TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

The Arts

Best of the Web: News, Info and Inspiration

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A roundup of the best articles and resources we found in the past month related to disability and accessible travel.

The back of a child on a pier in New York Harbor looking at the NYC skyline through binoculars.

Neuro diversity:

Accessible NYC: Travel Tips for Neurodiverse Families | Free Autism Resources by InfiniTeach – FreeAutismResources.org

There’s Finally a Travel Group for Neurodiverse Young Adults – Thrillist

Wheelchair Accessible Tours:

2023 Accessible Travel Award Winners – Wonders Within Reach

20 of the Best Wheelchair Accessible Beaches in California

Accessible Beach Opens in Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast

Blind and Low Vision:

8 Trip-Planning Tips for Blind or Visually Impaired Travelers

All the Light We Cannot See star Aria Mia Loberti strolls Golden Globes red carpet with guide dog

Deaf and Hard of Hearing:

Meet an Alaska Airlines leader with a disability who says he is doing what he was meant to do

Disability Resources:

Travel Genius Introduces Geni-us: An AI Map For Travellers, Enabling Inclusive Journeys

Marlee Matlin Makes History as Awards Show Host with Deaf Co-Star

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Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur pose with two others in front of an MAA backdrop

Oscar winners Marlee Matlin and Troy Kotsur who Co-Starred in the film CODA reunited as the first deaf co-hosts of the Media Access Awards, which celebrate films, television shows, and performances that include characters with disabilities. 

Matlin has seen significant progress in Hollywood’s understanding of accessibility but she emphasizes that there is still a long way to go. When she attends awards shows, she says she often feels drawn into the role of accessibility advisor. 

“I don’t want to call it worrying, but I’m still attending with something in the back of my mind saying, ‘How is it going to look? Who are the interpreters? Where are they going to place it? Where are we going to sit?’” she says. “More and more, they’re all talking about DEI — everybody in Hollywood. But they forget about access and accessibility. They forget that there is a group of us that needs access to be part of the whole picture.”  Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: Matlin articulates the double-duty that many individuals with disabilities are often compelled to take on. Beyond navigating an event or project on their own, they also take on the role of educating the organizers about accessibility. Matlin is a powerful spokesperson for the cause. 

HBO MAX Unveils ASL version of “Barbie”

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The much-anticipated arrival of mega-hit “Barbie” on streaming included a special feature, “Barbie with ASL,” in which a signer interprets the movie for the Deaf community. 

“HBO Max is the premiere destination for storytelling, so being able to share the biggest movie of the year in ASL, the first language for many, will make this story resonate in a more meaningful way,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content, said in a press release. “By offering sign language interpretation, we will build upon the film’s empowering message of inclusiveness and offer a unique viewing experience for the Deaf community to enjoy with family and friends.” 

The streaming service kicked off the ASL version with a special community screening in Los Angeles alongside the non-profit Deaf West Theatre, advocacy group RespectAbility, signer Leila Hanaumi, and Barbie star Margot Robbie. Read more

Related story: British Air introduces Signed Language Video for Deaf Passengers 

TravelAbility TakeAway: This is an important milestone given the huge footprint of the Barbie movie. In addition to increasing access to the movie for the Deaf Community, the ASL version and the live event highlight the artistry of ASL signer Leila Hanaumi. Her performance is more than translation; its an act of expressive storytelling.

Oregon Coast Scores $1.1 Million in Grants for Accessibility

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Historical photo in sepia tones of an older Black man playing a violin

As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects. Of that total, more than $1 million will go to Oregon Coast organizations. 

The scope and diversity of the funded projects is vast. Travelers with disabilities will gain both new and improved access to a wide range of natural, recreational, and historic sites. The grants will also fund accessibility studies by Wheel the World in two regions along the coast. Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: If you want to see the impact that all of you are making through your participation in TravelAbility, take a trip to Oregon. Travel Oregon, which sent more than 30 staff members to the Savannah summit, is putting into practice ideas and partnerships they’ve developed through active engagement with the network. It’s inspiring to see an ambitious program implemented state-wide.

Actors With Intellectual Disabilities Steal the Show in “Champions”

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Five actors with disabilities, including Down Syndrome, wearing basketball uniforms huddle in a scene from the film "Champions"

Never mind Woody Harrelson. The real standouts of the movie Champions, directed by Bobby Farrelly and adapted from a Spanish film by Mark Rizzo, are the actors who portray the Friends basketball team.

“As a writer, you hope that the actors like the material and that they elevate it in some way,” Rizzo said in a recent interview. “In this film, each and every member of the cast did exactly that. I was blown away by how the funny scenes were just funnier with them in them. They made brilliant choices that I could not have imagined.”

Woody Harrelson plays a tough minor-league coach whose dream of working in the NBA is derailed when he is court-mandated to work with a team of players with intellectual disabilities, the Friends.

Rizzo said his goal was to allow plenty of room for the young actors to make the creative choices necessary for bringing their characters to life.

“For me, it was making sure that the disabled people in the movie carried as much story and as much agency as the non-disabled people. That was really my sole focus. I wanted to give them as many choices and emotional arcs as any other character would have.” Read more.

TravelAbility Takeaway: Who doesn’t love a good underdog sports movie? Harrelson is convincing in the Tom Hanks “there’s-no-crying-in baseball-role”, but the movie is stolen by the team of actors with intellectual disabilities. They are at once funny and believable. Note: Both the original Spanish film and the American remake draw inspiration from the true story of the Aderes basketball team, a Valencia-based team of players with intellectual disabilities who who win multiple championships in Spain.