TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

Accessibility Champion: Jason Holic, CDME

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Senior Vice President Of Operations & Community Engagement
Experience Kissimmee

Headshot and quote: “In 2022, we formally unveiled accessibility as part of our guiding principles—topics too important to limit to traditional metrics and checkboxes.”

“In 2022, we formally unveiled accessibility as part of our guiding principles—topics too important to limit to traditional metrics and checkboxes.”

Note: This interview is part of an ongoing series featuring interviews with 24 Champions of Accessibility for 2024 selected and celebrated by TravelAbility.

Q: When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?

While we had made limited efforts in accessibility several years ago, we began in earnest as part of our strategic planning process in the nine months leading up to October 2022. That’s when we formally unveiled accessibility as part of our guiding principles—topics too important to limit to traditional metrics and checkboxes. Instead they deserved attention across our efforts and throughout the organization. The impetus was determining what we wanted for the destination emerging from the pandemic; how we can make travel and tourism a force for good and more welcoming to all? It has since also become a marketing focus to help sustain demand for travel as we exit the “revenge travel” period.

Q: What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?

A: I oversee IT, research, strategic planning, privacy compliance, accreditation, and community engagement. Accessibility and sustainability are core components in our strategic plan, so I spend a good bit of time in those areas.

Q: Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination?

A: Overcoming the historical belief that accessibility is just ADA compliance, when in fact it is at the core of hospitality itself.

Q: What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?

Joining TravelAbility’s Destination A11y Club has been a highlight because I get to learn from other destination leaders who have accomplished a great deal. Our team is continuously revising our organizational roadmap to accessible travel. We like to call it a journey without a destination, because while we want the destination to be accessible for everyone, we know there will always be more we could do. Part of the roadmap included signing on with Wheel the World and cataloging accessibility information from our industry partners. The roadmaps allow us to make it an ongoing part of the conversation in the destination so accessibility is always a consideration in marketing and development efforts.

Q: Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.

A: Jake Steinman and the TravelAbility crew. 

Q: What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?

A: Continue to leverage roadmap successes and wins to make the destination evermore accessible. For Experience Kissimmee, 2024 will see greater integration of accessible travel information throughout the website, more accessible influencers and content creators, and greater industry interest in catering to everyone who travels, regardless of their abilities.

Accessibility Champion: Richard Gray

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Senior Vice President of Inclusion & Accessibility for Visit Lauderdale

Q: When did you begin focusing on accessibility in your destination and what was the impetus for wanting to make your destination more accessible?

A: I am deeply passionate about making tourism accessible to ALL. To me, making tourism more accessible is a social responsibility and it is also a human right.

I have been involved in inclusion initiatives since 1991. That’s when I opened a gay-friendly hotel in Fort Lauderdale to provide a safe and fun accommodation for the gay traveler. Not many were reaching that market at that time. That’s when I understood how important it is for a destination to realize the needs of its diverse visitors. 

That same thinking led me to accessible tourism. One day, I realized there were only a handful of destinations catering to a traveler with differing physical and/or cognitive abilities. It didn’t sit well with me that millions of people could not enjoy our destination as I could. So, in 2020, I embarked on my journey to understand as much as I could about accessible tourism. At Visit Lauderdale, it is key that we promote inclusion, diversity, and equal opportunities for ALL individuals. Accessible tourism not only enhances the quality of life for individuals with disabilities, it also benefits the tourism industry economically.

Q: What are your main responsibilities and tasks in your organization?

A: I am the Senior Vice President of Inclusion & Accessibility for Visit Lauderdale. I have always been a believer in using marketing as a form of education and a firm believer of being gutsy and pushing barriers to market to all travelers. Just like when we became the first destination in the world to launch a transgender campaign to highlight the diversity, edge, and authenticity of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. The historic initiative was recognized by the United Nations. I intend to make a similar difference in the accessible space and expect Visit Lauderdale to be a loud voice for the accessible traveler. Recently, we have become a part of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and at the Broward County Convention Center. I’m very excited as we are the trailblazers here. The program allows people with hidden disabilities–such as learning difficulties, visual or hearing impairments, chronic pain, or any other hidden disability–to request extra time or help when traveling through the airport.

Quote: I have always been a firm believer of being gutsy and pushing barriers to market to all travelers.

Q: Aside from budget, what are the most difficult obstacles or barriers that you face regarding the advancement of accessibility in your destination? What initiatives have you undertaken to improve accessibility in your destination, and which are you most proud of?

