TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessible travel

How a Safari Clarified the TravelAbility Vision

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By Jake Steinman

Jake Steinman and his safari group smiling for a selfie at sunset, with a golden sky and dry savanna landscape behind them.

Stepping into the African savannah for a recent safari to celebrate my birthday, I expected breathtaking landscapes and incredible wildlife. What I didn’t anticipate was returning with profound clarity regarding our mission and the future of accessible travel.

Observing the natural world offers powerful lessons in survival, growth, and connection. Here are the core insights from the wild that are directly shaping our path forward.

The Power of the Pack

During the trip, I observed over 20 different species in their natural habitats. Despite their vast differences, one common thread was this: they all operated within clustered, tight-knit groups. Whether it was a herd banding together to protect their vulnerable young from predators, or a Pride operating as a synchronized team in pursuit of prey, community was their ultimate mechanism for success.

In the wild, isolation is a vulnerability. Progress relies entirely on the strength, coordination and collaboration of the collective.

Cultivating an Accessibility Ecosystem

A Cape buffalo standing partially hidden in dense green bushes, its large curved horns visible above a dirt clearing.

This natural dynamic perfectly reflects the fundamental purpose of TravelAbility. We are actively building and expanding a robust accessibility ecosystem around destination organizations.

The epiphany that I had was that our purpose is to build a community of DMO “A11Ys”—accessibility advocates and leaders who are committed to scaling accessible travel. 

Just as a herd works together to navigate survival, our network functions to overcome industry barriers and advance accessibility with a ripple effect of A11Ys that begins with the destination and scales through hotels, attractions, restaurants and tour companies. 

My definition of an “A11Y” has broadened. It now includes anyone who attends an accessibility breakout session at a conference, responds to a survey, signs up for a webinar, or—most effectively—adds an accessibility page to their website. In other words, an A11Y is anyone who has shown an interest in learning more.

TravelAbility Tampa: Our Watering Hole

TravelAbility Tampa 2026 Summit graphic featuring friends, one a wheelchair user, gathered around a waterfront table, with event dates November 9 to 11 in Tampa, Florida.

Every functioning ecosystem requires a central gathering place—a “watering hole” where different groups converge to share resources, expand networks and learn from not only experts but also from each other.

For our community, the upcoming TravelAbility Summit Tampa is that essential watering hole—a place where like-minded A11Ys gather to connect, learn, and plan. There, we can provide the tools, education, and network they need to expand accessibility across their industry partners’ networks.

Reducing Friction: Integrating Accessibility into Existing Workflow

In the wild, survival strategies aren’t optional—they are seamlessly woven into the pack’s daily rhythm. Animals don’t overthink collaboration; it’s instinctive.

A herd of zebras grazing on dry grassland at sunset, with a tree line and pastel sky in the background.

Similarly, to truly advance accessibility, Travelability must eliminate friction by integrating accessible practices into existing departmental workflows. We’ve been exploring how accessibility fits not only into marketing and PR, but also as a competitive edge for convention sales and destination development. By simply highlighting accessible features in existing attractions and museums, destinations can tap into new markets without needing new construction. When an ally integrates accessibility into someone’s current workflow, securing leadership buy-in becomes much easier.

Two lions resting on the grass at night, illuminated by a spotlight or vehicle light.

Overcoming FOMU

While our Summit brings us together like a watering hole, the real work happens when the herd disperses and continues the journey. That’s where Travelability Tampa attendees come in.

One of the biggest barriers to progress is what accessibility advocate Brittany DeJean calls FOMU: Fear of Messing Up. People often hesitate to act out of fear of making a mistake or offending someone, making inaction feel like the safer choice. However, doing nothing doesn’t just stall progress—it steals the opportunity to learn.

The Travelability Summit creates an ongoing, reverberating community. Attendees become allies who, in turn, recruit others across hotels, attractions, and suppliers. Because every destination operates on different budgets and capacities, this network helps members scale their efforts in practical, sustainable ways. 

Click here to learn more about Travelability Tampa.

As we look toward 2030—when over 30 million baby boomers will live with a disability, impacting tens of millions of family members—one thing is clear: lasting progress in accessible travel is not just possible, it is inevitable.

Celebrating Disability Pride Month with a Behind the Scenes Tour of Google’s Accessibility Discovery Center 

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July brings together three meaningful milestones: America’s 250th birthday, Disability Pride Month, and the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Each celebrates freedom in its own way, but together they remind us that independence is only meaningful when everyone has the opportunity to experience it.

