TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

The Business Case

TravelAbility Summit Cheat sheet: The State of Accessibility in Travel Today 

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Each month we share a recap from one of the sessions at the 2025 TravelAbility Summit. Check out the opening session on the state of accessible travel today.

Speakers 

  • Jake Steinman – Founder, TravelAbility 
  • Arturo Gaona –Chief Partnerships Officer, Wheel the World
  • Kristy Durso – Founder, Incredible Memories Travel / Ambassador, TravelAbility 

Session Overview 

This session traced the evolution of accessible travel from a compliance-based approach to a marketing-driven movement rooted in inclusion, innovation, and economic opportunity. The panel reflected on industry growth since 2019—when accessibility was largely overlooked—to 2025, where it’s becoming a mainstream priority. Speakers highlighted personal experiences, technological progress, and the increasing recognition of accessibility as both a moral and financial imperative. 

Key Insights 

  • 2019: Accessibility was an afterthought, often managed without dedicated budgets or plans. 
  • 2021–2022: Awareness grew as data from Open Doors and other research groups revealed accessibility’s market value. 
  • 2025: Accessibility has transitioned from Destination Development to Marketing, signaling industry maturity and opportunity. 
  • Data Shift: Longwoods International now reports 18% of U.S. travelers require accessibility services—an upward trend. 
  • Personal Connection: Every traveler is affected by accessibility in some way, either directly or through family and companions. 
  • Industry Growth: TravelAbility expanded from 60 to nearly 200 attendees annually, reflecting accelerating industry engagement. 

Actionable Takeaways 

  • Invest intentionally: Accessibility needs to be budgeted and planned, not just funded by grants. 
  • Integrate marketing: Position accessibility as a core part of destination branding, not an add-on. 
  • Leverage influencers: Content creators drive visibility and authenticity in accessible travel marketing. 
  • Provide clarity: Offer detailed, accurate accessibility information so travelers can make informed choices. 
  • Use provided tools: TravelAbility will share template pages and AI-assisted surveys for destinations, hotels, and attractions to collect and present accessibility data consistently.

Notable Quotes 

  • “Accessibility has become the new big movement—just like sustainability was 20 years ago. If you aren’t pursuing it now, you’ll get left behind.” — Kristy Durso
  • “The ADA was written for the median—it works for half the people and not for the other half. Because there’s no ADA for information, travelers don’t know which half they’re in until they arrive.” — Jake Steinman 
  • “We can’t depend on grants to move accessibility forward. We need to budget for it, plan for it, and recognize the ROI.” — Arturo Gaona 

Want to be part of these conversations in real time? 

2026 TravelAbility Tampa 2026 ad featuring a group of people including a wheelchair user enjoying a mead in downtown tampa. the summit dates are listed.

Join us November 9–11, 2026, in Tampa, Florida, for the 2026 TravelAbility Summit. It’s where destinations, venues, and travel brands come together to advance accessibility in a practical, business-smart way. Over two days of case studies, workshops, and peer learning, industry leaders share proven strategies that improve the travel experience for people with disabilities—and, by extension, for families, multigenerational groups, and travelers with temporary or situational limitations. Meet the advisors, suppliers, and destination teams leading the way, and leave with a roadmap you can put to work immediately.

Register Today

The Inclusive Travel Revolution: Why the Disability and Longevity Economy Is the Next Big Frontier

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In his article, “The Inclusive Travel Revolution,” Jonathan J. Kaufman argues that accessible travel is not a niche market, but the primary growth engine for the Longevity Economy. He shifts the narrative from accessibility as a “compliance requirement” to a “strategic economic frontier.”

The following summary highlights how the article supports the idea of accessible travel as the leading edge of this economy:

1. The Convergence of Disability and Aging

Kaufman, a highly acclaimed academic, business advisor, and global authority, proposes that the distinction between “disabled travel” and “senior travel” is disappearing. As the global population ages, mobility and sensory challenges become a standard part of the consumer experience. By designing for accessibility now, the travel industry is essentially “future-proofing” itself for the entirety of the Longevity Economy.

2. Market Magnitude and the “Multiplier Effect”

The article emphasizes that the economic footprint of older adults and people with disabilities is massive (estimated at over $45 trillion globally). In travel, this is amplified by the Multiplier Effect: travelers with disabilities rarely travel alone, meaning an accessible destination captures the spending of an entire multi-generational family or group.

