He has had a vision of bringing ponies back into mainstream communities since he started building pony-powered vehicles 20 years ago. First trialed in England, he found difficulty in gaining buy-in from the public and local governments. Now, after moving to Scotland, he’s making headway in a community that embraces his vision for pony-driven accessibility.

His vision, he said, “is about access.” He commented, “Oddly enough, this isn’t really a pony activity, it is an accessible activity.”

Mulholland’s pony-drawn carriages open up new vistas to disabled people. In an interview with the Glasgow Times, he remarked, “If somebody wanted to go bird watching or anything, I don’t care, they want to go and do something and they can’t get there. I can get them there and that’s what it is about.”

He emphasized that his pony drawn vehicle is not a “disabled activity” yet an “inclusive activity.” Essentially, it’s an experience that’s open to everyone, with accessibility being a key consideration from the start.

To read more about Pony Access, see the article in the Glasgow Times.

Don’t Drive with the Top Down in Bearizona

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Two people standing next to a large statue of a bear.

Bearizona? What’s that?

According to Marlene from Deafinitely Wanderlust, it’s a wildlife park – in Arizona – that you won’t want to miss.

She writes, “Bearizona Wildlife Park is not one of your typical zoo, they offer people an opportunity to drive through and see animals in their natural, wildlife environment. Yes, you read that right. You can drive in your own vehicle to see these animals up close.”

Sounds exciting!

When Marlene arrived at Bearizona, she had no idea what to expect, but was excited to explore the park and see the animals. As she entered, an employee issued a warning: “When you enter the wolves and bears sections, you must have your windows up”

You probably don’t want to visit Bearizona in a convertible.

To read more about Marlene’s adventure in this unique attraction, check out her article at Deafinitely Wanderlust.

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

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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

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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

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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.