A: The most difficult obstacles for destinations attempting to advance accessibility include inadequate infrastructure and facilities, limited awareness and understanding of the needs of an accessible traveler, lack of government support and funding for accessibility initiatives, and social stigmas about persons with disabilities that can create barriers to inclusion and participation in tourism. Overcoming these challenges requires a collaborative effort involving government, businesses, industry leaders, and communities to prioritize accessibility and implement inclusive practices. At Visit Lauderdale, we are on a massive learning curve. We are committed to creating awareness, education and a warm welcome. We created a landing page with the most incredible accessible destination video. I am so proud of that video. The video highlights some of our fully accessible attractions like the Brightline, a high-speed passenger train that stops at key locations throughout South and Central Florida, Flamingo Gardens–a botanical garden and wildlife sanctuary, the Broward Center for Performing Arts–one of the top 10 most-visited theaters in the world, and adaptive kayaking on the intracoastal, to name a few. 

Q: Who do you follow? Name an organization/company/individual you look to for ideas or inspiration.   

A: Jake Steinman is my inspiration, mentor, and go-to person with anything in regard to accessibility. He is a wealth of knowledge, and the reason Visit Lauderdale is a Titanium sponsor of TravelAbility. I hold him in the highest regard. Others who inspire me include Mayaan Ziv of Access Now and Camilo Navarro and the whole team at Wheel the World.

Q: What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?

A: I will continue to learn much, much more about the accessible platform. Visit Lauderdale is committed to showcasing the beauty and versatility of the Greater Fort Lauderdale area, but to ALL. We are a destination where inclusion truly shines. We welcome “Everyone Under the Sun,” as our tagline says. Last year in June 2023, we were able to host the Deaf Seniors of America Conference at the Seminole Hard Rock Casino & Hotel, with more than 1,000 hearing-impaired seniors from around the world. And in the coming year, we will be hosting a TravelAbility travel agent training session. Visit Lauderdale will continue its journey to becoming a fully accessible destination and a thought leader in the accessible tourism space. I am personally committed to that.

Walmart Makes Sensory-Friendly Hours Permanent

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Customers seeking a calmer, quieter shopping experience will find it from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. every day at every Walmart in the country.  The retail giant began testing the concept of sensory-friendly hours in the fall at most of its stores. Changes included lowering their overhead lights, turning off radios and replacing moving pictures with static ones on televisions.

Walmart executives reported in a press release that the feedback has been “overwhelmingly positive.”

“These changes may have seemed small to some, but for others they transformed the shopping experience. Our biggest piece of feedback? Keep it going!” Read more

TravelAbility TakeAway: Another example of a simple accommodation designed for people with disabilities that proves popular for a much wider audience. That amounts to a big change given Walmart’s status as the largest retailer in the country.

Jansport Designs Adaptive Backpacks for Wheelchair Users 

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Pen and ink sketches of four different Jansport backpacks hanging on wheelchairs in various waysl

You can hang any old backpack on a wheelchair handle. But what if you asked top designers to build a better backpack for use with a wheelchair? What would it look like? That’s what Jansport did with its new Adaptive Collection. Read More

TravelAbility TakeAway: It’s wonderful to see a leading backpack maker dedicate a collection for the adaptive market.

HBO MAX Unveils ASL version of “Barbie”

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The much-anticipated arrival of mega-hit “Barbie” on streaming included a special feature, “Barbie with ASL,” in which a signer interprets the movie for the Deaf community. 

“HBO Max is the premiere destination for storytelling, so being able to share the biggest movie of the year in ASL, the first language for many, will make this story resonate in a more meaningful way,” Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO, HBO and Max Content, said in a press release. “By offering sign language interpretation, we will build upon the film’s empowering message of inclusiveness and offer a unique viewing experience for the Deaf community to enjoy with family and friends.” 

The streaming service kicked off the ASL version with a special community screening in Los Angeles alongside the non-profit Deaf West Theatre, advocacy group RespectAbility, signer Leila Hanaumi, and Barbie star Margot Robbie. Read more

Related story: British Air introduces Signed Language Video for Deaf Passengers 

TravelAbility TakeAway: This is an important milestone given the huge footprint of the Barbie movie. In addition to increasing access to the movie for the Deaf Community, the ASL version and the live event highlight the artistry of ASL signer Leila Hanaumi. Her performance is more than translation; its an act of expressive storytelling.