3. From “Add-on” to “Main Attraction”

Kaufman argues that accessibility is becoming the main attraction. The Longevity Economy demands seamless, frictionless experiences. Destinations that prioritize “Inclusive Design” (ramps, sensory-friendly spaces, and digital accessibility) are not just serving a sub-sector; they are creating a superior product that appeals to the “Silver Tsunami” of travelers who have the time and capital to explore.

4. Innovation as a Strategic Strategy

The “revolution” Kaufman describes is one where disability pride and inclusive design drive technological and service innovation. This leads to:

  • Enhanced Digital Tools: Apps that provide verified accessibility data.
  • Universal Infrastructure: Cities and transport hubs designed for all ages and abilities.
  • Economic Resilience: Businesses that pivot to inclusive models tap into a loyal, underserved market that remains active regardless of economic fluctuations.

The travel industry is the “testing ground” for the Longevity Economy. If a destination can solve for the complexities of inclusive travel, it has mastered the requirements for the most powerful consumer demographic in history.

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Capturing the Accessible Luxury Market – How FORA Travel Booked $75 Million in Travel 

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Accessible luxury is a growth story hiding in plain sight—and the results speak for themselves. At the 2025 TravelAbility Summit, Karen Morales shared how to capture this market by treating accessibility as core hospitality and equipping advisors with the right tools. Check out the session recap below.

2026 TravelAbility Tampa 2026 ad featuring a group of people including a wheelchair user enjoying a mead in downtown tampa. the summit dates are listed.

Want to be part of these conversations in real time? Join us November 9–11, 2026, in Tampa, Florida, for the 2026 TravelAbility Summit. It’s where destinations, venues, and travel brands come together to advance accessibility in a practical, business-smart way. Over two days of case studies, workshops, and peer learning, industry leaders share proven strategies that improve the travel experience for people with disabilities—and, by extension, for families, multigenerational groups, and travelers with temporary or situational limitations. Meet the advisors, suppliers, and destination teams leading the way, and leave with a roadmap you can put to work immediately.

Register Today!

Session Recap

Karen Morales speaking on stage at a the 2025 TravelAbility Summit while seated in a power wheelchair and holding a microphone.

Speakers 

● Karen Morales — Fora Travel (luxury travel agency) 

● Kristy Durso – Founder, Incredible Memories Travel / Ambassador, TravelAbility 

Session Overview 

Karen Morales described how accessible travel intersects with the luxury segment, sharing her rapid transition to mobility disability and the gap she found between adaptive recreation progress and inconsistent accessibility at five-star properties. Partnering with Fora, she helped train advisors to sell accessibility in luxury—and suppliers are starting to listen when accessibility is framed as hospitality and revenue, not just compliance. 

Key Insights 

  • Advisor training moves markets: In one year, 300+ Fora advisors were trained on selling accessibility, contributing to ~$75M in accessible travel sales (within a company targeting ~$1B total). 
  • Supplier blind spot: Major brands rarely include accessible rooms, food-allergy handling, or autism supports in sales decks—yet many have untapped assets (e.g., properties with numerous accessible rooms, beach wheelchairs, adaptive surf). 
  • Luxury clients, real scenarios: 
    • Multi-gen Greece (14 ppl): privacy for an immunocompromised traveler. 
    • “Bill,” 82, first overseas trip in a wheelchair: premium cabins; practical questions like airplane bathroom access. 
    • High-spend allergy travel: families flying a private chef; $200k itineraries. ○ Safaris, Europe villas, river cruises (often less accessible). 
  • Policy & momentum (as stated by speaker): New builds in New York require an accessible room in each room category; similar practices cited in Boston and London. National and destination campaigns spotlighting accessibility were noted (e.g., Australia; interest in Japan, Spain, U.K., Colombia). 
  • Hospitality > compliance: The winning pitch to luxury suppliers is guest welcome, ease, and revenue—“meeting individual needs” as core hospitality. 

Actionable Takeaways 

  • Communicate clearly: It’s “not an infrastructure problem, it’s a communications challenge.” Publish accessible room counts by category, doorway/bed/bath specs, allergy protocols, and on-site equipment. 
  • Package accessibility: Provide ready-to-use lists for advisors: accessible rooms by tier, vetted transfer options, adaptive excursions (e.g., surf, ski, golf-cart city tours), and how to book them. 
  • Make access effortless: Beach mats and wheelchairs on demand (simple signup, no bureaucracy). Train front-of-house so staff know what exists on property.
  • Show proof: Share short videos and real guest stories demonstrating access; partner with creators to amplify wins.
  • Connect the dots locally: Link hotels and DMO partners with adaptive providers (e.g., National Ability Center in Park City) so concierge pre-arrival emails include inclusive options. 