That spirit of opportunity is exactly what Amy Tarpein of Elijah’s Baby Bucket List discovered during a behind-the-scenes visit to Google’s Accessibility Discovery Center in New York City. Their visit is a hopeful reminder that when we design with disabled people, not just for them, we create a future where more people can experience the freedom to explore.

A Celebration of Possibility at Google’s Accessibility Discovery Center in NYC

Written by Amy Tarpein

Amy Tarpein and Jake from TravelAbility pose with three others, including a young wheelchair user, in front of a large illuminated interactive light wall at Google's Accessibility Discovery Center.

On the first day of Disability Pride Month, our family stepped into a space that felt like the future: Google’s Accessibility Discovery Center (ADC) in New York City. Guided by our friend Sasha, an accessibility engineer at Google, and joined by Jake from TravelAbility, we spent the afternoon inside a living laboratory where inclusive design isn’t an afterthought. It’s the foundation.

Beginning Disability Pride Month with Intention

Before exploring the center, we gathered in Google’s free café, coffee in hand, snacks within reach, around a table, talking about the future of accessibility. That conversation set the tone for the entire visit: thoughtful, intentional, and rooted in community. Starting Disability Pride Month in a place built around innovation felt symbolic, almost like the universe nudging us forward.

A Space Built for Possibility

Walking into the ADC felt like stepping into tomorrow. Every corner held prototypes, tools, and interactive experiences designed to make the world more navigable for people with disabilities. The mini‑humans dove right in, testing features, exploring adaptive tech, and discovering how thoughtful design can reshape everyday life. It is inclusion at its best!

And this work isn’t limited to New York. Google has established Accessibility Discovery Centers in cities all over the world, like London and São Paulo, expanding inclusive innovation across continents. Standing inside the NYC center, it was powerful to know this commitment is global. 

What’s at the Center

A 'Hearing' station at Google's Accessibility Discovery Center displays a live speech-to-text demo on a laptop and tablet, with a young person testing the technology at the desk.

The ADC is organized into four main areas, each one designed to spark curiosity, collaboration, and possibility.

  • Research Lab – equipped to record usability testing sessions, capturing real‑time feedback from people with disabilities so engineers can refine products with lived experience at the center.
  • Assistive Experiences -featuring accessories that simulate certain impairments and hands‑on demonstrations of assistive tech used in daily life. The kids loved exploring how different tools support different needs.
  • Workshop Space -a collaborative environment for ideation, reading, and building. It’s where engineers, designers, and community members come together to imagine what accessibility can look like next.
  • Accessibility Discovery Center Arcade – a favorite for the mini‑humans. They tested game equipment designed for people who cannot use traditional controllers, opening up the opportunity for Elijah and Isaiah to play the dinosaur game together for the very first time.

We explored Braille keyboard options, learned about products designed inside the center, tried out adaptive games, and watched assistive technology come alive in ways that felt both practical and magical.

Innovation Meets Lived Experience

Sasha, a Google accessibility engineer and wheelchair user, gestures while presenting the 'Maps for everyone' display, featuring a laptop showing StreetReaderAI research and a poster on disability statistics, at the Accessibility Discovery Center.

Having Sasha guide us added a depth that can’t be replicated. He didn’t just show us technology, he shared the why behind it. The lived experiences. The feedback loops. The engineering challenges. The victories that come from designing with disabled communities, not just for them.

Jake brought the TravelAbility perspective, and we brought our lived‑experience lens connecting tech innovation to real‑world travel accessibility. Together, we created an afternoon that felt like a masterclass in what inclusive design can look like when passion meets purpose.The mini‑humans even got to mark go to Google on business off the bucket list! We spent the afternoon testing adaptive tech, giving feedback, and helping share ideas to make the center even better and the boys got to play a game together for the very first time!

Two boys play together at the ADC Arcade adaptive gaming station, one of whom is a wheelchair user, testing an accessible game controller.

The Heart of Disability Pride Month

Watching the kids explore, play a game together for the first time, and test new features side‑by‑side, fully included, fully welcomed, was the kind of moment that stays with you. In the photo to the left, Elijah is playing a video game using only his toes, demonstrating how adaptive gaming technology can open the door to experiences that traditional controllers often make impossible. Disability joy, innovation, travel, and community aren’t separate ideas. They’re intertwined. And inside the ADC, that truth was unmistakable.

