TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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The Tribulations of Travel with an Autistic Child

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Mom with two kids, smiling, who writes about traveling with her two boys in photo

As part of her regular column, U.K.-based equal rights and accessibility campaigner Emma Spagnola (left) describes the experience of taking her six-year-old son Mason, who is autistic, abroad on holidays. Traveling with children is never easy but add the ‘A’ word onto that and it is incredibly hard, she says. Find out more about the hurdles that she faces.  READ MORE

Now Hotels Can Make Any Room Accessible To People Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision

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Now Hotels Can Make Any Room Accessible To People Who Are Blind Or Have Low Vision

screen grab of the Blind Faith Upgrade Kit Film showing an illustration of a man and a carAmong the most celebrated accessibility initiatives in 2018 was the Blind Faith Upgrade Kit launched by Isobar India, part of the global Dentsu Aegis Network. The kit includes Braille labels that can convert any phone into a Braille-enabled phone, reusable-tactile paving tiles to help customers negotiate their room in the hotel and an audio assist pen to help guests read menus and more. It was first introduced at Hotel Ramada in Ajmer, Rajasthan, and the campaign really put them on the map. The company won a prestigious CLIO award (which recognizes innovation and creative excellence in advertising, design, and communication) recently. You can see a short film about the kit and learn more in this NewzHook report. READ MORE

Product of the Month: Hoo-Box.com’s Wheelie Navigation Kit

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The Brazilian company Hoo-Box.com has developed a Wheelie Kit (shown left), which uses a 3D camera to read 14 facial expressions (even a wink or a raised eyebrow) to navigate a wheelchair. The technology is particularly helpful for people who lack the ability to move their body below the face or neck. It uses AI and machine learning—and as Hoo-Box-ers like to say, it’s fully smile-compatible. Here’s an interview with their founder, Paulo Pinheiro. SEE THE VIDEO

New Emojis Can Help People With Disabilities Feel More A Part of the Smartphone World

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Unicode emoticons include a wheelchair and a guide dogThis month the Unicode Consortium released a 2019 update to their collection of emojis with some people, but not all, praising designers’ efforts to be more inclusive and diverse. The symbols, now ubiquitous in electronic messages, will be available on most platforms in the fall. Of the 230 just-released emojis, Unicode includes more options for people (of varying gender, skin and hair color) who use hearing devices, prosthetics, a white cane, guide dogs, service dogs, and wheelchairs, according to Forbes.com  READ MORE

Deaf Standup Comedian Performs at Caroline’s on Broadway

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Tom Willard performing at Caroline's in front of a mic with bright lights Standup comedian Tom Willard (left) made his Broadway debut on December 3, 2018, at New York City’s Caroline’s on Broadway, one of the top comedy clubs in the country, according to a recent story in Disabled-World.com. Willard, 61, spoke and signed his jokes as part of Caroline’s New Talent Showcase. He explains that he lost his hearing gradually as he was growing up and started doing standup only about two years ago. He has performed in a dozen cities and continues to seek out new opportunities. READ MORE