Update from Kristy Durso – our TravelAbility Ambassador representing TravelAbility and accessible travel in the greater world. 

There’s a through line in Kristy’s ambassador work this year, and she’s able to name it plainly: “It isn’t enough to have just an accessible hotel and an accessible experience. You have to have the transportation and the infrastructure to link it all together. You’ve got to be connecting all of the pieces or you don’t have an accessible destination.”

The hotels, the attractions, the transportation – you’ve got to be connecting all of those pieces together.

What Our Ambassador Has Been Up To

Huntington Beach with Wheel the World

You can add Huntington Beach to your list of Wheel the World destinations! Kristy was a part of the team sent to create promotional material. Her trip highlighted both the progress being made—and the gaps that remain.

Kristy was a keynote speaker for Host Agency Reviews. 

She’s continuing the initiative with a webinar with Mexperts, a group of travel advisors who specialize in Mexico all-inclusives.

Nebraska Governor’s Conference

Speaking at Nebraska’s Governor’s Conference gave Kristy positive take aways and  future direction. 

“The Nebraska area was super excited about accessibility as a concept, so it was really fun to be part of that.” 

Rural Roundup

Kristy was the keynote speaker in last year’s Rural Roundup in Nevada. This year she’s heading back to lead a deep dive into accessibility.

Connecting the Dots

At home, in Colorado Springs, Kristy continues to shape the future of accessibility. As a part of the advisory board, she’s been speaking up on accessibility and how to connect the many moving parts.

“One of the big things that we talked about was the transportation issue. My goal as the ambassador this year for accessibility, not just with TravelAbility but for accessibility, is to really focus on connecting the dots. The hotels, the attractions, the transportation – you’ve got to be connecting all of those pieces together.” 

Silos don’t work in accessibility and inclusion. Until we can get all of the pieces functioning together, we won’t have barrier-free destinations.