Gratitude for the Changemakers

We’re deeply grateful to Sasha for opening the doors to this incredible space, and to Jake for continuing to work toward accessibility in travel. Their work, along with the work happening in Google’s Accessibility Discovery Centers worldwide, is shaping a future where families like ours can move through the world with more ease, more dignity, and more joy.

It wasn’t just a tour.

It was a celebration of possibility.

Sasha explains an accessibility demo to Amy Tarpein and Jake from TravelAbility at a desk inside Google's Accessibility Discovery Center.

Accessibility Takes Flight: TravelAbility Film Festival Winners Now Streaming on United Airlines

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When TravelAbility announced its inaugural Film Festival in July 2025, the goal was simple: spotlight the stories, people, and places shaping a more accessible future for travel.

One year later, those stories have reached new heights—literally.

A United Airlines seatback screen showing the "United videos" menu, with the "1st Annual TravelAbility Film Festival" tile featured prominently among other categories like June Highlights and Star Alliance Member, set against an airplane cabin lit by an orange sunset through the window.

The top 10 winning films from the festival are now streaming on United Airlines’ inflight entertainment systems. Available on all United aircraft equipped with seatback screens, the films will remain onboard for six months, introducing passengers to real-world stories of accessibility, innovation, and adaptive travel.

For TravelAbility, this milestone is about more than just industry recognition for filmmakers. It reflects a broader cultural shift: accessible travel storytelling is no longer confined to advocacy spaces and specialized events. Instead, it has officially entered the mainstream, reaching passengers directly as an organic part of their travel experience.

A Global Showcase for Inclusive Travel

The inaugural TravelAbility Film Festival received 52 submissions from nine countries, capturing entries from tourism boards, local attractions, and independent content creators. The films highlight a diverse range of perspectives, from destination-led accessibility initiatives to first-hand accounts of navigating on-the-ground travel barriers.

A panel of film, accessibility, and media professionals—including representatives from the Sundance and Cannes film festivals—reviewed the submissions to select 14 finalists and 10 ultimate winners.

This initiative directly aligns with TravelAbility’s Vision 2030 initiative, which recognizes that accessibility is rapidly becoming a core expectation in global travel rather than a niche consideration. By 2030, all 73 million Baby Boomers in the United States will be 65 or older. This demographic shift means accessibility will increasingly dictate how a massive segment of the population chooses destinations, transportation, and hospitality experiences.

As demand grows, travelers need clear, credible visibility into what accessible travel looks like in practice. Without it, anxiety and invisible barriers persist, even where proper infrastructure already exists. The TravelAbility Film Festival was built to close that exact gap.

Moving From Vision to Flight Entertainment

The films now streaming on United Airlines include work from destinations and creators around the world. Among them is the festival’s Grand Prize winner, produced by GLP Films and the Oregon Coast Visitors Association, which highlights accessible and inclusive travel along the Oregon Coast.

Taken together, these films reflect a simple reality: accessibility is not a separate category of the travel experience. It is fundamental to how travel should be designed, executed, and narrated.

A United Airlines seatback screen showing the "United videos" menu, with the "1st Annual TravelAbility Film Festival" tile featured prominently among other categories like June Highlights and Star Alliance Member, set against an airplane cabin lit by an orange sunset through the window.

“When I opened the entertainment system on a flight from Newark to San Francisco last week, I was thrilled,” said Jake Steinman, Founder of TravelAbility. “Were it not for the seatbelt sign being illuminated, I would have been jumping out of my seat for joy when I found our film festival on the screen.”

Steinman notes that the collaboration came together through a shared commitment to industry progress.

“Like everything else in the travel industry, this initiative began with a relationship,” Steinman shared. “First with David Kinzelman, Chief Customer Officer at United Airlines, who was recognized in 2025 as one of TravelAbility’s ‘Champions of Change,’ and then with the Customer Strategy & Innovation and Inflight Entertainment teams at United Airlines who helped make this opportunity possible. We are deeply grateful for their commitment to providing a platform that showcases these important stories.”

By bringing accessibility-focused storytelling into a space shared by millions of passengers, United Airlines and TravelAbility are helping ensure the future of travel is not only visible, but welcoming to everyone. For a full list of winning films, visit: https://travelability.net/travelability-film-festival/

From TravelAbility 7.0: Accessibility Playbook and the AI Companion

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Each month we share a recap from one of the sessions at the 2025 TravelAbility Summit. This session on the new AI Companion to TravelAbility’s Accessibility Playbook was packed with actionable insights.

