TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Accessible travel

Click Bait: Is Accessibility Being Used to Combat Negativity in Mainstream Media?

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Newspaper headlines about accessibility law impacts and challenges

There’s a noticeable shift happening in mainstream coverage right now.

In between headlines about conflict, politics, inflation, and global instability–the negativity that drives clicks–a different kind of story keeps showing up with surprising frequency. Accessibility wins are stealing the spotlight. Sensory rooms in airports, inclusive city programs, adaptive sports celebrations, and disability inclusion in fashion, travel, and entertainment are making normal appearances in the daily news.

It raises a quiet question worth asking: Is accessibility becoming a kind of “good news counterbalance” in mainstream media? Fear and anger steal attention and drive shareability, but inspiration is equally viral, and it feels better.

The pattern is enough to make one wonder as stories like these keep breaking through:

ABC News Feature: KultureCity’s mission to change how people see those with invisible disabilities 

The story of the parents behind KultureCity. In addition to celebrating their achievements, there are plenty of feel-good moments as we learn how they’re helping other children like theirs to be seen.

NBC News Feature: Carnival’s Celebration Key earns first-of-its-kind sensory inclusion certification 

Training is making travel easier and more enjoyable for people with autism, anxiety, PTSD, and other invisible disabilities. Built-in inclusion looks and feels good.

Fox News Feature: Salt Lake City Airport opens its first-ever sensory room

Real impact on real people–we’re learning what a difference it makes when people are truly seen.

Urban Milwaukee Feature: Milwaukee Will Become ‘Sensory-Inclusive City,’ Mayor Declares

This is one of the clearest “good news” formats in journalism right now: government initiative, children and families benefiting, immediate, visible improvement in daily life–It reads as public-sector optimism.

BBC Feature: Accessibility Trails Changed My Life

The people behind the stories are changing the way we feel about the world and about what it takes to change it.

The Guardian Feature: An accessible space’: the Chelsea garden visitors can see, hear, feel, taste and touch their way round

Sightsavers sensory exhibit at London flower show offers something for everyone

And the examples keep coming:

If accessibility is being used to balance the news cycle, what does your destination have that’s worth covering?

This is only a small tip of the iceberg. Mainstream features are repeatedly highlighting how stadiums, airports, museums, and major public venues are now being trained and certified to better support autistic and sensory-sensitive guests. Families who previously avoided loud public spaces are now showing up, staying longer, and participating more fully in events that once felt impossible.

Cities are starting to tell “inclusion wins” stories. It’s not framed as policy. It’s framed as relief. The tone in coverage is consistent: this is not controversy. This is improvement.

In a typical news cycle filled with strain and division, these stories carry differently. They feel like resolution instead of tension. Across travel, sports, entertainment, and public policy, accessibility-adjacent stories are increasingly functioning as what media researchers sometimes call restorative narratives: stories that temporarily reset emotional tone.

If accessibility is being used to balance the news cycle, what does your destination have that’s worth covering? Let’s create stories that are hopeful, welcoming all to participate in a life lived to its fullest. These are the emotionally powerful stories that are being used to keep the world afloat in an era otherwise dominated by division, disaster and unending bad news.

Accessibility Champions of Change: Disabled Travelers Shaping the Travel Industry

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By Jennifer Allen

TravelAbility’s Accessibility Champions are trailblazers, waymakers, and bold leaders who have transformed destination and brand cultures through inclusion. Honorees have included people like Alison Brooks, who helped create the nation’s first autism-certified city; Tami Reist, who repositioned North Alabama as a destination for all; and Kevin Wright, who led the effort to make his state the first accessibility-certified state. 

This Disability Pride Month, we’re celebrating a different kind of change maker. These are the people who are boldly going, regardless of barriers, and creating a way for others to follow. These disabled travelers are not only showing the disability community what’s possible, but they’re showing destinations where the gaps in accessibility are holding them back, and inspiring them and working with them to pave the way for future visitors.

As a disability mom, I’ve benefited first hand from the change that has taken place in their wake. When I research a destination, it’s their blogs that I turn to. When we experience a barrier-free vacation, I know it’s because one of them has gone before me, raising the awareness to create change. It’s only because disabled people travel that destinations are working to become more accessible. ROI’s become more poignant as trail blazers find a way to go before the going is smooth. In this era in between awareness and change, that travel requires a certain level of bravery and resilience. 

These travelers may not be intentional advocates, but in showing up they’re raising awareness of the needs for all who may follow. Travel may be their only intention, but as they continue to go and explore the world is taking shape around them to better welcome all.

