TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Transportation

Around the Web

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Celebrities, major brands, and global initiatives for inclusion.

Actress Selma Blair on How Her Disability Impacts Travel

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New Filmmaking Guidelines Show Inclusion Isn’t What We Thought it Was

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Rare Accessible Ice Palace in Adirondacks

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New Training Program for Accessible Travel Planning

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Australia Doing Away with Accessible Rooms – The accessible hotel room will be a relic of the past – replaced by an integrated modularity and customization that offers personalized, universally adaptive accessibility.

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Silver Train Makes New Tracks for Inclusion in China

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The Right Equipment Gets Everyone on the Slopes at these Ski Destinations

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Honda Creates the Scenic Drive for Visually Impaired

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New Tactiles Bring Hogwarts to Life for Blind Fans

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Shark Tank India Highlights Groundbreaking Disability Innovations

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UN Tourism and AccessibleEU Partner for Global Accessible Tourism

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Red Roof’s New Initiatives Give Back through Inclusion

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News From Around The Web

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How Inaccessible Film Festivals Silence Disabled Voices In Cinema – New Research

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Outdoor enthusiasts who have disabilities: Being active outside ‘changes everything’

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Salt Lake City celebrates progress in accessibility

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Bringing accessibility to the beach

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DEC launches interactive map of accessible recreation opportunities

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Greece Aims for Top Spot in Accessible Beaches for the Disabled

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Will the Paris Olympics mark a new era of inclusive, accessible sports storytelling?

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The Plus-Sized Ride ‘Testers’ Making Theme Parks More Accessible—At Their Own Risk

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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

Jansport Designs Adaptive Backpacks for Wheelchair Users 

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Pen and ink sketches of four different Jansport backpacks hanging on wheelchairs in various waysl

You can hang any old backpack on a wheelchair handle. But what if you asked top designers to build a better backpack for use with a wheelchair? What would it look like? That’s what Jansport did with its new Adaptive Collection. Read More

TravelAbility TakeAway: It’s wonderful to see a leading backpack maker dedicate a collection for the adaptive market.

Partnership Between TravelAbility and Destinations International Off to a Fast Start

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As we reported in last month’s Insider, Destinations International has named TravelAbility as its official accessibility advisor, providing guidance on how to make destinations more welcoming for people with disabilities. In turn, Destinations International will market TravelAbility’s Accessibility Playbook to its 700+ DMOS. 

“The Playbook is like accessibility in a box and  contains everything we’ve learned over the past five years that can help destinations and travel businesses  improve their accessibility and inclusion initiatives for travelers with disabilities,” said Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility. “It includes more than 100 videos, PowerPoint decks, and contacts for a range of vendors in the accessibility space.”

TravelAbility will also advise Destinations International on prospective speakers and assistive technology entrepreneurs who can showcase their solutions for improving accessibility in the travel industry at their InnovateAble pitch event.

TravelAbility has already started planning its involvement in DI’s events for 2024, including several US meetings this spring and summer:

Marketing & Communications Summit
February 27-29, 2024 | Salt Lake City, UT

CEO Summit
April 2-4, 2024 | Boston, MA

Convention Sales & Services Summit
April 8-9, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

Showcase
April 10, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

Visitor Services Summit
July 16, 2024 | Tampa, FL

Annual Convention
July 16-18, 2024 | Tampa, FL

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TravelAbility TakeAway: “Both partners have hit the ground running and we’re finding multiple opportunities for collaboration and crossover,” said Jake Steinman, TravelAbility founder and CEO. “It’s an exciting time. Sleep is overrated!”