TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Trends

EU Tour Operator Creates Accessibility Guides for 200 of their Hotels

by

Photo collage with Image of a hotel behind two pages from the accessibility guide which show details about the swimming pool, toilets, and other amenities.

In the US, the ADA mandates hotels to provide travelers with specific information about their accessible features. In lieu of a comparable law in the UK, one prominent hotel chain is producing its own detailed accessibility guides to meet the needs of a growing market. 

TUI, in partnership with AccessAble, has just released guides for 200 hotels in locations including Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Turkey and Egypt. Two hundred more are in the works. 

“Tui takes more than six million UK holidaymakers away each year and accessible holiday bookings have grown by 56% since 2022,” said Sue Bradley, Tui UK and Ireland director of customer experience. “We want to make travel easy and enjoyable for all our customers, but we know when it comes to planning, it can be a stressful experience for some.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: AccessABLE consulted with more than 1,000 disability groups to develop the guides, which are both comprehensive and easy to navigate. Check out the guide for the Hotel Rio Park in Spain. 

Air Time for Autism Expert Alan Day on “Good Morning America”

by

Two men wearing Autism Flies T-shirts stand at the entrance to an airplane. Alan Day, one of the men, talks on the airplane's phone.

TraveAbility Advisory Board Member Alan Day, a former travel agent who has an autistic son, continues to raise awareness of the challenges facing travelers on the spectrum. Day co-founded Autism Double-Checked to educate airlines, hotels and other travel businesses on ways to remove  or reduce the obstacles confronting autistic travelers. 

In addition to identifying the obstacles, Autism Double-Checked is creating innovative solutions, such as a practice run for getting through security at Bradley Airport in Connecticut as featured in a recent spot on ABC News and Good Morning America. The program is designed to help young flyers on the spectrum get more accustomed to the protocols at their own pace.

“They’re going to come in. They’re going to check in. They will get a gate pass just like a boarding pass for a real flight that will go through an actual TSA line. They will have to be screened, go through the metal detector, then they’ll come to the gate, they’ll wait at the gate and they will be called,” Day said. Read more

Related Video:  Easterseals launched a campaign in December calling for improvements in air travel for individuals with disabilities. The story includes a good video interview with Easterseals President and CEO, Kendra Davenport (scroll down the page to the extended interview; it’s about 11 minutes long.)

TravelAbility TakeAway: Alan Day and Autism Double-Check are doing an amazing job drawing attention to the challenges facing travelers with autism and to innovative solutions. The TSA practice run isn’t just good TV, it’s an excellent resource for families with children on the spectrum.

Partnership Between TravelAbility and Destinations International Off to a Fast Start

by

As we reported in last month’s Insider, Destinations International has named TravelAbility as its official accessibility advisor, providing guidance on how to make destinations more welcoming for people with disabilities. In turn, Destinations International will market TravelAbility’s Accessibility Playbook to its 700+ DMOS. 

“The Playbook is like accessibility in a box and  contains everything we’ve learned over the past five years that can help destinations and travel businesses  improve their accessibility and inclusion initiatives for travelers with disabilities,” said Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility. “It includes more than 100 videos, PowerPoint decks, and contacts for a range of vendors in the accessibility space.”

TravelAbility will also advise Destinations International on prospective speakers and assistive technology entrepreneurs who can showcase their solutions for improving accessibility in the travel industry at their InnovateAble pitch event.

TravelAbility has already started planning its involvement in DI’s events for 2024, including several US meetings this spring and summer:

Marketing & Communications Summit
February 27-29, 2024 | Salt Lake City, UT

CEO Summit
April 2-4, 2024 | Boston, MA

Convention Sales & Services Summit
April 8-9, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

Showcase
April 10, 2024 | Washington, D.C.

Visitor Services Summit
July 16, 2024 | Tampa, FL

Annual Convention
July 16-18, 2024 | Tampa, FL

Read more

TravelAbility TakeAway: “Both partners have hit the ground running and we’re finding multiple opportunities for collaboration and crossover,” said Jake Steinman, TravelAbility founder and CEO. “It’s an exciting time. Sleep is overrated!”

Accessibility Champion: Alison Brooks

by

Vice President, Destination Experience & Advocacy, Visit Mesa

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: Mesa became the first-ever Autism Certified City (IBCCES) in 2019. The response was so very positive, that we soon realized that inclusion through accessibility was a community shared value and we knew that we wanted to further expand accessibility through technologies, programs and education that would make a better experience for our visitors and residents alike.

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

A: I oversee our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility efforts, our partnership program and assist our CEO with governmental affairs.

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

A: In a city so large (over 500K population), along with over 4 million visitors, the most challenging thing is bringing awareness to the many offerings we have in Mesa. The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, Aira, Wheel the World partnership, autism certification, and Threshold 360 virtual tours from the accessibility perspective, are all fantastic ways that help people prepare for and enjoy their experience while in Mesa.  We do advertise these programs regularly through many platforms, as well as share them on our website and social media, but it still can be difficult to get the word out!

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

Quote: Drip learning will be a huge focus for us in 2024.

A: The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program, Threshold 360 virtual tours, Aira, Wheel the World and Able Vu partnerships, and autism certification are all programs we’ve put into place for our destination. It’s hard to choose one that I’m most proud of, but I would say that I’m proud that Visit Mesa was the first to partner with many of these programs and work side-by-side to help implement their product into a destination. Becoming the first Verified Destination through Wheel the World was definitely icing on the cake.

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

A: Visit Tampa Bay does an amazing job with their accessibility and storytelling of inclusion overall! Of course, I have to give a “shout-out” to Travelability, as Jake Steinman and his team continue to make a profound impact on destinations becoming more accessible.

Q: What are your plans around accessibility in 2024?

A: We will continue to measure engagement with the programs we have in place now. Additionally, drip- learning will be a huge focus for us, as I strongly feel that education creates confidence for our partners to better serve guests with disabilities. I cannot share yet, but I can say we are working on something that could positively impact a lot of visitors and residents in the very near future.

What Does an Adaptive Bike Fest Look Like?

by

A woman on a golf course strapped into an electric bike/wheelchair at a bike fest testing event

Sponsors Alpine Electric Bikes and Capital Bike teamed up with RAD to put on the free Adaptive Bike Fest in September, which featured everything from hand cycles to guided bike rides to bike and wheelchair tune-ups.

Organizers said the event was aimed at showing how accessible getting outside and having fun can be, even for those with limited mobility, and providing an opportunity to try out the often hard-to-find accessible equipment without cost. Read more.

TravelAbility Takeaway: Great idea for an event that celebrates new mobile options and emphasizes the fun side of being outdoors on a set of wheels.