Cory Lee – Wheelchair Travel

Cory Lee, a wheelchair traveler, smiles while sitting in a beach wheelchair on a white sand beach with the ocean and beachgoers in the background.

It was only weeks after receiving the diagnosis that stated our 15 month old son would never walk again. We were trying to find our way out of a slump by finding our way back into the world. My husband was scouring the internet from the sofa, looking for possibilities for a kid in a wheelchair when he perked up and summoned me to take a look. “Have you seen this Cory Lee guy? He’s been to all seven continents in a wheelchair!” Here we were, wondering if we’d ever be able to hike again, while this guy had already conquered the world in his chair. That was a turning point for us. We went from wondering how we would ever do anything, to figuring out how we could do everything.

Cory Lee is a full time wheelchair user, travel writer, and content creator. After being told he couldn’t have a job because he was in a wheelchair and the job would require travel, he ironically decided to make travel his job. He shares accessibility highlights from his journeys, and he meets with destinations to go over any barriers he experienced and ways to improve.

After working with NYC, Cory Lee pointed out the inconvenience that his only accessible room options required him to share a bed with his caregiver. They listened to his concerns, and when I visited with my children a few years later we were able to find accessible rooms with two beds. This is what progress looks like.

↪Learn more about working with Cory Lee.

Sassy Wyatt – Travel for Blind and Low Vision

Sassy Wyatt sits on a park path, smiling as she holds the paw of her black guide dog wearing a harness and bright yellow collar.

Even as a fierce advocate for accessibility and inclusion, I’m aware that I live with the ableist tendencies that come from not knowing any better. 

I didn’t understand why travel was so valuable to a person who can’t see the experience until Sassy Wyatt stood on the TravelAbility Summit stage and graciously explained it to me. I learned how her accessibility barriers are different from mine and that she’s fully aware when people like me are standing around silently, not sure how to interact. When she came off the stage and was finding her way back to her room, I asked if she needed any help, just like she’d taught me from the stage. She took my arm and I followed her pace to lead her to the elevator. When she complimented my guide skills and asked if I had experience, I didn’t know how to tell her that I had never spoken to a person who was blind in real life before that moment. 

Sassy Wyatt’s encouragement goes far beyond giving me the confidence to interact with people who are different from me. She shares her travel experiences on social media, opening eyes to a travel experience that is boldly different from a sighted person’s experience. Reaching travelers with needs like hers, she shows them all that is possible, while working with destinations to raise awareness and improve upon what’s available. As an accessibility consultant, she helps bridge the gap in both the physical and digital worlds.

↪Learn more about working with Sassy Wyatt.

Alex Stratikis – Adventures with Autism

Alex Stratikis smiles while overlooking a desert oasis landscape, wearing a red shirt, sunglasses, and a backpack.

Do people with Autism even want to travel? Alex’s lifestyle screams YES! 

While parents like me are wondering how to navigate changes in schedule and sensory challenges, and destinations are fumbling over how to create spaces that welcome the rapidly growing population of both children and adults with autism, Alex is showing them how it’s done. His writings show why people with autism should travel, and how to do it well. His advocacy takes accessibility beyond a moral obligation that businesses and organizations should be aligning themselves with, to showcase it as the undisputable business opportunity that should not go unnoticed. 

With 66 countries under his belt, Alex is a pioneer in travel with autism as he works to support the travel, tourism, and hospitality sectors to improve accessibility and attract neurodivergent travelers.

↪Learn more about working with Alex Stratikis.

The blue stripe in the disability pride flag, representing mental health disabilities, tends to be the most overlooked.

Angie Reagan – Pushing through with Mental Health Disabilities

Mental health travel advocate Angie Reagan takes a group selfie with her service dog and community members, including a man using an adaptive handcycle, at a Tahoe-area park.

The blue stripe in the disability pride flag, representing mental health disabilities, tends to be the most overlooked. 

While the travel industry is only beginning to recognize the impact mental health can have on travel, Angie is helping bring those conversations into the spotlight. Traveling with her service dog, Simba, Angie openly shares her experiences navigating a world that is not always understanding or accommodating of invisible disabilities. Too often, people with mental health disabilities face skepticism, barriers, or closed doors. Yet Angie continues to show up, travel, and advocate for others who face the same challenges.

Through Access Tahoe, she brings people together for roundtables, outreach events, and community discussions designed to gather input, share progress, and create practical solutions. Her work empowers individuals, schools, businesses, and organizations to build more inclusive environments in public spaces, workplaces, and everyday interactions.

