TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

What is the Accessibility Gap?

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According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), 15% of the global population has a disability. Furthermore, the National Household Travel Survey indicates that 25.5 million Americans have disabilities that hinder their ability to travel. 

Travel has numerous benefits, including stress relief, mental health, physical health, education, personal growth, creating memories, improving relationships and career advancement. 

Unfortunately, a lack of general accessibility in the travel industry means these advantages are out of reach. So, what is being done and what can be done to alleviate this situation? Read More.

Our Takeaway: Due to abundant mainstream media coverage around accessibility, the travel industry is finally awakening to that fact that outmoded ADA regulations are only a baseline and there are encouragingly easy and affordable ways to fill the gap.

Autonomous Shuttles with Accessibility Coming to US Cities

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photo of autonomous accessible shuttle -grey color with red acc ents large windows

The rise of electric vehicles has resulted in increased communication within the vehicle; everything from opening and closing windows to automated driving features to infotainment to passenger comfort is controlled via computers. Instead of piling electronic control units (ECU) — which historically have handled one function at a time — on top of each other, suppliers are converging them into so-called supercomputers. ZF’s Pro AI supercomputer combines multiple systems-on-a-chip (SoC) from different suppliers into one hardware unit that’s more efficient, takes up less space (the new ProAI is 12 by 6 by 6 inches) and eases supply constraints.

TravelAbility Insider Insight: Accessible ground transportation is one of the primary barriers for wheelchair travelers. While these beautiful and futuristically designed shuttle vans are primarily being released in Europe right now, they will have a ready market in the U.S. as accessible Airport shuttles. Read more.

14 Winners of Accessible Innovation Awards at CEO 2023 in Las Vegas.

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photo of #CES 2024 sculpture

A helpful toilet lifter, stabilizing smart makeup applicator, wearable navigation system for visually impaired individuals, and self-driving powerchair service have all been recognized at the prestigious CES 2023 Innovation Awards.

Taking place annually, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is one of the largest global stages for companies to showcase their latest and greatest technology innovations. The show covers a wide variety of sectors including automotive, robotics, gaming, wearables, sports technology, and accessibility. CES is organized by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA).

AT Today has rounded up all 14 Honorees and Best of Innovation award winners in the accessibility category at the CES 2023 Innovation Awards. See the list here.

Department of Commerce Appoints 3 TravelAbility presenters to U.S. Tour and Travel Advisory Board

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White House icon on blue background.with texgt saying White House, Washington
White House, Washjngton DC logo

Congratulations to Advisory Board members Eric Lipp, founder of Open Doors Organization and emeritus member, John Sage, founder of Accessible Travel Solutions, both wheelchair users and legends in the accessible travel industry, who along with Andrew Leary, Director of Sustainable Travel and Partnerships for Leave No Trace were appointed by Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo to the U.S. Department of Commerce Travel and Tourism Advisory Board. They join other industry leaders such as the CEO’s of Airbnb, Booking.com, TripAdvisor and Expedia. See the full list of members here.

TravelAbility Insider Insight: Having two legends who’ve been deeply involved in accessible travel for over twenty years with a seat at the table contributing to future travel policy is a big win for the future of accessible travel and an acknowledgement that travelers with disabilities are an important segment for the future of the industry. 

TravelAbility Partners with Nation’s #1 Hospitality Management College to Change the Way Travelers with a Disability will be Treated in the Future

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Rosen College logo with black type and yellow shell plus TravelAbility logo with wordsThe Intersection of Travel adn Accessibility
Rosen College of Hospitality Management and TravelAbility Logo

TravelAbility is delighted to announce a new partnership with the Rosen College of Hospitality Management, a part of the University of Central Florida, to develop TravelAbility: Filling the Accessibility Gap in Hospitality, a self-paced learning module that will be part of the college’s experiential education program, a requirement of graduation for all 3000 students in the program.  A quiz will be administered.

“Perhaps more than any of the other projects we developed over the past four years,” said Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. “This collaboration has the potential to make the most impact as it will infuse a new generation of future hospitality supervisors and general managers with the awareness and empathy necessary to not only change the attitude about the way people with disabilities are perceived, but also how they are treated.”

TravelAbility will be contributing its expertise as well as content from The Accessibility Playbook, a copyrighted compendium of business cases, tips, products, innovations, and 99 videos from prior conferences and events.   

“All 3,000 plus students at the Rosen College of Hospitality Management are introduced to the wider societal challenges that impact our industry through their courses, our incredible Internship program, and the opportunities to engage through their P.R.E.P. activities,” commented Alan Fyall, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Rosen College of Hospitality.” “Our partnership with TravelAbility represents an important milestone as the travel industry awakens to the significance of travelers with a disability and the steps required to both welcome and accommodate them in a seamless manner.”

The Rosen College of Hospitality Management was rated #1 academic level tourism program in the U.S. and #2 in the world.

“Building on the success of our education on human trafficking,” remarked Dean Fyall, “our partnership with TravelAbility will have a huge impact on our students and ensure they are suitably equipped to take their industry into the future in a more inclusive and accessible manner.”

What is the Accessibility Gap? Since every disability has a spectrum, and the Americans with Disability Act (ADA) was written for the median, even if they are fully compliant, hotels, attractions and restaurants still work for only 50% of the people. The Accessibility Gapcan be filled by showcasing information online, providing training about accessibility needs, and implementing adaptive innovations that are currently available.

The course will begin with the spring semester and allow the next generation of travel industry executives, meeting planners and event managers to learn how to be welcoming to all guests. “Travel is the toy department of life,” said Steinman, “everyone should be able to enjoy it.”

About TravelAbility, now celebrating our fifth year, is an organization that works within the travel industry to improve the experience that people with disabilities have while they are traveling. As part of this initiative, we also act as a one-stop source that connects travel organizations with the expertise, innovations, and resources they need so disabled travelers have the information they require to ensure smoother sailing while planning travel.

About UFC Rosen College of Hospitality Management offers their students the opportunity to learn and work in the center of hospitality. The students at the college are given the opportunity to study within an internationally recognized faculty that consists of cutting-edge research, innovative academic programs, and strong industry and community partnerships. 

For more information, contact: info@travelability.net.

TA Insider Insight: This initiative came together after Gisela Canova, Head of internships and Associate Dean Alan Fyall, attended EMS 2022 in Orlando. In a follow up meeting in which they were shown our proprietary Accessibility Playbook, it was decided to move forward with the learning module which, hopefully, will lead to a full online course that will inspire more academic institutions to add accessibility to their curriculum.