TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Transportation

How to Ride the Greyhound Bus as a Wheelchair User

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Greyhound logo beside an image of a bus employee operating a wheelchair lift connected to a bus

Award-winning travel blogger Sylvia Longmire has put a whole lot of miles on her electric wheelchair. She has visited 57 countries, 48 of those as a wheelchair user and 34 of those by herself. Along the way she has written four books and launched a consulting business.

For her latest adventure, she decided to leave the driving to Greyhound on a trip from Minneapolis to Fargo, North Dakota—her 50th state. Longmire shares her experience from the booking of a ticket on an accessible bus (accessible except for the bathroom) to tracking the on-time performance of each leg of the journey to assessing the pros and cons. Pictures included. Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: Longmire’s account of her Greyhound trip doesn’t make bus travel look easy but she does make it look doable in a wheelchair. And preferable in some important ways to the alternatives. One of the surprises of her trip was the on-time performance of the buses she took. That hasn’t typically been our experience.

Travel Oregon Awards 3.6 Million in Grants for Inclusive Tourism

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Woman using a wheelchair on a beach with steep cliffs rising out of the ocean

As part of an ongoing and far-reaching statewide initiative, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects.

The grants program targets funding for accessibility and inclusivity for underserved and under-resourced communities including people with disabilities, BIPOC, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes and LBGTQIA+. Funded projects reflect and align with Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures—and must improve tourism infrastructure or enhance promotion of accessible and inclusive tourism.

“To say I’m inspired by the potential of this year’s grant awards would be an understatement,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “Upon completion, each project will make a substantial impact on the accessibility and inclusivity of the tourism industry in Oregon, supporting Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination for all where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: No question that Oregon is one of the key states to watch for leadership on inclusive and accessible travel. As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon had the largest contingent of attendees at the Emerging Markets Summit in Savannah in August, with more than 30 staffers. They are using the TravelAbility network to great advantage, studying model initiatives from around the country and the world and turning that research into sustainable practice.

TravelAbility and Destinations International Announce Partnership to Promote Accessibility

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Photo collage including head shot and title of Don Welsh, CEO of Destinations International and Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. Includes logos of the two companies.

TravelAbility, the leading conference and media company dedicated to making travel easier and more enjoyable for people with disabilities and the aging population, has announced a partnership with Destinations International, the world’s largest and most reliable resource for destination organizations and tourism boards.

The partnership aims to help scale accessibility to Destinations International’s 700+ destination organization members as part of their social inclusion strategy. TravelAbility will serve as Destinations International’s official accessibility advisor, providing guidance on how to create more welcoming destinations for people with different abilities through content, prospective speakers, and a satellite version of their InnovateAble pitch event where assistive technology entrepreneurs will present their solutions for improving accessibility in the travel industry.

Destinations International will also market The Accessibility Playbook, a comprehensive guide for destinations and travel businesses to improve their accessibility and inclusion initiatives for travelers with disabilities. The Playbook contains over 100 videos, PowerPoint decks, and a series of “TravelAbility Trusted” innovations, amenities, and third-party assessment providers that may help them scale accessibility by sharing it with their industry partners.

“We are thrilled to partner with Destinations International to advance the cause of accessibility in the travel industry. This is a win-win situation for both organizations and for the millions of travelers who can benefit from more accessible and inclusive travel experiences,” said Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility.

“Accessibility is a key component of our social inclusion strategy, and we look forward to working with TravelAbility as our official accessibility advisor. They have the expertise, the network, and the passion to help our 700+ members create more inclusive destinations for all travelers,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International.

The Accessibility Playbook will be available for purchase online at the Destinations International website in 2024. To learn more about this partnership or the Accessibility Playbook, contact Sophia Hyder Hock, Chief Diversity Officer at shyderhock@destinationsinternational.org or Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility at jake@travelability.net

DOT Launches Campaign to Raise Awareness of Rights of Airline Passengers Who Use Wheelchairs

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A man in a wheelchair navigating a crowded airline terminal

The US Department of Transportation is marking the 37th anniversary of the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA) by initiating the #AccessibleAirTravel campaign to underscore the right of air travelers with disabilities to safe, dignified, and accessible air travel.

“Airline passengers with disabilities deserve to travel safely and with dignity,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “DOT is proud to partner with the aviation industry and members of the disability community to ensure that all travelers with disabilities know their rights.”

As part of the launch, the DOT emphasized some of the actions the Biden administration has taken or is taking to improve the air travel experience of individuals using wheelchairs, including:

  • To address many of the significant barriers facing passengers who use wheelchairs, the Department has initiated a rule proposing to make it an automatic violation of ACAA regulations for airlines to mishandle a passenger’s wheelchair.
  • In July 2023, DOT finalized a rule which requires airlines to make lavatories on new, single-aisle aircraft more accessible.Under this final rule, airlines are required to take various steps to improve the accessibility of these lavatories short of increasing their size in the short term.
  • DOT has begun laying the groundwork for a potential rule that would allow passengers to stay in their own wheelchairs when they fly. Read more.

Our TakeAway: We applaud the DOT’s new campaign and the actions it is taking to improve the air travel experience for passengers who use wheelchairs. But we have to wonder how much can be done to improve the accessibility of lavatories without increasing their size?

UK Tour Operator Becomes the First in the Country to Offer British Sign Language Interpreters

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Sign language interpreter signing in front of a background image of smiling passengers beside a cruise ship

A great tour company is all about access—access to information, expertise, and assistance when things go wrong. TUI, a leading UK tour operator, is extending that level of access to the Deaf and hard of hearing community providing sign language interpreters who connect travelers with TUI agents.  The free service is the result of a game-changing partnership between TUI and SignLive, which houses the Assisted Travel Team that is available seven days a week via an app or a browser.

“We’re delighted to be working with TUI to make travel more accessible for Deaf people,” said Fiona Mackay, COO of SignLive. “This partnership makes communication smoother and the overall experience of going on holiday much easier for British Sign Language users. Customers can travel with confidence knowing they can communicate via an interpreter throughout their journey.” Read more.

Our TakeAway: This is a major breakthrough in accessible travel that will blaze the trail for other deaf tour programs.  And it can be easily replicated as a new niche in America. Note: British Sign Language is a completely different language from American Sign Language. The two share only 30% of the signs.