TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

What to Expect When You’re Expecting a Lawsuit in 2020

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[Guy wearing dark suit buttoning it up on stairs.]

ADA Title III lawsuits flooded federal courts in 2019 and will likely continue to do so in 2020 with new theories for the courts to consider, according to the Seyfarth report. Get the details on lawsuits filed (10,206) in 2019. And watch these trends, including Braille Gift Card Lawsuits and multiple lawsuits regarding hotel reservations and accommodations. The easiest way to boost your knowledge of ADA standards, accessible design and technical assistance in 2020? Read about the law on this website.

OUR TAKE: Someone recently joked—we should start saying there are three things nobody can avoid—death, taxes and accessibility lawsuits. But seriously, as the 30th Anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act comes up in July, it is fact that you will hear about accessibility as a big issue. TravelAbility’s Advisory Board and newsletters will continue to offer the latest advice. 

Airport Aids Passengers with Hidden Disabilities (But Not Everyone Wants the Help, Thankyouverymuch)

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lanyard with a sunflower tag on it

The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport appears to be the first in the nation to offer green Lanyards printed with yellow sunflowers that symbolize a “hidden disability” such as dementia, hearing loss, post-traumatic stress disorder or autism. It is part of a new pilot program at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, reports USnews.com. The easy-to-spot sunflower lanyards are meant to assist workers in identifying people with invisible disabilities. Help could be in the form of an agent coming around a high counter to be closer to someone with hearing loss. Or in the case of autism, the lanyard could alert a worker that a child might be highly sensitive to crowds or touch.

OUR TAKE: While reviews of the lanyard program have been sunny in the U.K., the forecast is a little stormy in the case of the Seattle lanyard pilot program. Critics argue that being tagged as different is exactly what some people don’t want, which seems somewhat petty given that the ID’s are free to those who want them and can be quite useful for families with young children who want to pre-board their flights to avoid possible anxiety incidents.

How Simulating Real-time Flying with a Guide Dog Helps Passengers

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DOg at her feet, a passenger tests putting on an oxygen mask in a simulation. Everyone smiling and of course the dog is very cute.
Photo Courtesy Guide Dogs for the Blind/Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines has taken the lead in helping disabled passengers who use guide dogs to navigate air travel. For the sixth year, the airline partnered with Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) for an event in which guide dogs-in-training, their handlers and people with a range of disabilities explore and get comfortable traveling in mock airplanes, according to the Seattle PI.com READ MORE

Who’s Coming to TravelAbility Summit 2019?

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Join us on November 12-13
in San Francisco

REGISTER NOW
People at Hotel Kabuki talking in a library room while taking a break. there is coffee table seating and view from a bright window.
TravelAbility Summit: Making travel accessible for everyone. Photo courtesy Hyatt/Kabuki

With less than a month to go, here is the latest list of attending companies.  TravelAbility Summit is the first step in a journey to bring the travel industry and disability experts and innovators together to close the accessibility knowledge gap. Awareness of the needs of people with disabilities who love to travel is growing. Will you be a part of the collaboration? You can still register, here. We look forward to seeing the sparks fly on November 11-13.

CompanyTitle
ReelAbilities Film FestivalWest Coast Representative
AARPDirector of Consumer Insights
AbilitrekFounder & CEO
AbilitrekMiss Wheelchair Washington 2017
Able EyesCEO/Co-Founder
Access ExplorerEvangelist
Accessibility ShieldChief Marketing Officer
Accessible Travel SolutionsFounder
AccessibleGo!CEO & Co-Founder
AdaptsFounder
AiraChief Operating Officer
AirBnBAcessibility Program and Product Manager
Alcatraz CruisesGuest Services Director
AudioEyePartner Program Manager
Autism Double-CheckedCEO
Autism Experts–Moms (2) 
Autism on the Seas  CEO/Founder
Be My EyesVice President of Community
Beaches of Fort Myers and Sanibel/Lee County Visitor and Convention BureauDirector of Visitor Services
Blue UmbrellaCEO
Boston Harbor CruisesDirector of Group & FIT Sales
CEO357 Communications
CL DesignFounder
  
