TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Technology

MUST WATCH! When Audio Transcription Fails (Hilariously)

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photo: illustration of a keyboard with hands; screen copy says audio transcription with a page, headphone and text icon

You might think that YouTube can capture the exact words from your video. But their transcription tool has more than few loopholes. The only thing funny about it is these two tech guys who show you just how bad audio transcription can bungle your copy. The example here is a Jamaica tour video. Watch it on YouTube, here.  

OUR TAKE: From a marketing point of view, this video makes clear that humor, truthiness, and great information make people sit up and pay attention to your message. Don’t be nervous to even make fun of yourself (and of course fix the problem). After watching it, you’ll really get why creating winning videos requires more than visual storytelling. All the moving parts need to be in place and double-checked before it will make a good impression.

The Latest in Mobility For Zoomers (you know, Boomers who will. not. stop.)

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The iLivingV8 is a blue scooter that has pedals and looks like a scooter
Looks like a kids scooter, rides like a Zoomer’s dream. photo: iliving

I’ve been going to CES for many years and based on my experience, here is the evolution of the accessibility section. About 10 years ago the health arena began to appear featuring exercise machines that became smarter with technology.  The next phase was focused on the concept of healing and how technology was being useful in measuring the process of pain elimination and healing.  The next development was IoT, the Internet of Things, where everything in daily life became connected through an ever-faster 4G and now 5G network.  A couple of years ago AI was introduced, basically, the age of machine learning and 2020 CES was the year that AI became mainstream. This means there are now customized solutions because machines are smarter and can be personalized to the needs of the user. —Laszlo Horvath CEO, Active Media.

Here, the three products you’ll see soon on the streets—and why:

  1. Zooming into the future…that’s how you feel when you test the new Segway S-Pod, a self-balancing wheelchair (also referred to by the company as a scooter or “an egg-shaped wheelchair”). Ok, so the design is a little wonky but it’s a hell of a ride, say people who tried it at 2020 CES.
  2. It’s a GPS. It’s a guide. It’s an alert system. It’s the… SEED Cane, a smart cane designed for blind people that gives the user and a guardian the location and any obstacles in their way as they walk. The cane, which was an honoree at the 2020 CES Innovation Awards, is independently powered, uses infrared signals and vibrations and syncs with smartphones.  
  3. We predict the iLiving V8 will soon achieve icon status among the senior set. The foldable mobility scooter was an honoree at 2020 CES in the accessibility category. The scooter’s sticker price is $4K and its target market is on-the-go seniors who can stash the compact design in the car. It’s lightweight and there are no tools needed so you won’t be needing to send mom and pops links to YouTube for instructions.

Free Advice on How to Make Your Website Accessible

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hands pointing to a laptop

“Creating an accessible website is not just about ADA compliance,” writes Ann Smarty of ConvinceandConvert.com. “It’s about creating an opportunity for a huge part of your potential customer base to purchase from you or to join your community.” Smarty (pants, sorry we couldn’t resist the pun) also implores: “Ignore this cohort and you fail to serve one-fifth of the U.S. population.” Her plan includes both short- and long-term goals, some do-able in a matter of hours or days. The basics:

  • use clear language
  • large buttons
  • accessible forms and
  • detailed alternative text and titles.

OUR TAKE: People with disabilities do much of their buying online—if and when the website they attempt to use is accessible. Let’s be honest—by leaving your website unaltered you’re basically sending a middle finger to the disability community. We feel so strongly about accessibility the TravelAbility Summit featured three different website developers, each with a different approach as well as defense and plaintiff to address the issue. 

The Top 20 Takeaways From TravelAbility Summit (Yes, Inspo-Porn is One Of Them)

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BeMyEyes founder presents on stage standing next to podium
After Will Butler’s presentation on Be My Eyes, many attendees said they wanted to use the app. Here’s the link.

TravelAbility Summit 2019, held this November in San Francisco, was the first national summit that explored ways the travel industry can better serve the disability community.  While sessions and panels during the Summit identified a substantial disconnect between the two groups, the event provided a bridge between the network of travel industry professionals and the travelers with disabilities attending the conference. Bringing together these communities that might otherwise not speak with each other was a major achievement of the Summit. We are committed to continuing this critical conversation.  

While the conference focused on the intersection of travel and accessibility, it also created the opportunity for the disability community, which is built around advocacy groups promoting access for specific disabilities, to come together over the common cause of accessible travel.  What these groups all have in common is the aspiration to travel because it’s the toy department of life. We were delighted to make this happen

Here are our top takeaways from this year’s Summit:

