TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Travel

Fun in Action?  This Party Bus Sucks…You In!

by

A man stands between two buses wearing a jumping Joey tshirt in American flag colors

Historically, the party bus has been elitist, if not downright ableist. Jumping Joey’s is changing that. Jumping Joey’s Journey, a local transportation service, has expanded its offerings with the recent acquisition of a 14-passenger, handicap-accessible minibus. From bar crawls and weddings to church events, family trips, and school field trips, Jumping Joey’s Journey delivers more than just a ride – they create an electrifying experience. They call themselves the ultimate party experience on wheels, and now that party will be open to all.

Read the Full Article

It may be time to reach out to your local transportation services to see how you can up your party game.

Lived Experience: Can an Autistic Adult Use Travel as Therapy? 

by

Aleks smiling and sitting on a cement block with a beautiful turquois ocean stretching out behind him

Alex Stratikis is the writer behind Autism Adventures Abroad. He invites readers to join him on his journey of self-discovery as he travels the world, finding himself and what it means to be human, while also understanding more about his autism and about the needs of neurodivergent individuals more generally.

In a recent article, Alex explores the idea of travel as therapy for an autistic adult:

Travel offers more than just a break from routine for autistic adults—it can be deeply therapeutic, fostering personal growth, emotional healing, and sensory exploration. While everyday life may feel rigid and overwhelming due to strict routines and heightened sensory sensitivities, travel provides a liberating contrast, encouraging flexibility, independence, and self-discovery. The author, an autistic solo traveler who has visited over 65 countries, shares how navigating unfamiliar places has strengthened their confidence and adaptability, while also offering moments of calm through sensory-friendly experiences like quiet beaches or cozy bakeries. They emphasize the importance of preparation, self-advocacy, and managing sensory input to create fulfilling and accessible travel experiences. Through both structured planning and spontaneous adventure, travel becomes a transformative tool—not just for exploration, but for understanding oneself and the world in new, affirming ways.

Continue Reading

Best Practices: Bonjour Quebec’s Tools for Accessible Travel

by

Bonjour Québec has accessibility filters!

The ability to sort out what you can or cannot do in travel planning is an invaluable empowerment for the disabled traveler.

Bonjour Québec utilizes practical website planning tools and filters across disabilities to make it easy for travelers to plan a visit to Quebec.

Québec for All is a database of over 2,000 Kéroul-certified tourism businesses (Kéroul criss-crosses the province to test and evaluate establishments. Its representatives also make recommendations to businesses on adapting their infrastructures) across Québec, linked directly through the tourism website. Fully or partially accessible to people with a disability, seniors, or anyone with difficulty getting around (parents with strollers included), these establishments offer a warm and caring welcome, with staff that has been trained to respond to the needs and expectations of this clientele.

Business accessibility and searches

With the Bonjour Québec search engine, you can also find accommodation establishments and tourist sites or activities whose accessibility has been evaluated by Kéroul based on four criteria:

  Accessible   Accessible

 Partially accessible   Partially accessible

 Services for people with a visual impairment  Services for people with a visual impairment

   Services for people with a hearing impairmentc Services for people with a hearing impairment


Québec has done a lot in terms of accessibility and inclusion, but the ability to plan for the plethora of accessible options is what truly makes Québec accessible to all travelers.

News from the TravelAbility Community

by

TravelAbility Community Sweeps the Forbes Accessibility 100 List

Forbes Accessibly 100 graphic with black background and red boarders

Including: Alvaro Silberstein, Wheel the World; Mayan Ziv, Access Now; Kelly Twichel, Access Trax; Matt Ater, Vispero; Pierre Paul, We Hear You; Michael Buckley, Be My Eyes; Eve Andersson, Google; Betty Siegel, Kennedy Center; Keely Cat-Wells, Making Space; Squirmy and Grubbs; Dominic Marinelli, United Spinal; Kursat Ceylon, We Walk

Forbes Accessibility 100 List

Cannes Lions Awards

Cannes Lions 2025 logo in yellow on gray background

Josh Loebner also took a Cannes Award for Tennessee Sounds Sights! Well done! 

Tennessee Sound Sights received a Bronze award for Industry Craft and a Silver Award for Entertainment Lions For Music.

Winners and Shortlists

Meet the Google engineer making Maps more accessible

Sasha wearing a light blue shirt and gray pants poses in his wheelchair in a NY Subway station

And read a Q&A with our Advisory Board member, Sasha Blair-Goldensohn on Here and Now!

Read Here

July Ambassador Report: On the Road with Kristy Durso

by

Kristy Durso isn’t just advocating for accessibility—she’s helping redesign the framework that tourism, conferences, and education are built on. Even in the midst of moving her home to Colorado, Kristy has been busy pushing accessibility to the forefront of hospitality conversations across the globe. She even whipped up another children’s story while riding along with her moving truck. Here are some highlights from the past month:

American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)

Kristy’s input was put into practice at this year’s ASTA conference, making it one of the most accessibility-forward conference experiences she’s seen.

“They had a sensory suite for travelers to take a break—it was right on the front page of the conference website,” she shared. “There were resources for each major area of accessibility. For Blind and low vision travelers, they had a link to Be My Eyes. For Deaf and hard of hearing, they listed three different transcription services. For mobility, they had a local DME company listed so people could rent or repair equipment.”

It wasn’t just about putting accessibility information out there—it was about centering it.

“The sensory room was one of the most talked-about features of the show,” Kristy said. “I walked in on day one and saw someone already using it. I turned to the organizer I’d been working with, and he immediately said, ‘We have to do more.’ Then another attendee came out and said, ‘This needs to be at every single conference.’”

Kristy is already in conversations about improvements before the next national conference.

Reaching Across the Ocean

Kristy has been making waves for months with her keynote speech on Reframing Accessibility, this time she took it across the waves.

Kristy was the keynote speaker in Slovenia’s Accessibility in Hospitality conference.

This time, she was able to  share her wisdom virtually, from the comfort of her home… at 4:00 a.m.

Coming Up

In the coming months, Kristy is planning to:

  • Moderate a panel at Destinations International
  • Speak at ASTA’S Expedition Conference
  • Deliver a Keynote in Alabama and evaluate a hotel property committed to accessibility
  • Guest lecture at Florida International University
  • Present at the American Indigenous Tourism Conference
  • Head to D.C. as an ambassador during ASTA’s Legislative Days, where she’ll speak directly with senators and representatives about accessibility issues.
  • Lecture for Ms. Wheelchair PA

There’s also something new in the works that could take her message to a wider audience: a potential talk series produced by a film company in Oregon.

“I want to take destinations on the journey,” she said, “from not thinking accessibility applies to them, to understanding disability as a culture—not a charity case.”

Kristy’s voice is shaping the future of accessible travel, and her message is clear: accessibility isn’t a special feature—it’s a standard that everyone deserves.

Kristy Durso is sitting in her wheelchair on the beach, smiling over her shoulder with the beautiful turquoise ocean in the background.

Meet Kristy: Kristy is a writer, speaker, and disability travel advisor. She has experience across multiple disabilities traveling as a wheelchair user with a pace-maker along with her children with intellectual disabilities, autism, ADHD, and over 30 food allergies. 

As TravelAbility’s ambassador, she networks and speaks around the globe to promote accessibility and inclusion in the travel space.