Notable Quotes 

  • “Where can I go? People aren’t limited by dreams—they’re limited by the box they think they now live in.” — Karen Morales 
  • “We’re not talking about compliance—we’re talking about hospitality.” — Karen Morales

Shaping Accessible Travel: Destination A11y Club Members Drive Innovation

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What began as a space to connect around the TravelAbility Playbook has evolved into something far bigger. The Destination A11y Club (DAC) is no longer just sharing ideas. It’s launching pilots, influencing policy conversations, embedding accessibility into education, and building tools that will shape how destinations prepare for 2030 and beyond.

Here’s a snapshot from February’s DAC meeting.

Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility

The 2030 “Moonshot” + Convention Center Pilot

Following a 47-stop listening tour that included meetings with Destination DC and VISIT FLORIDA, Jake shared two major initiatives:

1. TravelAbility Approved Convention Centers (Pilot Launching)

A new program designed to align accessibility with sustainability-level standards. Five DAC DMOs will pilot the program. Coverage from USAE will provide marketing and gauge interest.

2. America 250: Accessibility Handbook

Along with the DAC, TravelAbility is developing an accessibility framework to support America 250 celebrations — with a legacy impact that extends beyond 2026. The goal is to position DMOs as the accessibility hub connecting transportation, planning, disability services, and city leadership.

3. Plug-and-Play Accessibility Guide

TravelAbility has compiled vetted InnovateAble products, affordable, scalable solutions for convention centers, cities, and hotels, creating an actionable menu of improvements tied directly to the 2030 demographic shift.

Destination Updates from the Field

Tami Reist, CEO, Visit North Alabama

Launched a first-of-its-kind accessible adventure guide and distributed $500 micro-grants across her 16 counties to spark tangible improvements—from sensory rooms and Braille signage to automated doors for independent wheelchair access—now compiling the results into a regional booklet tied to America 250. She’s leveraging the initiative to engage congressional and transportation leaders on the coming 2030 accessibility surge, while also pushing the hotel industry to confront unmet demand for accessible rooms and rethink compliance as both an economic and community imperative.

Molly Barbeiri, Visit Tampa Bay

Announced that early bird registration is now open for the upcoming TravelAbility Summit in Tampa, alongside monthly strategy calls with TravelAbility positioning the city as a model accessible destination of the future. As part of that effort, Tampa is working with a the host hotel to transform two ADA rooms into hands-on accessibility showrooms featuring InnovateAble style “catalog” products, inviting hotels and attractions to tour the spaces daily and accelerate adoption across the destination.

Cassie & Rami, Visit Charlottesville

Hosted their third annual “Tourism for All” conference, drawing 125 tourism professionals and centering accessibility with a dedicated panel. Secured a $10,000 grant from Virginia Tourism Corporation to bring Houston Vandergriff of Downs & Towns to the destination for a three-day, history-focused itinerary aligned with America 250. Houston’s project now appears in 100,000 printed visitor guides, which also feature a new accessibility page directing readers online—work that has already inspired Tennessee State Parks to pursue a similar collaboration, with Charlottesville next presenting on accessibility at the Virginia Association of Museums Conference.

Kate Lieto, Experience Grand Rapids

Launched a new AI Accessibility Agent in partnership with Wheel the World, the result of nearly a year of development. The visitor-facing chatbot includes accessibility details for roughly 500 mapped venues—sourced through the local disability network, Wheel the World data, and hosted influencers—and can answer both broad trip-planning questions and highly specific ones, like exact hotel bed heights, with more enhancements still to come.

Claire Mouledoux, Visit Alexandria

Launching a new destination campaign that, for the first time, features a traveler with a visible disability in the primary cast, signaling a meaningful step forward in representation. With new senior operations leader Mary Ronaldo championing accessibility internally, the team is continuing staff-wide training with Visitable and hosting a “Welcoming Travelers with Disabilities” member program this April at Virginia Tech’s Alexandria campus—embedding accessibility across marketing, operations, and membership efforts.

