TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Handicap Accessible vs. Wheelchair Accessible: Do You Know the Difference?

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Entire family with Dad in front sitting in wheelchair

All accessibility is not equal, although there is some crossover, according to an informative post on thrivingwithparalysis.com. The author clarifies the differences according to her personal experience as a caregiver. This piece covers all the details from ‘the dreaded aisle seat, the perfect table for a wheelchair user and more.  

OUR TAKE: There’s no better expert than a traveler with a disability or their caregiver. This blog, with all of its details, couldn’t possibly be written with such detailed and trustworthy advice had in not been done by a caregiver whose got a lot of real-life knowledge to share. Destinations, attractions, and hotels would be wise to take caregiver through a tour of a place and do some on the spot usability testing.  It’s the little things that can make a huge difference in a traveler’s experience.

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Mom Worried Her Son Would Bother His Seatmate on the Plane. But Instead…They Became Buddies

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If you saw the two seatmates cracking jokes and having fun on the direct flight from Las Vegas to PDX, you might have assumed that they were father and son. But this wasn’t the usual son-tells-father-to-stop-making-Dad-jokes banter. They were strangers: One, a 7-year-old autistic boy traveling on a short flight without his mom and the other, a passenger who happened to take the seat next to him. Because mom was a bundle of nerves, she decided to write a note of introduction for whoever might sit next to her son, shown here. The ride turned out to be a shining moment for both of them, each enjoying the trip and getting to know each other. The video has since gone viral. SEE MORE, here.   

OUR TAKE: If you’ve met one person with autism, you’ve met one person with autism. In the travel industry, which is all about new life experiences and connections, the story of the two seatmates couldn’t be a more appropriate example of that. Landon is definitely one of a kind! Find information on travel providers who specialize in working with people with autism, here. 

Why 285 Million People Worldwide Can’t Navigate Your Hotel or Airport

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The very existence of a tool that can map public indoor spaces is a big deal for travelers who are blind or have low vision, especially in cities and towns struggling with budget cuts, according to a recent piece in WIRED. The author interviewed the Louisville, Kentucky CEO who created the mapping tool who said, “It’s really wonderful to hear people say, ‘I can walk through malls or walk through venues without this sense of hopelessness or of missing information’.”  Find out more about Access Explorer here. (Access Explorer is available for Android phones and is available as an iTunes app.) READ MORE 

OUR TAKE: New research shows that national study that shows cases of blindness will double in the United States by 2050—and that doesn’t include the 16 million Americans expected to have difficulty seeing. A researcher at the National Institutes of Health is quoted as saying, “These findings are an important forewarning of the magnitude of vision loss to come.” One great resource for collateral is BrailleWorks.com, which helps to create menus, maps and other materials for the millions who can’t read documents because of visual impairment or blindness; they also do audio.

 

photo courtesy Access Explorer 

Travel Agent Survey Shows 50% Increase in Requests for Accessible Travel Products

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8 travel experts four in mobility scooters and four not in a group photo outside After a VisitScotland travel trade survey revealed that just over half of travel agents in Scotland reported an increase in requests for accessible travel products, they organized a FAM trip. It was the first-ever inclusive FAM tour to be organized there, according to Travel Trade Daily. European delegates spent three days visiting attractions such as the newly opened Clydeside Distillery, Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Loch Katrine Experience, Stirling Castle, Royal Yacht Britannia and Beach Wheelchairs North Berwick. The story also explains that all of the attractions visited provide detailed information around their accessibility and make a conscious effort to ensure visitors with access requirements are able to have a good experience. READ MORE

OUR TAKE: Accessibility and inclusivity are clearly gaining a wider understanding, particularly among travel providers. Special Needs Group has trained over 5000 travel agents, mostly about mobile traveler needs. IBCCES has over 20,000 travel agents that have taken their program online. For reference, we’ve pulled together a (growing) list of Specialized Travel Providers on TravelAbilitySummit.com.   

photo courtesy VisitScotland 

 

How DMO’s and Hotels Can Help Conferences Become More Accessible

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Wheelchair user Sylvia Longmire using a lift to attend a social gathering at a recent TedX conference.Sylvia Longmire, president of Spin the Globe, refers to herself as an accessible travel agent, blogger, disabled veteran and MS’er. She is also one of the most influential—and opinionated—voices reviewing destinations, cruise lines, hotels and attractions from a wheelchair user’s point of view. She doesn’t hold back. In a recent blog piece, she discussed the challenges of attending conferences and conventions.  

Our Take: Please, share this post with Meeting Planners, an integral part of our industry, who can use her suggestions to make their events more inclusive. Longmire’s spot-on advice can help raise awareness and improve accessibility conditions. We’re looking forward to what she writes next.

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