TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

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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.

Genius Bus App Shows Wheelchair Space Availability

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a smartphone with a pink and blue app that shows where spaces are free and how many

Advisory Board Member John Morris of Wheelchair Travel is always ahead of the news when it comes to accessible travel. His most recent find? An app that shows where wheelchair spots are available on local buses. While it’s still only in Europe, we see a groundswell of accessible technology solutions coming to the states soon. 

OUR TAKE: Advancing accessible transportation— what better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act? Learn more, here.

Creating Events That Reduce Stigma About Cerebral Palsy Worldwide

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A young man with a baseball cap on and glasses is shown with a backdrop of a monument and the words Tuesday October 5 2020 World Cerebral Palsy Day.

When the Cerebral Palsy Foundation held a competition, a University of Virginia team crafted a solar-powered wheelchair prototype for the win. Read about it here. It is just one of the many ways that CPF builds awareness of medication, research, civil rights and opportunity during World Cerebral Palsy Day each year. There is still time to start planning an event for World CP Day in the U.S. on October 6, 2020. Learn more here.

OUR TAKE Thank you, Cerebral Palsy Foundation for continuing to support events that change the conversation around CP and disability. A whole different picture is emerging—about minds and bodies—as people with disabilities participate in hackathons, see films and participate in exercise programs, to name just a few. This year, leaning into student-driven virtual or socially distanced events in the community makes sense this fall, especially when many of American’s young leaders are sitting out the semester or sitting at home doing their work thanks to the pandemic. Learn more about World CP Day, here.

What Exactly Is Sensory-Friendly Shopping?

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Malls and shopping centers are struggling for business. Parents are stressed out trying to maintain some sense of calm in their homes during the pandemic. Together Champions Autism Network, a South Carolina based advocacy group,  created a Sensory-Friendly Shopping Days this August with Tanger Outlets Myrtle Beach. Both local residents and visitors found it refreshing. Read more here

OUR TAKE  Use this ‘pause’ in business to learn more about sensory-friendly events and think of how to integrate simple sensory precautions at all of your events. The basic definition: fewer people and less buzz—loud music and fountains are off, people offering samples, crowded dressing, or bathrooms are all minimized. All of those things can feel like an assault on a child’s system, making shopping with them nearly impossible. 

Start by getting to know some of the local organizations that work with people with disabilities and ask them what they’d like to see. If the event is small and manageable, it should be do-able in the current pandemic. Use this socially distanced, sensory-friendly day of shopping for parents of children with autism as a model in your area.

“Achoo! Will Plexiglass Dividers Make Post- Pandemic Airlines Feel Safe?’

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A mock-up of an interior with 3 seats, the middle turned in the opposite direction. Pretty genius! illustration courtesy Avio Interiors

The New York Post reports on an Italian company, Avio Interiors, that’s already designed the latest in virus-proof comfortable airplane seating. While there are no wheelchairs seats yet, there are some serious upgrades including more space and plastic germ shields. (You have no idea how far a sneeze droplet can travel until you’ve ridden the New York City subway.)

OUR TAKE: If airlines are going to go back to cattle car mode to survive, adding plexiglass seat dividers to their existing protocols and create opposing-facing middle seats may at least one way to mitigate the risk of infection 

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