TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

21 Most Read Stories of 2021 from TravelAbility Insider

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Rendering of a hotel exterior.

As an in-a-nutshell summary, readers of TravelAbility Insider found a few different types of articles of interest. Number one was innovation as the item about the opening of The Schoolhouse Hotel, the first all-accessible room hotel, attracted nearly 11,000 readers.  A close second were stories about unexpected experiences available to people with disabilities by mainstream followed by service articles for travel suppliers that want to learn how they can be more accessible.  

Here are links to them all:

  1. World’s First All-Accessible Room Hotel to Open in West Virginia in 2022
  2. We Examined 122 DMO Websites in Search of Accessible Landing Pages: This is what we found.
  3. The Man Who Filed More Than 180 Disability Lawsuits
  4. Florida Nudist Colonies Have Real Skin in the Game When it Comes to Accessibility
  5. Disabled People Speak Out About Accessible Travel — Here’s What They Said (and what they’re looking for)
  6. What’s LEGOLAND Florida’s Blue Hero Pass All About?
  7. Turning the Tables: Tokyo Restaurant Simulates the Disabled Experience for Nondisabled Diners
  8. Elephant with Prosthetic Leg Can Travel Again
  9. Are Solar-Powered Wheelchairs Going To Be The Next Big Thing?
  10. The Top 10 Most Accessible Ad Campaigns of 2020
  11. An IKEA IDEA: “ThisAbles” Furniture Adaptors Available at a 3D Printer Near You
  12. LaunchPad: Curated Barrier-Breaking Ideas and Products Available Now or Coming Soon to the Phone in Your Hand
  13. Meet Houston Vandergriff: 48 States and 22 Countries with Down Syndrome
  14. Disarmed: How Christina Mallon Makes the Fashion Industry Work for Her
  15. Why Accessibility Will Be the Next Big Differentiator in Travel
  16. Part 3: Will Accessibility Be the Next Big Differentiator in Travel?
  17. The Future of Inaccessibility? Wheelchair Space Kitchen — A Parody Exhibit Opens in Denver
  18. Alaska Airlines Launches “Fly for All” App for Neurodivergent Passengers
  19. 27 California Hotels Sign Agreement to Improve Guest Room Accessibility
  20. Deaf Blogger Stranded for 5 Days in Snowstorm at Crater Lake National Park
  21. 21 Accessible Travel Predictions For 2021

Research Guru Reveals 5 Trends That Will Impact Tourism Over the Next 5 Years

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Colorful lines across a white background.

What will the future look like for travel after the abrupt standstill in early 2020? With vaccinations on the rise and infections on the decline in the US, a growing number of consumers are eager to get away. Many have the financial wherewithal, having been hunkered down at home for much of the past year, with fewer-than-usual opportunities to spend money. 

To learn about 5 trends that will impact tourism over the next 5 years, read the report from PwC.

New Research Commissioned for TravelAbility Tampa

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Wheelchair user seated with friends at picnic table.

‘Hot off the press’ & commissioned specifically for the TravelAbility Conference is the very latest research on the attitudes and needs of U.S. travelers with disabilities. This custom research was conducted in early August 2021 by Destination Analysts and Miles Partnership as part of Destination Analysts’ ongoing COVID-19 Travel Insights research.

The study includes the latest insights on the US travel market, the impact of the new Delta Variant of COVID-19, and the opportunities for destinations and tourism businesses to engage with, support and convert travelers with disabilities. Chris Adams, Head of Research and Insights for Miles Partnership, will be presenting the research live at TravelAbility Tampa on Monday, August 30th.. Join us virtually at TravelAbility Tampa. Register Today.

WTTC Issues New Guidelines for Accessible Travel

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WTTC logo over aerial photo of tropical beach and resort hotels.

The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) released new guidelines for accessibility and inclusion in the travel and tourism sector. The guidelines focus on four pillars: Developing an Inclusive & Accessible System, Creating Safe Spaces, Designing an Engaging & Relevant System and Exemplifying Inclusion & Accessibility.

Among the recommendations are the following:

Developing an Inclusive & Accessible System

  • Consider the creation of a specific role for an accessibility expert
  • Collaborate with other businesses in areas where there are gaps in accessibility knowledge, experience and services
  • Consider conducting meaningful research with travelers with disabilities whenever possible
  • Offer travel products, services and facilities without accessibility barriers for those with physical, cognitive, intellectual or sensory needs
  • Avoid making assumptions about a traveler’s disability or their needs
  • Provide clear, detailed and accurate information for travelers with disabilities and share the information in a consistent manner across the business
  • Provide training to staff on disability awareness and how to support travelers with disabilities, including how to counter unconscious bias or stereotypes

Creating Safe Spaces

  • Foster a respectful environment at all locations and for all activities
  • Provide clear signage throughout the traveler’s journey for varying physical, cognitive, intellectual and sensory abilities
  • Make accessibility decisions using feedback and information obtained from travelers with those disabilities, empowering them to share honest feedback

Designing an Engaging & Relevant System

  • Regularly and proactively engage travelers with disabilities in the creation of accessible products and services and obtain their feedback
  • Include accessibility features in the booking process
  • Consider flexible itineraries for those with disabilities

Exemplifying Inclusion & Accessibility

  • Regularly and proactively engage travelers with disabilities in the creation of accessible products and services and obtain their feedback
  • Include accessibility features in the booking process
  • Consider flexible itineraries for those with disabilities

Although the recommendations are by no means groundbreaking – disability advocates and industry experts have promoted them as best practices for some time – it is valuable to have the principles of accessibility broadcast to a larger audience. At the next TravelAbility Summit event on June 24th, speakers will expand on these and other topics to help destinations and businesses reach their accessibility potential.

To read more about the WTTC guidelines, see this article from Travel Off Path.

LaunchPad: Curated Barrier-Breaking Ideas and Products available now or Coming Soon to the Phone in your Hand.

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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 1st 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.

1st 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

2nd 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

3rd 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.

1st .This is Vispero

2nd. This is Mobi Mat

3rd. 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:

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

2nd 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

3rd 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

1st. This is Revolve Air Wheelchair

2nd.This is ALinker.

3rd. 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 24th.  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

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