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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.