  1. “Nothing About Us Without Us.” This should be the guiding principle for any travel organization that wants to increase its accessibility. This means destinations building accessible products and content being featured on their website should include advice from local organizations representing different disabilities. Consultation with people with disabilities should be the first step when hotels are renovating ADA rooms. Accessibility initiatives should be taken in partnership with people with disabilities
  2. Accessibility is Good for Business Significant numbers were presented indicating the size of the accessible needs travel market, the growing numbers as we age into disability, and the friends/family/companions/caregivers directly impacted by travel decisions. Something we can change: 87% of autism-affected families don’t travel at all. 
  3. Accessibility is Hospitality. The Americans with Disabilities Act will turn 30 in 2020. Three decades after the passage of ADA, compliance makes travel possible—but far from pleasant. “Accessible” isn’t a decent definition. Many establishments still don’t do enough and empathy cannot be regulated. Wheelchair travelers need hotel and bathroom interior photos; blind travelers need housekeepers who don’t move items. 
  4. Lowering the Fear Factor For Travelers Must Be a Focus. Fear of the unknown plays a big factor when people with disabilities are considering destinations and especially hotels, while fear of imperfection makes many hotels and attractions ambivalent and/or uncomfortable about welcoming disabled guests.
  5. Fear Motivates. Some fears can be productive and result in compliance action: FOGS (Fear of Getting Sued) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are primary motivators of compliance.
  6. There Are Easy Fixes. While almost all hotels post images of their rooms, public space, and exterior on their websites for everyone to see, few include photos of their ADA accessible rooms, which is critical for those with disabilities to determine if the hotel is right for them. 
  7. Empathy Creates Change. Language, empathy, and understanding matter. Because people don’t know what to say or how to say it, they should simply ask, “How can I assist you?” In fact, many travelers with special needs indicate that potentially litigious situations could be nipped in the bud through better frontline staff training.   
  8. Count Me In: Volunteers Are Abundant and Available. for initiatives and events where they can help people with disabilities.  For example, Be My Eyes, a free app that connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers from all over the world through a live video call now has 3 million volunteers and 150,000 users. 
  9. All Disabilities Have a Spectrum. Autism isn’t the only disability with a spectrum. Every disability has a spectrum which makes it impossible to be accessible for everyone. However, as Aaron Clefton, an ADA plaintiff attorney panelist told the audience, “If my clients had been treated with respect and had their problems addressed with courtesy, none of them would have sued.” 
  10. ROI for Accessibility is Real. It’s really quite simple:  If you’re accessible for those who are disabled today, you’ll be accessible for the 77 million Baby Boomers who have the wealth, time and interest to travel as they age into a disability tomorrow.
  11. Universal Design Benefits Everyone.  Curb cuts were originally for wheelchair users but they are also used for baby carriages, scooters, skateboarders. AVA, one of the products featured in Launchpad, is a voice-to-text service where deaf attendees can easily follow what presenters are saying through their app.  At the same time, everyone can click “save” and they will have a PDF of the speech.  Prominent hotel chains such as Marriott are working on the accessible rooms of the future. 
  12. Destinations Are the Evangelists of Accessibility As a collection of suppliers and a conduit of information, DMOs are in a good advocacy position to share information, spearhead movements, promote certification, host workshops, raise awareness, train and amplify the message. 
  13. Compliance Goes Beyond Having An Accessible Website. Having accurate up-to-date information about accessibility on a travel supplier or destination’s website is the most effective form of customer service, but efforts shouldn’t end there.
  14. Nature Belongs to Everyone. National and local parks and beaches are developing innovative approaches to help people with a variety of disabilities enjoy nature and the salutary effects that outdoor activities bring to everyone.  
  15. Family and Caregivers Need Vacations Age-related diseases such as dementia and Alzheimers are stressful for caretakers. Leaving a cognitively challenged elder at home is not an option. Vacation options that provide solutions are in demand
  16.  There Are P.R. benefits to Becoming Accessible. Destinations and suppliers who have promoted their accessibility initiatives have received favorable coverage from local news outlets as it is viewed as cutting edge and positive service for the community.   
  17. Practical Products Solve Accessibility Problems. TravelAbility’s pre-conference LaunchPad, a pitchfest featuring 15 companies (a mix of start-ups and established businesses), showcased emerging assistive technology and products to the travel and disability community. The voting outcome revealed that the judges favored practical products engineered for everyday use over emerging technology. 
  18. Inspo-Porn Is a Thing. “Inspiration porn”, which people with a disability find offensive, is the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability.  Someone needs to tell the news media and their viewers. Learn more.
  19. Simulating the Travel Experience Creates Real Benefits. It has been proven, from airports to air carriers to hotels, simulation reduces anxiety among those on the autism spectrum. It opens great possibilities for virtual reality technology.
  20. Awareness Creates Community. Connecting with people with disabilities, exposure to ideas and innovation plus resources creates a new travel community committed to accessibility.

TravelAbility Summit Hasn’t Even Started Yet—and Already Our Speakers Our Making Big News

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l to r headshots of Josh Loebner, Ann Madison John Morris and Will Butler, all experts appearing at the TravelAbility Summit (tTravelAbilitySummit.com)

Accessibility (on and off-line) means creating experiences all travelers can enjoy. These four speakers will be at TravelAbility Summit (live from San Francisco in a matter of days!) have recently published pieces of interest: 

Advertising and Disability by Josh Loebner, contributor to Adweek 
READ MORE

Blind people can show each other something by Will Butler on LinkedIn READ MORE

The Top 10 Signs Accessibility is Going Mainstream by John Morris on WheelchairTravel.org READ MORE

What Can the Supreme Court Teach the Travel Industry? by Anne Madison, Travel Vertical Blog  READ MORE  

Learn more about TravelAbility Summit November 12-13 in San Francisco, HERE.

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