Nine highly-accessible tours are now available thanks to a partnership between Silversea Cruises and Accessible Travel Solutions, both devoted to helping guests with all of their accessibility needs. Of course, shore excursions are made accessible using vehicles with wheelchair lifts or ramps. But the cruise line goes beyond the basics: Trips are carefully designed to include sites that have step-free access, accessible restrooms, and guides who are experienced with accessibility issues. In Grand Cayman, off-shore excursions include up-close views of sea turtles. In Roatán, Honduras, participants with limited mobility can interact with primates at a sanctuary. Other accessible tours include visits to markets of all kinds, literally giving travelers a taste of Cozumel and Grenada. Read more.
Travel
Accessible and Eco-Friendly Beach Planned for Costa Rica—and It Will Be Made of Recycled Bottle Caps
There are currently no wheelchair accessible beaches anywhere in Central America—but Costa Rican organizations are working together to change that. Currently, Jacó on the Pacific coast and Cahuita on the Caribbean coast have made plans to build walkways out of recycled plastic bottle caps—putting to good use the plastics that pollute our waterways. What makes this plan even more special? The wide walkways will be designed to connect sidewalks with the sea so that people in wheelchairs or with reduced mobility can reach the water. Read more.
Was A Disabled American Airlines Passenger Really Left Stranded in Chicago? Here’s the Truth…Caught on Video
It’s no secret that the airline industry has a dismal record when it comes to offering quality service to travelers with disabilities, particularly passengers who depend heavily on airport porters and wheelchairs. So last month, when a local news station reported that an elderly woman was abandoned in her wheelchair overnight by a porter closing up for the night at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, many believed the accusations to be true. But wait—not so fast. Before you come to any conclusions, you should know that video footage of the event revealed a very different story. Read more.
On a Roll: Magazine Names TravelAbility Summit Board Member Cory Lee Woodard Person of the Year
TravelAbility Summit Board Member Cory Lee Woodard was recently chosen as “Person of the Year” by New Mobility Magazine. Through his travel blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, he has become the face (and heart) of accessible travel and we are honored to have him and his lived experience to help guide content for our events. In his spare time, Cory Lee is working on a 55-item bucket list that includes seeing the Superbowl and snorkeling the Great Reef Barrier in Australia. He recently crossed seeing the Taj Mahal off his list. Read more.
Harrisburg Hotel Built for Accessibility
Considered by many in the tour and travel industry in the U.S. as an example of best practices for a hotel property, the reputation of the Hilton Hotel in downtown Harrisburg—it is a few minutes’ walk from the state capitol building—is, in part, a function of timing.
We wanted to know more about this property, so we recently paid it a visit and talked with Joe Massaro, general manager, who showed us around and talked with us.
How did it come to get that reputation? “It was being built in 1989/1990 as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was being enacted,” Massaro told us. “The property’s owners were contacted by a local accessibility advocacy group to discuss the design. This proved to be a very valuable relationship as the hotel layout was influenced greatly by the advice given.”
After the Hilton Harrisburg opened, Massaro explained, “this relationship became known and groups serving individuals with special needs began to use the facility. The hotel continues to this day to serve some of the original groups from when we opened.”
During our walk-through of the property, Massaro pointed out accessible features everywhere, including the hotel’s lobby and entrance area: that is, there are no ramps or stairs on the ground floor—features usually found in any large hotel lobby and entrance area. As a result, wheelchairs need not negotiate steps or grades.
Light and electrical fixtures are at a height convenient to those in wheelchairs, and wide-door bathrooms have no barriers to climb over for those who use a wheelchair when showering.
Other questions we asked Massaro, along with his answers, include the following:
Is the hotel able to increase room rates in order to cover the costs of accessible-friendly features?
“We have not increased rates specifically due to accommodations for persons with disabilities. Our accessibility and training has allowed us to capture more business from groups who have persons with special needs.”
What percentage of rooms are “ADA-oriented?”
“Rooms with accommodations including roll in showers, etc. total 3.5 percent of our guest rooms.” (The hotel has 341 guest rooms—do the math.)
Does the Hilton Harrisburg market to this audience through travel agents?
“No, we don’t market directly through travel agents however we do highlight our accessible features when describing our hotel to all guests.”
What have you learned about working disabled travelers or travel agents that you can share?
“The individual is a person first and the needs of one are not always the needs of the next. I’ve learned not to be uncomfortable asking questions about how we can best serve.”
Finally, it helps that Massaro has a long history with the hotel. He has been with it since before its opening. After a number of years in other managerial roles, he became its general manager more than a decade ago.
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