TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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Former TravelAbility 2019 Speaker Profiled by Inclusion Hub

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Headshot of Will Butler, smiling, wearing blue glasses and a grey floral shirt

Will Butler, Vice President of Community at Be My Eyes and a 2019 TravelAbility Summit speaker, was recently profiled in an article on Inclusion Hub. Be My Eyes is a mobile application that connects blind and low-vision users with sighted people who can offer support, whether it’s describing an event, reading a document or helping navigate an unfamiliar space.

Butler, who was declared legally blind at 19 and who previously worked for Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, is passionate about his work at Be My Eyes.

In speaking with Inclusion Hub, Butler commented on his own experience accepting his blindness and the journey toward becoming an active member in the community. To read more about Will’s interesting journey, click here.

Royal Caribbean Establishes $40mm Fund to Keep Travel Agents – and their bookings – afloat

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Royal Caribbean Anthem of the Seas cruise ship on open water.

Royal Caribbean has introduced a $40 million program that is designed to put money in the pockets of its travel agent partners. The “Pay It Forward” program is intended to support travel advisors who have been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic, during which time cruise operations have been suspended.

Through the program, qualifying travel advisors can apply for three-year, interest-free loans of up to $250,000, which could make the difference in keeping travel seller businesses afloat.

Richard Fain, Royal Caribbean’s CEO, said that “Our travel partners have stood strong beside us for more than 50 years, and we are determined to be there for them now. We’re going to get to the other side of this challenging time together.”

To read more about Royal Caribbean’s travel agent relief fund, click here.

Podcast: How a Bogus Award Led to TravelAbility Summit

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DMOU podcast art, with photo of Bill Geist.

Jake Steinman, Founder of the TravelAbiliity Summit, recently appeared as a guest on Bill Geist’s popular Destination Marketing Organization University (DMOU) podcast.

The two discussed how a bogus award led to the creation of the TravelAbility Summit and how destinations are beginning to respond to visitors with disabilities, before ending on a high note: how a live leopard peed on Jake’s foot at a conference he hosted.

To listen to this entertaining and enlightening interview, click here.

Chills, Thrills and Spills Roll on at the Extreme Adaptive Sports Weekend in Texas

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RISE Adaptive Sports, a non-profit action sports organization says their mission is to assist persons with physical challenges to recover, inspire, succeed, and empower themselves and others by providing inclusive adaptive recreational sports programs. They neglected to mention heart-pounding adrenaline rushes and Texas-style revelry.

Our take: Organizations like RISE Adaptive Sports are critical, as they give people with disabilities – both young and old – the confidence to actively participate in society and push the boundaries of possibility. With so many sports and activities – including wheelchair skating, rugby, kayaking, handcycling, fishing, swimming, parasailing and more – there is clearly an event or opportunity for everyone!

Where Is the First Universally Design-Certified Hotel?

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entryway of a hotel with a blue ribbon and people wearing masks celebrating new hotel
Welcome to Amherst-Buffalo, New York!

The Hampton by Hilton in Amherst, New York, opened the first universal design-certified (isUD)hotel in the country recently. The hotel has large turning radiuses, wider hallways for easy passing, and illuminated room signage, according to a report in the Sled Hockey Foundation News. It’s worth noting that the Sled Hockey Foundation, which is conveniently located across from the new hotel, which is owned by Uniland, a major developer in the region.  Sled Hockey, a Paralympic event, provides the opportunity for individuals with disabilities to participate in the adaptive sport of sled hockey and, through this participation, develop the social, emotional, and physical confidence necessary to become leaders. Pretty cool. 

OUR TAKE 

At TravelAbility Week, Nov 9-13, 2020, we will be advancing accessibility one hotel at a time by featuring an interview with the GM of this marvelous 107 room property. Awareness of needs and the scope of the work it takes to design a hotel for all is growing. When’s your next renovation? You might want to spread the word and educate people now. Find out more about universal design, here.

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