Want to be part of these conversations in real time?

TravelAbility Tampa 2026 Summit graphic featuring friends, one a wheelchair user, gathered around a waterfront table, with event dates November 9 to 11 in Tampa, Florida.

Join us November 9–11, 2026, in Tampa, Florida, for the 2026 TravelAbility Summit. It’s where destinations, venues, and travel brands come together to advance accessibility in a practical, business-smart way. Over two days of case studies, workshops, and peer learning, industry leaders share proven strategies that improve the travel experience for people with disabilities—and, by extension, for families, multigenerational groups, and travelers with temporary or situational limitations. Meet the advisors, suppliers, and destination teams leading the way, and leave with a roadmap you can put to work immediately.

Register Today

Session Overview 

This session introduced the Accessibility Playbook and its companion AI tool as practical, step-by-step resources for destinations to move accessibility from a compliance checkbox to a core strategy for inclusion, destination stewardship, competitiveness, and community impact. Case studies from Visit Concord and Choose Lansing showed how education, partnerships, and measurable pilots can unlock funding, align stakeholders, and scale progress. 

Key Takeaways

Accessibility is rapidly becoming a competitive advantage for destinations, but many organizations still struggle with limited funding, competing priorities, inconsistent standards, and the challenge of providing credible information that serves travelers with a wide range of disabilities. This session explored how the TravelAbility Playbook helps destinations overcome those barriers by providing a practical framework, business case, and implementation tools for building more inclusive visitor experiences.

Visit Concord shared how it used ARPA funding to launch Sensory Practice Day, providing 150 complimentary hotel stays for autistic and neurodivergent travelers to practice traveling in a supportive environment. The program expanded to include sensory kits, hotel staff training, visitor center enhancements, and a partnership with JSX that brought sensory-friendly resources to air travel. By measuring outcomes and demonstrating community impact, Concord has been able to build support for future accessibility initiatives.

Accessibility succeeds when it is treated as a shared community effort.

Choose Lansing described its accessibility journey, which began with a sensory-inclusive performance of The Lion King and grew into a destination-wide effort. Through partnerships with Michigan State University and Wheel the World, Lansing assessed more than 200 locations and integrated accessibility information throughout its marketing channels rather than limiting it to a single webpage. The TravelAbility Playbook also helped provide structure for outreach to meetings and conventions planners.

The session also highlighted the TravelAbility Playbook’s growing library of standards, checklists, templates, case studies, and traveler journey guidance, along with a new AI companion that can help destinations develop funding proposals, stakeholder reports, communications materials, and other accessibility-related resources using verified content.

Actionable Takeaways

Accessibility succeeds when it is treated as a shared community effort. Destinations should provide detailed and reliable accessibility information, invest in ongoing staff training, pilot new programs and measure results, and build partnerships that expand their reach and impact. Panelists also emphasized that accessibility should be visible throughout all marketing and visitor communications, not confined to a dedicated accessibility page.

Notable Quote

“How do you stop when families tell you they’ve never been able to do this together?” — Julie Pingston

Outcomes & Momentum

Lansing’s work has helped spark broader community engagement, including City Hall planning efforts and an AARP walkability study, while Concord has used the success of its sensory travel initiatives to secure support for future programs. Both destinations demonstrated how small, intentional steps can create lasting momentum for accessibility across an entire community.

Speakers 

Ava Wells — Social Impact Director, Destinations International 

Amy Jukes — COO & Principal Consultant, AmVarra; Strategic Advisor, TravelAbility

Beth Javens — President & CEO, Visit Concord (CA) 

Julie Pingston — President & CEO, Choose Lansing (MI) 

Joy Burns — Communication and Partnership Manager, Wheel the World 

TBEX 2026 Shifts the Foundation for both Destinations and Travel Creators

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Disabled travel creators share the TBEX opening keynote stage, with a guide dog resting nearby and live transcription running on the big screen.

TBEX is the world’s largest gathering and networking event for travel content creators, including bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, influencers, and tourism industry professionals. This is where new ideas are born and what determines the direction of social media marketing and blogging for both content creators and destinations.

So, what direction is marketing taking in the travel industry this year? TBEX made it clear that it’s a seismic shift toward accessibility and inclusion.

