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Prior to the launch of TravelAbility I, like many people, mistakenly believed that the world of People with Disabilities (PwD) was one filled with dire pronouncements and woe, but the innovative solutions presented at Launchpad brought just the opposite by showing how much entrepreneurial energy and creativity is being directed at solutions that will help disabled travelers adapt to a world that has never been adaptable to them.

TravelAbility’s LaunchPad, was held virtually April 1^st and featured 15 innovators selected following a review and vetting process that began back in June of 2020. 

One person I spoke with after the event even used the word “sexy,” to describe the products and, while that may have been a stretch, they were definitely cool and inspiring for me to see so many organizations working to help make travel easier for people with a variety of disabilities.

Each company made a 3-minute pitch to a panel of judges that represented members of the travel industry, the disability community as well as impact investors.

Kate Farbo, from Visit Lancaster, wrote in an e-mail: “I attended TravelAbility’s Launchpad and was really blown away. It was an incredible experience watching so many talented, intelligent and passionate people sharing their ideas to improve the world of accessible travel.”

This year’s judges included: Charles Hammerman, CEO of the Disability Opportunity Fund; Ron Pettit, Head of Accessibility, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines; Zach Curry, Director of Guest Experience and Accessiblity at Marriott; Toby Willis, Product Manager and president of accessibility club at Expedia; Jay Cardinali, former Head of Global Accessibility, Disney Parks and Resorts; Betty Adams, Head, Investment committee, Disability Investment Fund.

Srin Madipalli, former head of Accessibility for Airbnb, and now an angel investor in 16 start-ups, who founded the widely acclaimed Accessible Travel Club group on Facebook, served as our guest emcee and moderator.

JUDGES CHOICE.

1^st Place  Vispero  JAWS Kiosk a, text to speech software than enable people who are blind or who have low vision to use self-service kiosks in airports, hotels and visitor centers. Presenter: Laura Miller, Corporate Business Development Manager

2^nd Place: Mobi-Mat makes a slip-free rollout mat for beaches and uneven surfaces as well as floating wheelchairs for beach and pool use.  Presenters: Sandrine Carpenter-Bernard, CEO/Greg Scull, Area Sales Manager

3^rd Place: SATS: Service Animal Travel Solutions. A one-stop central database for service animal verification recently launched with Alaska Airlines as their first airline partner. Presenter: Gina Emrich, Co-Founder

“This recognition of the JAWS Kiosk screen reader as the TravelAbility LaunchPad Judge’s Choice is a great sign of how the travel industry is embracing this tool for making their kiosks accessible for users with disabilities. We look forward to seeing more of the many accessible solutions featured in the LaunchPad event.” Matt Ater, Vice President of Business Development, Vispero.

You may view the 3-minute presentations here.

1^st .This is Vispero

2^nd. This is Mobi Mat

3^rd. This is Service Animal Training Solutions

NEW THIS YEAR: PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS. This year we added the “People’s Choice” award, in which attendees were polled to name their favorite presentations.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE:

1^st Place: Revolve Air Wheelchair.  A high-tech wheelchair that folds up to fit as airline carry-on. Andrea Mocellin, Founder

2^nd Place: Alinker. A Walking Bike. A non-motorized “walking-bike” designed for people with mobility challenges has evolved into a wellness ecosystem that includes Alinker yoga classes, nutrition programs and is supplemented by a produce farm in Kentucky that employs disabled workers. Presenter: BE ALink, Founder

3^rd Place: Omeo Technologies. Hands-free electric wheelchair that uses Active Seat Control technology user’s core muscles to control movement.  Presenter: Spring Adamo, North American Representative

These are their 3 minute presentations

1^st. This is Revolve Air Wheelchair

2^nd.This is ALinker.

3^rd. This is the Omeo Wheelchair

“Winning the people’s choice award gives me the incentive to keep working with this amazing network to advance technology and user experience for active wheelchair users.” Andrea Mocellini, Founder, Revolve.

While the judges selected innovations based on their practical applicability for travel industry suppliers along the chain of travel, attendee choices tended to mostly benefit users.  In the end, it was a reflection of the best of both worlds.

LAUNCHPAD RECORDING AVAILABLE:

For those who were not able to attend, the full four-hour recording can be purchased from our website here for $49 until May 15. 

REGISTER FOR the second session of TravelAbilty 2021 “The (Rocky) Road to Recovery” to be held on JUNE 24^th.  A conversational format that includes briefs from Google, Disney, Marriott, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, and 14 others.  See the Agenda here. 

Finally, I would like to thank my wonderful team of Katie Philson and Tricia Roth, both of whom helped produce the first TravelAbility Summit in San Francisco, and Laura Erskine, a former television news producer who helped coordinate the videos so that the technical glitches were kept to a minimum.

Jake Steinman