TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Rethinking Accessibility Survey Highlights How Travel Industry Partners Can Better Share Accessibility Features Already in Place

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In celebration of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), TravelAbility has released a new nationwide survey to spark a shift in how accessibility is presented across the U.S. tourism sector.

The Uncovering Accessibility survey, part of TravelAbility’s ongoing “Rethinking Accessibility” campaign collected responses from 143 tourism businesses, including hotels, attractions, restaurants, museums, and outdoor recreation providers. The goal: to better understand the accessibility features already in place and how they are (or aren’t) being communicated to travelers.

What the results revealed is encouraging: many businesses already offer inclusive features—but aren’t promoting them.

“Travelers with disabilities aren’t just looking for compliance—they’re looking for clarity. The ADA mandates certain physical features, but there’s no ADA for information. People with disabilities often have to guess what will or won’t work for them. That’s why Accessibility Landing Pages are so important—they help travelers discover what they can do, not what they can’t.”

– Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility

Key Findings from 143 Respondents

  • 85% offer step-free entry
  • 81% have accessible restrooms
  • 81% offer ramps or elevators
  • 68% provide accommodations for blind or low-vision guests, such as braille signage or audio guides
  • 60% offer features for deaf or hard of hearing travelers, including hearing loops or text transcripts
  • 44% offer sensory-friendly features such as calm spaces, sensory bags, or quiet hours
  • Yet 78% do not have a dedicated accessibility page on their website

In other words: accessibility is happening—it’s just not being shared.

This Isn’t About Perfection, It’s About Visibility

From large print menus and calm rooms to free pet stays for service dogs, many businesses already offer helpful features. An Accessibility Landing Page brings that information together in one place—helping guests plan confidently while showcasing the efforts of local businesses.

Simple, Scalable Steps for Progress

The report also highlights accessible features that businesses can easily promote—many of which are low-cost or already in place:

  • Sensory-friendly hours and quiet spaces
  • Tactile exhibits, large print menus, and guided tours
  • Use of visual or assistive apps (e.g., Aira, Be My Eyes)
  • Staff training or service dog-friendly policies
  • Accurate details about physical access, parking, and signage

“This survey gave us a whole new outlook on how we could be more accessible,” shared one respondent. “Our buildings were constructed in the 1960s, and as a small business, meeting some ADA compliance standards has felt cost-prohibitive. That said, many guests in wheelchairs still come and enjoy the property—and they find ways to navigate the shortcomings. This survey showed us how we can still be supportive. We already offer free pet stays for service dogs, and we’re looking forward to tackling more from the list.”

The Role of the Destination A11Y Club

Ten leading DMOs in TravelAbility’s Destination A11Y Club are already paving the way. Each maintains an Accessibility Landing Page highlighting inclusive local experiences for travelers with disabilities and older adults.

With help from the Uncovering Accessibility survey, they’re now expanding those listings—often uncovering accessibility assets they didn’t know they had. It’s a win-win for both visitors and the local businesses they rely on.

What’s Next

The survey findings are just the beginning. Here’s what TravelAbility and participating destinations are doing next:

  • Creating a best practice guide to help businesses build or improve accessibility pages tailored to the types of organizations surveyed.
  • Connecting interested businesses with training opportunities through TravelAbility’s partner network.

As destinations take these next steps, the goal is simple: empower travelers with better information and create more welcoming travel experiences for all.

Participating DMO’s

Media Contacts

Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau
Anna Whitlow, Director of Marketing & PR
awhitlow@albemarle.org

Discover Lancaster
Olivia Novak, Senior Marketing Manager
onovak@discoverlancaster.com

Experience Kissimmee
Deirdre Shaw, Destination Stewardship Manager
dshaw@experiencekissimmee.com

The Palm Beaches
 Christine DeMichael, Director of Integrated Marketing
CDeMichael@ThePalmBeaches.com

Visit Lauderdale
Attiyya Atkins, Senior Manager, Global Integrated Marketing
aatkins@broward.org

Visit Loudoun
Jennifer Christie, Director of Marketing
christie@visitloudoun.org

VisitLEX
Arin Arnold‑Davis, Director of Destination Stewardship and Community Engagement
aarnold@visitlex.com

Visit Mesa
Zoey Shircel, CATP, Communications Manager
zoey@visitmesa.com

Visit Myrtle Beach
Stuart Butler, President
stuart.butler@visitmyrtlebeach.com

Visit Richmond
Toni Bastian, Director of Accessibility & Tourism Sales
tbastian@visitrichmondva.com

What Would You Do? 

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Each month we try to address various accessibility issues that may arise within the TravelAbility community. 

What Would You Do:  You’re a restaurant that received a call asking if you were accessible for wheelchairs. The party was told yes, but when the party arrived they found one step to get into the restaurant. What would you do?

