TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Travel

Tokyo We Have a 2020 Paralympics Problem: All Your Hotels Have Only One Accessible Room

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Paralympic high jump athlete going over the barThe August date for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, Japan is nearing—and it’s reportedly looking like a hot mess. One problem, according to organizers and staff, is a lack of accessible hotel rooms. And it gets worse from there. According to The Guardian, British Paralympic officials looking for hotels near their training camp in Yokohama got a cold shoulder and reportedly seemed uninterested in hosting world-renowned athletes. Other hotels have reportedly demanded they be paid to make the rooms accessible for athletes in wheelchairs.

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Must-read: “Don’t Let a Disability Keep You from Exploring the World”

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Cover of book with three men standing on a mountain one in a backpack (which is Kevan)We Carry Kevan is the true story of how six friends carried one man across three countries. “Don’t let your disability stop you from exploring the world,” says Kevan Chandler in his new book, and documentary, and yes, even a Ted Talk. The man is unstoppable. Read more here.

The author is on a mission to redefine independent travel for wheelchair users like himself. And that he has. You can even buy the same backpack he designed for the trip. It will be available for purchase this summer. Details on his website.

 

 

 

 

Google Goes Accessible with Routes for Wheelchair Users. Plus: More Options

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birds eye view of planes and houses

The tool: Google maps that integrate wheelchair accessible public transit routes into its directions feature.

The reviews: Cautiously optimistic, according to a New Mobility review.

The buzz: Few travel industry folks we spoke with even knew about the Google tool, which could become a helpful solution, particularly for city wheelers.

Who its best for right now: According the New Mobility review, “Users in six cities – New York, Boston, Tokyo, London, Mexico City, and Sydney – can search for directions between locations, choose public transit as the method of travel and then select “wheelchair accessible” from the route-options menu. As with all public transit searches in Maps, a selection of routes will appear, but now only routes with accessible stations and modes of transit will be included.” 
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Another option: Project Sidewalk, a crowdsourced navigation tool that gamifies collecting data has been developed at the University of Washington Makeability Lab, was successfully tested in Washington, D.C. and according to their Twitter feed, has launched in Seattle with massive success. A recent tweet via @projesidwalk: “Project Sidewalk is now officially live in Seattle! In our first week, we collected over 10,000 sidewalk accessibility labels. Help us get to 20,000! You can participate from all seven continents–all you need is an Internet connection & a laptop!

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Our vote: Project Sidewalk, which looks like it’s off to a promising start.

Editor’s note: Don’t confuse Project Sidewalk with another (controversial) initiative from Alphabet called Sidewalk Labs, which will collect data on commuter routes in Portland. (This piece in Geekwire makes no mention of tracking wheelchair users or routes.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are There Any New Solutions to Help Travelers on the Autism Spectrum Enjoy More and Worry Less?

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children's drawing of a family in the airportThe answer is Yes! Two ideas, both developed by people who have autistic family members, are worth reviewing:

1. In Brisbane Airport, lanyards that travelers wear discreetly alert staff that they may need help during travel. Of course, behind the lanyards is a lot of staff training. The combination of understanding and ability to advocate for oneself is proving to be a success.  Read the stories of families who have tried it and the mom who created the program after a traumatic trip with her teenage daughter here.

founder Naomi speaking on a youtube video about Magnus , a cartoon who appears in the top right corner of the screen

2. A customize-able mobile app designed to prepare travelers who experience things like noise, bright lights and touch very differently. The mobile app from MagnusMode, also inspired by an autistic family member, makes new situations easier to manage The app runs a potential traveler through scenarios that could be loud, noisy or uncomfortable, for example. SFO airport will be the first U.S. airport to offer the program, which has already proven successful with attractions such as zoos and aquariums. Read more here.

Profile: Airbnb’s Srin Madipalli Finds 27 Ways to Make Accommodations Accessible (Even When Everyone Is Doubting Him)

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When I last visited Srin in the lobby of Airbnb’s headquarters he had recently built the company’s accessibility team to a total of 16 people. He had just returned from a tour of four Asian countries where he was raising awareness among Airbnb hosts about the need for more accessible homes. Srin, due to his academic pedigree and natural charisma, is emerging as the most public voice of accessibility in travel with major backing. Not only is he approaching Airbnb hosts but his team is also approaching hotels to list their accessible inventory on Airbnb’s website. He generously offered to help develop content for TravelAbility Summit. “I’m approaching this like a political campaign,” said Srin. “Airbnb needed to find a simple message that appeals to the basic emotions.” —Jake Steinman, Founder, TravelAbility Summit.

A recent profile in New Mobility really nails the issues around accessible travel and captures Srin’s energy. 
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