Speakers 2019

New Panelist
What You Need to Know When Marketing to the Disability Community
It’s not one community and there’s a spectrum for everything, which makes conventional digital tactics challenging. The key is identifying the travel decision-maker with the right message at the right time, which is how Designsensory’s influencer campaign for the Tennessee Aquarium generated traffic. Presenters: Ian Ruder, Editor, New Mobility Magazine; Josh Loebner, Director of Strategy, Designsensory 

New Research
The Destinations Disabled Travelers (and Their Families) Search For
The founder of an accessible online travel agency that connects to Booking.com’s hotel supply, shares data, information and the tactics they used to reach people with disabilities. Their research reveals the type of destinations families traveling with a person with disabilities want to visit.  Presenter: Miriam Eljas Goldman, Founder, AccessibleGO

New Panels

1. How to Overcome Your Fear of Not Being Accessibility Perfect?
   In private, hotels and attractions have expressed concerns about catering to people with disabilities. Since every disability has a spectrum, they fear that imperfect accessibility may lead to unmet expectations, criticism or even litigation. Three disabled travel specialists provide their opinions: Panelists:Srin Madipalli, AIRBNB; Mike May, Access Explorer; Isabelle Ducharme, Co-president and Chairwoman, Keroul
   
2. How to Create Your Own “Disability 101” Workshop One of our goals for TravelAbility Summit is to provide attendees with actual content and the right contacts so they can create disability workshops that educate industry partners as well as management about the trends that will affect their business. Last year, Visit Oakland created a “Queer 101” and “Disability 101” workshop that attracted nearly 40 of their industry members. Presenter: Mark Everton, CEO, Jaymee Rayford, Training and Lisa Baird, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion,  Visit Oakland, 

New Sessions
Unique Ways Travel Oregon Approaches Accessibility After the welcome center outside of Ashland, OR burned down Travel Oregon, perhaps the most forward-thinking state tourism office when it comes to marketing, rebuilt it as state-of-the art-center utilizing universal design that is useful for people with multiple disabilities.  We’ll take a video tour of the facility as well as learn how the small grants they awarded several of their industry partners resulted in big changes in access.  Presenter: Carol Astly, Director of Meeting Services, Travel Oregon

Is Customer Service Training the Key to Reducing Accessibility Complaints?
Comments from accessible travel group forums reveal that it’s a willingness to solve accessibility problems that can only come from customer experience training —and that garner effusive praise and referrals. Hear from the first Florida destination to incorporate an accessibility module in their customer service training program. Presenters: Judy Durant and Josh Lambert, Beaches of Ft. Myers and Sanibel Island CVB
What are the P.R. Benefits of Becoming Accessible?
Two former senior marketing strategists discuss the numerous tangible and intangible benefits that can result from accessibility readiness.  Anne Madison, Former Chief Strategy Officer for Brand USA; Kathy Tull, former Chief Marketing Officer, Las Vegas CVB (i)

New (Breakfast) Presentation 
Moab, Utah Debuts Their Latest Marketing Initiative: Nature for All.  The marketing piece showcases the many accessible nature options that the destination and the state of Utah have to offer. Presenter: Elaine Gizler, Executive Director, Moab Area Travel Council.

Lawrence Carter-Long, Lifelong Activist (left) has been a modern dancer, radio show host, and producer, and was the curator/co-host of the groundbreaking festival The Projected Image: A History of Disability on Film on Turner Classic Movies reaching 87 million people. His advocacy has been awarded by the likes of former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Formerly the Public Affairs Specialist for the National Council on Disability—the independent federal agency that brought us the Americans with Disabilities Act—he joined the Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund in July 2017, as the first-ever Director of Communications. In his communications work, Lawrence has both set-up media coverage of numerous disability issues in and been interviewed by, respected outlets like USA TODAY, ASSOCIATED PRESS, the New York Times, The Daily Show, BBC and CNN among other notable news sources. His interview with NPR about the evolution of disability as a concept, and in language, is available here.

Patty David, Baby Boomer Travel Trends Expert (right) has more than 25 years of experience in the research field. Consumer insights are her passion. At AARP, she manages the suite of research for its Integrated Communication and Marketing division as well as the Innovation division. AARP’s travel site (travel.aarp.org) is a pivotal channel in the Integrated Communications and Marketing division and travel is the number one interest of AARP members. She has a bachelor’s degree in both Sociology and Psychology and a master’s degree in Applied Social Research. Throughout her career, she has been intricately involved with the design and management of customer products based on research findings and insights. She heavily depends on this knowledge to help guide AARP’s travel offerings.

Madeline Chase, Principal and Autism Awareness Advocate (center) is a Middle School Assistant Principal and an Advocate of Autism Awareness. She has worked in public education for over a decade and is now an administrator for one of the few entirely virtual, public middle schools. She loves finding ways to empower and inspire teachers to lead their students to achievement and success. Madeline is the mom of a son with ASD and has been inspired by his journey to increase awareness of autism.

Ready to be even more inspired? Check out the complete roster of speakers and register now for TravelAbility Summit, here.