Here’s what our community had to say…

Kim Molnar | Director of Tourism Prineville, Oregon

First thing I would do is sincerely apologize for the mistake and offer assistance.  If they choose to stay, I would also comp a portion of the meal. I would then make it a priority to fix the accessibility barriers and train the staff on giving proper information to future guests when asked if our property is accessible. If I had the guests’ contact info, I would follow up with any positive changes we had made. 

Pekka Paavonperä | Public Relations Consultancy owner and Accessibility Advocate

I would have purchased a ramp when I opened the restaurant. 

Marcia Frost | Wheelchair Accessible TV Travel Expert

I had this situation not long ago. The restaurant was wheelchair accessible in the sense there were no stairs inside or out. The problem was that the tables were all tightly fit together. They had to have a dozen customers get up and move tables and chairs to get me into a table! Then, they did the same when I left. It was quite embarrassing and I felt bad for the people who had to interrupt their meals.

The restaurant told me when I was leaving to call next time and ask for a table to be set up by the bar – right next to the front door. I have not been back.

Key Takeaways:

  • Make sure your staff no how to answer any questions on accessibility
  • Keep accessibility information up front on your website to avoid any uncomfortable accidents
  • If it’s only a few steps, consider purchasing a portable ramp
  • Have a plan to make it right

Savor the Signs

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Deaf restaurants are deaf-owned or deaf-run restaurants designed to welcome people with hearing or speech difficulties. Signs of Good Food has put together this map showing 97 restaurant locations around the globe where accessibility and amazing food come together. Learn more, here.

Japanese Cafe Chain Gives Purpose to Elderly with Dementia

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The Cafe Of Mistaken Orders has one rule: you must have dementia to work here. True to its name, you may not get what you ordered. In fact, your server may even forget they’re your server and join you for your meal. Discover this unforgettable experience here.

Turf Battles: Cities Grapple with Making Outdoor Dining ADA-Compliant

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By Dan Tobin

It’s hard to remember the depths of the claustrophobia we all felt in the spring of 2020. With the pandemic raging and social distancing in full force, schools, workplaces, and many retail businesses were closed. But help was on the way. 

Boston resident Doug Bacon recalls the joyous moment in the summer of 2020 when he first noticed local restaurants adding tables and patios that spilled out into the street. It was “magical” he said. 

Outdoor dining proved to be one of the few positive legacies of the COVID-19 crisis. Four years later, many cities are still working on rules to make outdoor dining a permanent summer feature, including ensuring compliance with ADA requirements that were brushed aside in 2020.

“We did change the parameters of the program after the pandemic,” Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a recent radio interview with GBH (July 9th episode). “During the pandemic it was basically meant as a restaurant rescue and relief program where regulatory agencies looked the other way on accessibility requirements and on some of the requirements we’ve determined for safety when you are eating so close to traffic. Now many of those requirements have been codified for the permanent program.”

Portland, Oregon has put together an extensive guide on how to incorporate ADA requirements into outdoor dining. Here, for example, is an illustration of ways to maintain a clear pedestrian pathway:

(From the Portland Bureau of Transportation)

But Portland restaurant owners have reported mixed results with outdoor dining. And the costs have been significant, with most spending $5,000-$6,000 to build a wooden structure on four or five parking spaces. “[We spent] a ton of money,” said Lisa Shroeder of the popular Mother’s Bistro and Bar in a recent panel discussion with Oregon Public Broadcasting. “Which is why I was very concerned when I heard that the business permits might not be renewed, over $5,000 at least, especially with the cost of wood currently. So I was very worried that I was going to be losing a lot of money if I had to deconstruct that.” And the demand for the outdoor seats has been underwhelming, Schroeder adds. 

In the same conversaton, restaurateur Carlo Lamagna of Magna Kusina, reported great success with the outdoor seating area. “In total, we spent about the same amount as Lisa did, running around $6,000 in total for the entire structure. . . . it’s been pretty amazing. It’s been adding quite a bit of revenue for us. So yeah, we are definitely benefiting from the structure.”

Few cities embraced outdoor dining during COVID as enthusiastically as New York. Many restaurants built elaborate outdoor dining structures seemingly overnight, which served as a stark contrast to the usual response to ADA requirements, wrote Peneliope Richards of the restaurant blog Eater. Richards, who uses a wheelchair, made her point clear in the title of her column:  “If Restaurants Can Build a Sidewalk Shed, They Can Accommodate Disabled Diners.”

“Complying with ADA guidelines should not be considered an added expense or something that restaurant owners can push to the wayside. It is the law, just as state mandates for indoor and outdoor dining, limited capacities, and other social-distancing protocols were. It’s disheartening to see how quickly and ingeniously many restaurants are able to pivot when it’s the bottom line that’s at risk (and understandably so: I am sympathetic to their need to survive), rather than the needs of their customers with disabilities.”

We agree wholeheartedly with Richards’ comments, but it shouldn’t be an either or. Diners with disabilities like to eat outside too, and that also contributes to the bottom line.

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