Under Toni Bastian’s leadership, accessibility and inclusion began transforming the event long before opening night. The FAM tours were created with accessibility in mind, including detailed information on terrain, energy expenditure, and any potential barriers. For the first time in TBEX history, not only were there a plethora of tour options for disabled creators, but they were able to plan around their needs and travel without anxiety.

Upon arrival at the Richmond Convention Center, accessible routes were clearly marked.  Before the opening keynote began, Koda was running for live transcription on the big screen and a QR code was provided for following along on your phone. A Zen Zone sensory room was created with soft chairs, a swing, fidgets, and low lighting. It was made clear through both the welcome speech and accommodations being made that all were welcome.

Leslie Walker of Leslie Walker Consulting, the strategist behind Tami Reist’s award winning accessible travel videos with North Alabama, introduced the opening keynote: a panel of disabled travelers. 

The panel was made up of Cory Lee, a full time wheelchair user; Penny Zibula, a legally blind aging traveler with a guide dog; and Phoenyx Powell, an amputee with a dynamic disability and sensory sensitivities. They boldly answered real questions on the state of accessibility in travel.

“Disability content creators are not just influencers, they’re translators helping us to understand a different experience in our destination.”

Why did the premier training and connection conference for creators and DMOs lead off with accessible travel? According to Leslie, it’s because accessibility isn’t niche. Accessible travel content is an opportunity for authentic storytelling, and connection–meeting basic marketing needs in the travel industry. She reminded listeners that disability content creators are not just influencers, they’re translators helping us to understand a different experience in our destination.

Why the Shift?

Penny pointed out that she was old enough to be the grandmother of most people attending the conference. So why was everything she shared so relevant? 

Leslie shared that the Baby Boomer population is quickly aging into disability, compounding the need for accessible destinations. While only 19% of these older adults identify as having a disability, when asked specific questions to identify disabilities, that number jumped to over 50%.

Penny highlighted that seniors are looking for the same information as the disability community, whether they identify as disabled or not.  “As people age they will acquire some sort of physical challenge. Then they try to compensate and go to Egypt because they’re king and queen of denial, and they get frustrated when they can’t access something because it’s too steep.”  

Cory Lee reminded us that the disability community is the largest minority group, and the fastest growing. They’re already spending 50 billion a year on travel in the U.S. alone. That’s not a bandwagon you can afford to miss.

“As people age they will acquire some sort of physical challenge. Then they try to compensate and go to Egypt because they’re king and queen of denial, and they get frustrated when they can’t access something because it’s too steep.” 

Penny Zibula

Takeaways for the Industry

TBEX is not just taking the lead in steering marketing toward accessibility, the conference is indicative of a greater shift in the conversation. Accessibility and inclusion have become central to the progress of every destination.

When asked about the difference between a destination that cares about accessibility, all three creators agreed that the human element goes further than infrastructure. Phoenyx stayed at a retreat center that bought a shower chair for her room, Cory Lee had a group build him a ramp out of the shoes on their feet, Penny had a cruise team experiment with multiple spaces before finding a relief area that worked for her guide dog. These things made more of an impact on their travel experiences than any standard ADA effort.

The essential basics of welcome highlighted accessibility landing pages that include transportation, hotels, and energy expenditure details like distances and inclines. It was also pointed out that there’s no excuse for not having a cheap portable ramp to cover a step or two at the entrance. They’re not cost prohibitive.

An "Accessible Route Available" floor decal with an arrow and wheelchair symbol marks the way through the Richmond Convention Center at TBEX.

Phoenyx nicely summed up the hope that’s building in the disability community as this shift in the travel industry is becoming evident, “People are starting to see that accessibility and inclusion really do matter.” 

Cory Lee encouraged destinations not to be afraid to work with disabled creators. “We have a very loyal following who depend on us for planning their travels.” He explained that there are about five destinations that are well vetted for accessibility. That’s what people think their only vacation options are. “Let’s change that,” he challenged. 

Champions Leading the Way

If you’re interested in working with one of the TBEX panelist, all three speakers are a part of the TravelAbility Content Creator Database.

Toni Bastian of Visit Richmond is a TravelAbility Accessibility Champion of Change who has moved beyond reshaping Richmond Tourism to impacting the industry as a whole. Learn more from her ongoing efforts at the 2026 TravelAbility Summit.

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