Travel Industry People

Q1. When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?

 The Oregon Coast Visitors Association (OCVA) has dedicated over a decade to access projects in our region, with a primary focus on enhancing outdoor recreation opportunities such as the Oregon Coast Trail and kayak launches. Our journey with Travelability began around 2021, when we supported Lincoln City’s local efforts to introduce a Mobi Mat to their beach. Subsequently, our team backed a cohort attending the 2022 Travelability Summit in Florida, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to accessibility and the launch of our own “Oregon Coast Travelability” group that meets regularly.

Q2. What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?

As the Deputy Director of our nonprofit, I get to wear many hats! From cheering on my awesome teammates in their projects to leading programs focused on sustainability and accessibility, I’m always working on something. OCVA’s primary responsibilities revolve around inspiring travel and fostering collaboration on the Oregon Coast to cultivate a sustainable coastal economy. Regarding Travelability, we have the privilege of bringing together partners along all 363 miles of Oregon Coast to amplify regional accessibility projects throughout our entire destination.

Q3. Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination? 

Beyond budgetary constraints, some of the most challenging obstacles for our accessibility initiatives involve securing city or county support for permitting and managing liability in physical infrastructure projects. Additionally, the inherent challenge lies in the rural and under-resourced nature of our communities, often lacking the immediate capacity or funding to initiate projects promptly.

Q4. What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?

Several noteworthy initiatives have propelled accessibility improvements on the Oregon Coast over the past year. First, 12 of our local destination partners have completed, or are in the process of completing, assessments with Wheel the World to provide detailed and accurate information directly to disabled travelers. Additionally, the increased availability of mobi mats has expanded beach access for more visitors and residents. Our team has created a Mobi Mat toolkit to help communities understand what’s needed to successfully support a Mobi Mat, and we currently have a grant program open to fund communities without them. Lastly, I have the honor of regularly facilitating our Oregon Coast Travelability group, which is my favorite group to partner with on opportunities and navigate accessibility challenges together.

Q5. Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

I draw inspiration and learn from various influencers and brands, including Kelcie Miller Anderson, @thechronicexplorer; Disabled Hikers, @disabledhikers; and Liv Stone, @livstone.

Q5. What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?

Looking ahead, our focus involves highlighting the intersection of travelability and climate action. Recognizing a gap in stories within this space, we believe the Oregon Coast can play a pivotal role, with disabled travelers leading the way in sustainable travel initiatives.

Q1. When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?

As a destination, we had a very specific starting point in 2017 when we partnered with our performing arts center. The goal was to fill a 2,400-seat theater for a 100% Sensory Friendly Broadway Performance of Disney’s The Lion King, debuting in 2018. What started as a marketing campaign, evolved into a multi-dimensional strategy that has altered our community and how we welcome visitors of all abilities. 

We worked to create sensory inclusive programming in all of our attractions and provided sensory toolkits in many more locations. We created training for understanding of neurodiversities for our front-line staff throughout the community and created an accessibility web page detailing sensory events and opportunities as well as the “know before you go” information for all to access. 

We filled that theater in 2018, and it was an amazing opportunity for all to experience a Broadway show in their own way. This work was the first step, leading us to focus on accessibility as a destination and continue the journey to truly be welcoming to all.

Q2. What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?

I serve Choose Lansing as President & CEO and lead our amazing team in developing the Lansing, Michigan region as a visitor destination. I spend a lot of time on advocacy, community relations and board relations while remaining highly engaged in our accessibility efforts.

Q3. Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination? What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?

The main obstacle we have faced is creating the time to keep advancing our efforts throughout the destination. We want to do it all immediately. The work that goes into accessibility is important because it creates opportunities to have experiences that many take for granted. Watching families participating in a sensory inclusive event as a complete family, without having to leave someone out, is so inspiring. I want that for everyone. That has been my drive to create strategies and to have those “what can we do next” conversations about accessibility and inclusivity. 

I’m proud that our partners have truly embraced the accessibility efforts throughout our destination and that we were able to host our first Tourism Accessibility Summit this past fall.  I’m equally proud that I have been able to share our story with other destinations to continue to grow the work. 

Q4. Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

I look to my colleagues in destination marketing organizations around the world who are leaders in innovation and avenues to spread accessibility efforts throughout the travel industry. 

For the past seven years, my main source of inspiration and partnership has been Cathy Blatnik from the Mid-Michigan Autism Association, and her son Dominic. I also love brainstorming with Meegan and Evan Winters from AbleVu and Kristy Durso from Incredible Memories Travel. 

Q5. What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?I’ve got a long list of next steps to increase accessibility initiatives for our community.  We recently hosted Lansing’s inaugural Tourism Accessibility Summit and we keep building from there. We have engaged with Wheel the World and are looking forward to completing an assessment and providing even more detailed accessibility information and training about our destination.