Julie Pingston, Choose Lansing

Launching a walking study with AARP to train stakeholders on infrastructure improvements that benefit both residents and visitors.

Kate Sappell, Travel Oregon

Concentrating on the DOJ’s digital accessibility compliance deadline, supporting partners in meeting WCAG 2.1 AA standards through a statewide webinar and a new “Ask an Expert” program that offers up to five hours of one-on-one consulting with accessibility specialist Jen Macias. The team is also working to better connect physical accessibility assessments with the online visitor experience and will spotlight that progress at the Governor’s Conference in panels including disability advocate Sophie Morgan.

Toni Bastian, Visit Richmond

As host of this June’s TBEX, Visit Richmond created 19 pre-conference tours and ensured each one includes detailed, practical accessibility information on the event website—raising the bar beyond the typical “not ADA” label seen at prior conferences. The team used TravelAbility’s AI Companion to refine clear, respectful language for the descriptions, aligning with TBEX’s broader accessibility programming this year, which includes a keynote including Cory Lee, Leslie Walker, and Phoenyx Powell.

Kitty Sharman, TravelAbility

Nearly 3,000 students have completed an accessibility module based on the TravelAbility Playbook embedded within required coursework, helping scale accessibility education across the next generation of industry leaders.

Hot-Off-the-Press Data | Brian Searfoss, VP Client Engagement, Longwoods International

In partnership with TravelAbility, Longwoods analyzed 3,985 overnight trips (Jan–June 2025).

Key Findings:

  • 18% of U.S. travel parties include someone requiring accessibility services
  • 62% mobility-related
  • 20% hearing
  • 20% vision
  • 18% cognitive/neurodiverse

This is not an occasional traveler segment:

  • 36% take four or more trips annually
  • 58% strongly prefer returning to destinations that prove accessible
  • 80% of travelers with disabilities plan their own trips

Accessibility performance nationally is holding steady — but not improving. Some destinations saw satisfaction decline in 2024.

The takeaway: accessibility isn’t niche. It’s loyalty, frequency, and long-lead planning power.

Facing FOMU (Fear of Messing Up): Turning Risk Into a Business Advantage

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By Brittany Martin Déjean

Do you ever find yourself feeling uneasy interacting with people with disabilities or hesitating to discuss disability altogether?

When it comes to disability inclusion, many leaders and professionals face FOMU—the Fear of Messing Up. It is a common human experience fueled by misconceptions, assumptions and lack of confidence. Combine this with the fear of the potential “blowback” from a mistake, and you have a recipe that normalizes avoidance and denial as default reactions. When we let our fear lead to silence or inaction, we inadvertently stall the very progress we hope to achieve. 

The Problem with Avoidance

Avoidance might feel safe in the short term, but it’s not a strategy. It prevents genuine connection and empathy required for true inclusion. If we are too afraid to speak or act, we can’t grow. More importantly, we can’t foster an environment where others feel safe to learn from and with us. 

From Punishment to Accountability

Many good people want to do better, but don’t know where to start. Mistakes often feel threatening because of the fear of shame or punishment for errors. Fostering growth is not about avoiding or overlooking mistakes, but about practicing empathetic accountability. This looks like: 

  • Acknowledging Harm: Validating the experience of those affected by the mistake.
  • Educating: Providing the training and knowledge to course correct.
  • Creating Psychological Safety: Making a conscious effort to ensure people feel safe enough to be imperfect. 

Striking the Balance

Inclusion isn’t about getting an “A” on an exam, it’s about awareness and human connection. Have an open mind to learn more about people whose lives, backgrounds and experiences are different from your own and challenge any preconceived notions and assumptions. Transform mistakes into opportunities for growth. Cultivate a culture in your business that welcomes imperfection. 

Real change happens in the small, daily decisions to prioritize empathy over fear. As we look toward 2026, commit to dismantling FOMU and embrace the lessons that only come through honest, imperfect action. It’s a great way to strengthen your business and amplify your impact. 

Brittany Martin Déjean smiles in a professional headshot against a light background. She has short curly brown hair and wears a black blazer with turquoise drop earrings, looking directly at the camera with a warm, confident expression.

Brittany Martin Déjean is a Keynote Speaker and Inclusion Expert who helps non-disabled people get comfortable with disability, mitigate hidden risk, and improve business outcomes. To learn more about her offerings, connect with her on LinkedIn.

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