Curb Free With Cory LeeInfluencer
DesignsensoryDirector of Strategy
Destination Niagara USAVP, Sales & Marketing
Dutchess Tourism Inc.Customer Service and Special Event Manager
Dutchess Tourism Inc.President
Eugene & Cascades Sports DivisionVP, Convention Marketing
Expedia GroupPrincipal Program Manager
Explore MinnesotaSr. Manager,
Partner Relations
Fine Arts MuseumAcess Program Manager
Finley Holiday ProductionsPresident
Forbes.comSr. Contributor/Accessibility
Free2Go Mobility Products, Inc.Presidentt & CEO
getaboutable.comCEO
Greater Lansing Convention & Visitors BureauExecutive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer
Guide Dogs for the BlindV.P. Outreach, Admissions
Hearing Loss Association of AmericaPresident Diablo Valley
Chapter
IBCCESChairman of the Board & CEO
IBCCESPresident
InfiniteachCo-Founder
JeenieCEO
Jeffers Mangles Butler and MitchellADA Defense attorney
JetssuiteAutism Concierge
KeroulChairwoman
Lee County Visitor + Convention BureauMarketing Coordinator
Marriott InternationalSenior Manager Global Operations Design & Development
Miles PartnershipDigital Project Manager
Moab Area Travel CouncilExecutive Director
Mobility InternationalPresident
National Ability CenterSr. Development Manager
National Park ServiceTourism/Accessiblity Program Manager
National Park Service various
New Mobility MagazineEditor
NYC & COPresident
NYC & COVice President
Open Doors OrganizationExecutive Director
Outlandish TravelFounder
Pocono Mountains Visitors BureauMarketing Advertising Manager
Point HospitalityCEO
Presidio TrustMarketing Manager
Presidio TrustMarketing/Communication
PrestoMagic TravelFounder
Reno TahoeExecutive Director of Tourism Sales
Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.Director, Disability Inclusion
SFOCustomer Service Manager
SimpleviewVP of Sales and Account Services
SimpleviewDirector of Product Marketing & Communications
Space Camp USADirector of Sales
and Outreach
The ArcManger of Special Projects
The Greater GoOwner, Travel Advisor
TravALZPresident
Travel Michigan – MEDCVP, Travel Michigan
Travel OregonDirector, Meeting Services
Travel OregonContent Marketing
Travel Trippers/PegasusSr. Regional Sales Director
UCSF Medical CenterUCSF Professor, Geriatrics 
Valley Forge Tourism & Convention BoardPresident & CEO
Valley Forge Tourism & Convention BoardChief Marketing Officer
Visit Fort WOrthDirector, Convention Services
Visit Huntington BeachSenior Film & Travel Trade
Manager
Visit MesaPresident and CEO
Visit OaklandCEO
Visit OaklandTraining
Visit OaklandDiversity, Equity & Inclusion
Visit Sarasota CountyPresident
Walt Disney CompanyWorldwide Accessibility Manager
Wheel The WorldFounder
WheelChair TravelInfluencer/Founder
Whill/ScootaroundDirector of Sales   
REGISTER NOW
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TravelAbility Update: What We’ve Learned So Far

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special update

by Tom Berrigan, Managing Editor, InBound Report

Jake Steinman, editor-in-chief of INBOUND, as well as the founder of a portfolio of the popular tour and travel industry events and conferences acquired earlier this year by Connect Travel, has been concentrating on a new project—the first TravelAbility Summit, a highly focused conference dealing with the issue of accessible travel. He launched the effort a year ago, and the first Summit will be staged Nov. 12-13 in San Francisco. Steinman recently participated in a panel discussion on the subject of accessible travel at the U.S. Travel Association’s recent annual ESTO conference in Austin, which brings together DMO leaders from all kinds of destination organizations. INBOUND talked with Steinman about his ESTO experience and how the TravelAbility Summit is shaping up. Here are excerpts of our recent conversation. 

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