TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Parks and Public spaces

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

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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

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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.

Wisconsin State Park Offers Accessible Tree Top Canopy Walkway

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Elevated wooden walkway and viewing tower.

The 63-foot-tall Eagle Tower with its stunning vistas of Green Bay and its canopy walkway represents not only an impressive feat of imagination, but also a stellar example of comprehensive accessibility planning. The tower offers everyone, no matter their mobility levels, a unique experience in Wisconsin’s Peninsula State Park.

Our Take: People with mobility challenges regularly face barriers in public parks – stairs, narrow entrances and high stone walls at overlook view positions are just a few examples. TravelAbility sees a positive trend developing as several states now offer canopy ramps so everyone can enjoy the pleasures of the outdoors from above the tree tops!

To read more about Eagle Tower, see the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources press release.

Summer’s Here: 9 of the Best Wheelchair Accessible Beaches in the USA

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Lifeguard stand on beach at sunset.

It’s summertime and America’s beaches are open! For wheelchair users, a beach day can offer a welcome respite from everyday life – a chance to enjoy the sun, sand and waves while spending a day out with friends.

Accessible travel writers Barbara and Jim Twardowski recently published an article in Smarter Travel highlighting nine of the best wheelchair accessible beaches in the United States.

Two beach destinations that really stand out are Huntington Beach, California and Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

In Huntington Beach, there are multiple accessible beach entrances, but also an adaptive surfing program! Beach wheelchairs are available for rent from a local vendor.

In Myrtle Beach, more than 40 wheelchair accessible beach access points are used by disabled visitors. Parking is free for people with a disabled parking permit, and loaner beach wheelchairs are delivered free of charge.

Our take: Park and Recreation departments, which fall under the purview of the City Manager’s office, are now becoming more proactive in accommodating people with disabilities by establishing budgets for adaptive equipment such as mat surfaces and beach chairs so that locals as well as visitors can enjoy them.

To read more about the top wheelchair accessible beaches in the USA, check out the article in Smarter Travel.

Airbnb Offering Accessible Outdoor Experiences for Wheelchair Users

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Adaptive surfing and person on beach wheelchair.

In celebration of Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Airbnb partnered with No Barriers, a non-profit organization that connects disabled people with opportunities to engage with nature.

As part of this collaboration, Airbnb has highlighted accessible experiences and places to stay that have accessibility features available for disabled guests.

Suzanne Edwards, Airbnb’s head of accessibility standards, said that “we continue working to grow the number of stays and Experiences for guests with accessibility needs.” A wheelchair user herself, Suzanne said that she’s “been inspired by Hosts’ stylish rural homes with accessibility features.”

The accessible experiences available through Airbnb include a beginner’s horseback ride designed for neurodiverse guests and an adaptive canoe excursion.

To learn more, read the full article in Travel + Leisure.