The Intersection of Travel and Disability
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $510 million in American Rescue Plan State Travel, Tourism and Outdoor Recreation grants to all 50 states and territories.
These funds will serve as a boost to tourism development and offer destinations an opportunity to place greater focus on an accessible travel future.
To learn more, read the full story at The Travel Vertical.
Jennifer Allen, a prominent accessible family blogger based in Pennsylvania who travels with her five year-old son who has Spina Bifida, decided to share their best and most adventurous experiences in the form of—what else?—an awards.
“While there are always so many barriers in wheelchair travel, I love to celebrate the places that are doing it right, she said.” These are the best accessible destinations we’ve traveled to over the past year – and they would make great travel destinations for 2022! I bet some of these will surprise you.”
To read the full article and to learn more about the best places to travel in 2022, visit the Wonders within Reach website.
The Centuries-old Old City of Jerusalem has received an accessibility overhaul, making it much more accessible to wheelchair users, baby carriages and other mobility devices.
“The Old City of Jerusalem has become one of the most accessible ancient cities in the world,” Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Ze’ev Elkin said, The Jerusalem Post reported. Achieving “accessibility for the six kilometers was very complex, and it enriches the experience of the tourists in the Old City.”
The project, a decade in the making, involved the flattening of steep descents, as well as the addition of handrails. Additional improvements are also being made to increase accessibility for those with limited vision, including with the new mobile app Step Hear.
OUR TAKE: UNESCO World Heritage Sites have long delayed accessibility improvements, but the Old City of Jerusalem is proving that accessibility can coexist with historic preservation. We can’t wait to check out Jerusalem!
To read more about these exciting developments, read the article from Israel Hayom.
Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is making a push for holiday travelers, and families are beginning to notice!
Jennifer Allen and her husband recently published a guide to seasonal and Christmas holiday activities in the region on their blog, Wonders Within Reach. The couple have previously traveled to Lancaster County with their children (one of whom uses a wheelchair), and provided great tips for family- and wheelchair-friendly activities.
For more information about their trip, and the top activities in Lancaster, check out Jennifer’s article on Wonders Within Reach.
Lisa Winner, a photographer, shared with National Geographic some of the challenges her son, who is autistic, faces when traveling. Despite her love of the outdoors, Lisa says that “There are many surprises in nature—and anyone who loves an autistic person knows surprises are not their jam.” She recounted the difficulty her son faced when visiting the Grand Canyon, where he was distressed by the unfamiliar environment.
Parents like Winner are encouraging governments and businesses to make outdoor recreation areas more accessible to those with autism. To learn more about Lisa’s family, their trip to the Grand Canyon and how public places can be made autism-friendly, see the article in National Geographic.
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