TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

Roll Play: Wheelchair User Shows PCMA Meeting Planners how Columbus Convention Center can be more Inclusive.

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Rosemarie Rosetti consults with the meetings and conventions industry on being accessible for all. Watch this video as she assesses the Columbus Convention Center with a team of meeting planners. Below you’ll find a series of bit-size videos (50 seconds – 90 seconds) where she dissects accessibility features at the convention center and offers a plethora of tips. 

Our Takeaway: We applaud Profession Convention and Meetings Association (PCMA) for including an accessibility field on their registration form, revealing that 33 of the 3300 attendees at their Columbus convention identified as having a disability, around half had mobility issues with the remaining reporting issues around blind/visual impairment, deaf/hard of hearing, or cognitive disorders.

Boomers are Booming. Are We Ready?

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As the world’s population is growing older, the tourism industry will have to adjust, meaning that tourism should be more accessible and inclusive for this category of travellers. Specifically, segments in the tourism sector should adapt and offer more pleasant experiences for this demographic that will soon become the leading group. Adapting, according to Kelly Torrens, the vice president for Kensington Tours, could include more breaks, slower walks, offering assistance for different activities and selecting less difficult terrains, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

Our Takeaway: Destinations that ignore this market will lose market share to destinations and experiences that proactively prepare to serve this booming demographic.

Plans for World’s First In-Cabin Wheelchair Airline Announced. Will it Fly?

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The AirCraft Company, a new start-up based in Wichita, Kansas, has revealed its plans to produce a hybrid-electric, 30-seat regional airliner. Called the Pangea SY30J. One thing that might set The AirCraft Company apart from its competition is its focus on accessibility and comfort. Not only will the cabin be more spacious with larger seats for “real-size” people, but it will also be able to accommodate passengers’ wheelchairs inside the cabin. . Read more.

Our Takeaway: This futuristic approach to accessible design is heaven-sent for the disability community but there are still many hurdles on the horizon , for example, funding and FAA approval, before this becomes a reality.

Oregon Coast Tourism Receives $200k to Conduct Accessibility Assessments

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Eight Oregon Coast destination management organizations (DMOs) were granted a total of $201,240 to partner with Wheel the World, a global accessible travel company, in their effort to make the Oregon Coast more accessible to travelers with disabilities

The funds awarded are the result of a coordinated approach among partners to apply for Travel Oregon’s 2022 Capacity and Small Project Grants. These communities and organizations are working to provide disabled travelers with comprehensive, accurate information to make their stay on the Oregon Coast more accessible. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Accessibility is contagious. Oregon Coast region DMO used grant funding from the state to send ten of their industry partners to EMS 2022, which included a mix of DMO’s. Several of the DMO’s brought attractions, city managers and elected officials which resulted in an accessibility strategy that is spreading to other regions.

A Star is Born: Did the ASL Signer Upstage Rihanna at Super Bowl LVII 2023 Halftime Show?

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Sign language interpreter Justina Miles started going viral on social media because of video showing her energetic interpretation of the performance’s lyrics. It’s not her first brush with internet fame. Miles has a popular TikTok account where she interprets popular songs into ASL with the same enthusiasm she put on display at the big game.

According to the National Association of the Deaf, Miles is from Philadelphia and was part of Team USA at the 2021/22 Deaflympics where athletes who are deaf or hard of hearing compete. She won silver as part of the 4×100 women’s track relay team. She has also interpreted for other artists around the country at various concerts, according to the NAD. Other well-known ASL interpreters were also part of the Super Bowl performance, including Troy Kostur. Read More.

Our Takeaway: Many commenters felt that Miles’ performance was physically more imposing than Rihanna’s and a huge breakthrough in awareness for what is possible for deaf interpretive dancers. Kudos to the NFL, which reportedly worked for nearly a year with the National Association of the Deaf to develop three ASL performances.

See Miles’ half-time performance here.

See Miles’ TikTok videos here.