TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Travel

Let A Travel Pro Design Accessible Itineraries For Your Destination

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meet the TravelAbility itinerary design teamIf you are looking for an accessible itinerary to post on your site or offer as a service to the burgeoning group of travelers who need some accessibility built into their stay, where do you start?

You could go with what comes up on Google (meh) or you could trust five of the most curious, experienced and trustworthy pros in disability tourism (yes!) Imagine: Signed, sealed, delivered, it’s yours to publicize on your website and share through your social media channels.

Niche travel is sold through itineraries that include attractions, tours, and sites that cater to a specific audience,” stated Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “We brought them together to help destinations add authenticity to their accessible itineraries by having them created by actual travelers with different disabilities who are prominent professionals in the industry.

“Once these itineraries are designed, DMO’s can promote the fact that they were designed by disability travel thought-leaders, all of whom have their own extensive following and can offer cross-promotion opportunities as well as consultation advice.”

Here is some background information on each itinerary design team member.

head shot of Cory Lee smiling wearing t shirt. He has eyeglasses and is sitting in his wheelchairCory Lee Woodard writes a travel blog Curb Free with Cory Lee and recently started his own travel agency. On his blog, full of detailed itineraries from around the globe, his mission is to show readers how, where and why to travel as a person with a disability. If you’ve got questions—what city is the most wheelchair-friendly? to what’s the best way to determine if a hotel has a roll-in shower? Cory Lee has answers.

sid in a black hat and olive green sweater


Sid Marcos is a business developer from San Diego, California. She is the former director of development for Outlandish Travel, where she produced accessible destination guides around fun themes such as pub tours. She is a founding member of the National Startup League and director of an incubator for social entrepreneurs. Learn more on her blog.

sue Slater head shot she has red hair and is smiling wearing a jacket and black topSue Slater, the founder of Presto Magic Travel, is a cruise and groups specialist who will soon be celebrating her 20th year in the travel industry creating accessible itineraries. She’s sent thousands of people on cruises all over the world, including cruise destination weddings. Accessibility is a personal passion and a necessity. Sue is blind and her husband has a chronic disability that requires him to use a wheelchair. Both travel extensively, hence she can find a work-around for pretty much any travel need you might have. Learn more, here.

upper body shot of John wearing a navy jacket and blue shirt sitting inside a plane smiling, wearing glasses John Morris approaches travel from a critical angle—in a good way. His fact-checking and reporting on the latest news in accessible travel is unrivaled. That’s probably because he’s traveling the world an average of 310 days a year as a triple amputee with one hand, a passport and a power wheelchair, writing about his travels and adventures—and asking crucial accessibility questions along the way. Read his blog, wheelchairtravel.org.

All five experts will be on-site at TravelAbility Summit, November 12-13 in San Francisco. The team will be given designated “office hours” at the end of each day to talk with you about creating authentic accessible itineraries

 

We Took the Bait! Could This Be the Most Accessible Fishing Cabin in America?

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Cabins that are wheelchair accessible are few and far, reports Emerging Horizons. But this find called Rhinelander Cabin in Wisconsin’s North Woods is a winner. It’s an example of what possible, even in a remote location. It designed by a wheelchair user, so the property has all the comforts of home and the access to match. Scroll through the photos and check out that roll-in shower—pretty darn nice! 

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OUR TAKE: Wisconsin is catching up to the National Parks we wrote about last month, where accessibility is top of mind.

 

 

7 Wow-Worthy Destinations Where Using A Wheelchair Isn’t a Hassle

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centuries old trees in a park with green grassThe Getty Museum offers wheelchairs for free. The San Diego Zoo provides special parking, restrooms and access to shows. New Orleans’ oldest parks have plenty of paved paths to get around.  And of course, there’s always The White House. 

OUR TAKE: If you’ve got it, flaunt it. Accessibility shouldn’t be a second thought—it should be top of mind and easy to find on your website, in advertising when visiting. Yes, the destination is the real gem, but if 1 in 5 people with a disability can’t access all it has to offer, it loses some of its sheen. See all of MSN.com’s picks in their slideshow.
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New Airline Therapy Dog Guidelines May Not Sit Well with Some

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It’s looA pug stares with a frown into the cameraking like some fuzzy friends will have a tougher time getting on board than they have in past years. The latest guidelines on flying with emotional support animals were announced, covering when and how pets can be transported. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) rules come on the heels of news that airlines and attendants were being overwhelmed by the number of emotional support animals—cats, dogs, bunnies, birds and beyond— being checked in to planes with their owners as emotional support animals. There were also safety concerns. The DOT remains committed to ensuring that our air transportation system is safe and accessible for everyone. Law enforcement’s focus will be on clear violations of the current rule and alleged violations of the Air Carrier Access Act, according to the report.

OUR TAKE: The guidelines clearly recognize the importance of service animals but are stricter on species, breeds, and documentation in advance of flights. (They do not banish pit bulls, but passengers with pigs, peacocks and squirrels should probably plan alternate routes. The rule favors airlines, saying that they have the right to turn away requests or animals if they seem to be of any threat to the public. .Animals can also be deterred if they are too large or too heavy or too small (under four months). The final statement can be found at regulations.gov, docket number DOT-OST-2018-0067.

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Personal Story: Arriving in the City That Never Sleeps Without My Legs

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When fashionista Madison Wilson arrived in New York City for Fashion Week, her wheelchair never made it off her departing flight and got left across the country. So, she had essentially arrived in the city that never sleeps while American Airlines left her legs in Chicago. When her wheelchair finally arrived in NYC five days later, it was broken and continued to become increasingly broken on the flight back home…READ MORE

OUR TAKE: Making connections with real people with real disabilities is the path to understanding them and the challenges they may face while traveling. At TravelAbility Summit, we take this idea seriously and our board, our content and our plans for our upcoming Summit all include the voices and experiences of people with disabilities. Use the links here to learn more about our Summit speakers and the Advisory Board instrumental in helping is to find such top-notch expertise.

photo credit: Madison Wilson