TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Top 10 Signs That Accessibility Is Going Mainstream

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Fashion brands including Tommy Hilfiger, shown above, are expanding their accessible clothing lines. [photo of a young boy and girl in sportswear holding hands and running courtesy Tommy Hilfiger.]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the number of U.S. residents with a disability is estimated at close to a quarter of the nation’s population, with that figure doubling among those aged 65 and older. “Travelers with a disability represent an underserved but growing segment of the population that has been neglected by the mainstream tour and travel industry,” says Steinman. “The travel industry has a huge opportunity and responsibility to help make travel more accessible—and the time to act is now. In fact, a recent study by the Harris Organization in partnership with Open Doors Organization estimates the size of the disability travel market at $17 billion dollars a year. We invite travel professionals to register now for TravelAbility Summit, here. To help define the market opportunity, this is our first of a series of TravelAbility Summit Insights. Here’s why we see accessibility as an ascending trend:

  1. Requests for wheelchairs at airports grew 30% from 2016 to 2017 and have averaged 17% each year since 2015, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA). 
  2. According to AARP research, over the next 20 years, 75 million Baby Boomers will be aging into disability. This demographic has amassed the largest accumulation of wealth in history—and have the time and desire to travel.
  3. Mattel will debut a doll with a prosthetic leg and another with a wheelchair for Christmas. 
  4. A Travel Weekly survey found that travel agents in one European country alone experienced a 50% increase in inquiries about accessible travel experiences.
  5. The Brussels Airport has hired six people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to work as X-ray screeners. The Brussels program, part of a pilot project, is reporting positive results.
  6. Over 20,000 travel agents in the U.S .have undergone a one-hour basic autism awareness/response training sessions through IBCCES. Another 5,000 travel agents have been trained by Special Needs Group on accessible wheelchair travel.
  7. The TravelAbility research team has identified over 50 technologies, apps, and products that make everything from traversing mountains to navigating museums more accessible.
  8. Since launching its adaptive clothing line in 2018, the Tommy Hilfiger brand has expanded the collection from children’s clothing to a full adult line.
  9. The Skift Global Forum, the leading trend-forecasting conference in the travel industry, included its first accessible travel presentation, “Accessibility: What’s It Worth,” making the business case for accessible travel.
  10.  Trick or Treat! Target is introducing a line of adaptive costumes for Halloween this year. 

Mike May, New Advisory Board Member, Comes Crashing Through

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Mike May is the subject of the book Crashing Through by Robert Kurson.

Mike May, New Advisory Board Member, Comes Crashing Through

Mike May broke world records in downhill skiing, joined the CIA and has been a successful entrepreneur for decades. As if that weren’t enough to make him a compelling hero for a book about his life as an adaptability advocate, there’s more. May, who was blinded by a chemical explosion at age 3, is one of a handful of adults offered the chance to have a  revolutionary stem cell transplant surgery to  restore his vision. At the time, 1999, there were fewer than 20 cases, but he went on to have the risky surgery and is now recognized on a national level as a champion for adaptive technology and sports. 

Today he is the chief evangelist for Access Explorer, a navigation company. He was previously Executive Director of the Workforce Innovation Center at Envision in Wichita Kansas, CEO of the Lighthouse for the Blind in Seattle and CEO/Founder of Sendero Group, makers of accessible navigation products. He was a member of the White House delegation to the 2010 Paralympics and has been inducted into the U.S. Association of the Blind Hall of Fame. The book on his adventures is written by Robert Kurston and titled Crashing Through (it will also be turned in to a film.) You can meet Mike May and learn more about his story at TravelAbility Summit on November 11-13 in San Francisco. We are also pleased to welcome May to the Advisory Board this month. “As a technology entrepreneur, disability advocate and fearless leader of change in the travel industry, Mike brings a rare combination of skills to the Summit,” said Jake Steinman, founder of TravelAbility Summit. “I knew as soon as we spoke that he would be a strong advocate and collaborator for the blind along with the outstanding travel experts we will have at the Summit.”  

SFO Uses Therapy Pig (and Other Cute Furry Friends) to Reduce Airport Stress

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two women travelers bend down to pet a pig named LiLou while an airline pilot watches and smilesPure joy is not something you come across often in an airport. Flights are delayed, security lines are long, and more often than not travelers are grumpy and stressed, writer Madeline Wells in SFGate. So why all the smiles at San Francisco International Airport? It’s the Wag Brigade, SFO’s very own fleet of volunteer therapy dogs—and one particularly adorable pig. Find a gallery of aww-worthy photos, here.

Our take: Fortunately, the recently issued new regulations clarifying which therapy animals are allowed on flights don’t apply to airports where the stress of delays and cancellations can be overwhelming.

photo courtesy SFGate.com

 

 

 

The Key To Making (Almost) Any Public Space More Accessible

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two seniors walk along a leafy park trail Thanks to the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA), there is now a Best Practices guide for inclusive streets, parks, playgrounds and more, according to Curbed.com. The guide was written based on Universal Design Principles (universal design is another way of saying design created with truly everyone in mind.) Instead of building spaces that cater to specific disabilities or meet quantifiable requirements, the ASLA recommends broadening the definition of accessible design to the point where a spaces account for all possible use cases. And it’s not always as complicated as it sounds, according to this piece by writer Lisa Stinson.

Our Take: Although the concept of universal design has been around for a long time in certain sectors, it is becoming more common to see this type of thinking used to create buildings and public spaces that are accessible to everyone. Designing for everyone—particularly early on in product development—makes for a smoother (less costly) process and ultimately, a superior product, say experts. 

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