By sharing both her travels and her personal journey, Angie is helping destinations better understand an often-overlooked segment of the disability community. Her willingness to keep moving forward, even while battling her own depression, is raising awareness, challenging misconceptions, and helping create a more welcoming world for future travelers.

↪Learn how to work with Angie.

Joel Barish – Travel for Deaf and Low Hearing

Deaf travel advocate Joel Barish jumps playfully above an abandoned, graffiti-painted airplane at an urban site during his travels.

When destinations talk about accessibility, Deaf travelers are often left out of the conversation. Joel Barish is helping to change that, one adventure at a time.

Having visited more than 108 countries, Joel has made it his mission to experience and share Deaf culture around the world. Through sign language videos and social media, he has introduced thousands of viewers to Deaf communities in every corner of the globe, proving that travel is richer when it includes everyone.

As co-founder of DeafNation, Joel hosts No Barriers with Joel Barish, a travel series that takes viewers along as he explores destinations, samples local cuisine, meets Deaf business owners, and uncovers the stories behind the places he visits. Along the way, Joel works with tourism offices to increase awareness and accessibility for Deaf travelers while highlighting Deaf-owned businesses and accessible experiences.

↪ Learn more about working with Joel Barish.

Growing older doesn’t have to mean staying home.

Jack and Elaine – The Aging Traveler

Senior travel advocates Jack and Elaine take a selfie in front of a historic European castle on a bright, sunny day.

The travel industry spends a lot of time talking about the future traveler. Jack and Elaine are already showing us who that traveler will be.

As millions of Baby Boomers age into disability, destinations are facing a new reality: travelers who still want adventure but may need more information, more flexibility, and more thoughtful accommodations along the way. Through their platform, Seniors with Latitude, Jack and Elaine are helping both travelers and destinations navigate that transition.

Growing older doesn’t have to mean staying home. Along the way, they share practical guidance on everything from packing and trip preparation to staying safe on the road, giving older adults the confidence to keep exploring. Their partnerships with destinations help highlight what works, identify opportunities for improvement, and demonstrate the growing value of welcoming aging travelers well.

↪Learn more about working with Jack and Elaine.

Disability Opportunity Fund to Host Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel

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Innovation is accelerating across the accessibility landscape, and one of the most exciting opportunities this summer to see that progress firsthand is the Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

As accessibility continues to move from a niche consideration to a mainstream business priority, events like this provide a valuable glimpse into the future. Across hospitality, tourism, technology, and the built environment, organizations are increasingly recognizing that accessible design drives better experiences for everyone while opening the door to larger and more diverse markets.

Hosted by the Disability Opportunity Fund, this free two-day event brings together hospitality leaders, disability advocates, entrepreneurs, investors, and technology innovators to explore solutions that are reshaping the future of accessible travel. Attendees will have the opportunity to experience emerging technologies, hear from industry leaders, and tour The Accessibility Lab, a first-of-its-kind real-world testing environment for accessibility innovation that TravelAbility helped create alongside Samaritan Partners and The Schoolhouse Hotel.

We’re particularly excited to see several organizations and innovators from the TravelAbility community participating in the Showcase. For destination organizations and travel industry professionals looking to better understand where accessibility innovation is headed, this event offers a unique opportunity to connect with the people and technologies driving change. Best of all, attendance is free. Read the press release below!

Disability Opportunity Fund to Host Accessible Innovation Showcase at The Schoolhouse Hotel

Two-Day Gathering Unites Hospitality, Technology, and Disability Advocacy Leaders to Shape the Future of Inclusive Travel

Accessible Innovation Showcase, July 15–16 at The Schoolhouse Hotel. Person using a wheelchair raises their arms on a lush cliffside; logos for The Disability Opportunity Fund and Samaritan Partners.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) will host the Accessible Innovation Showcase on July 15–16, 2026, at The Schoolhouse Hotel in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia — the world’s first fully accessible boutique hotel and home of The Accessibility Lab. The free, two-day gathering will convene innovators, hospitality leaders, and disability advocates to explore and advance the next generation of inclusive travel.

Made possible through grant funding from Appalachian Community Capital and the Goldman Sachs Foundation, the Showcase reflects DOF’s ongoing commitment to dismantling barriers in the built environment and building an economy that works for everyone. Attendance is free of charge. 

Sign up here

“The Accessible Innovation Showcase is about more than technology — it’s about proving that inclusive design benefits everyone and that disability-driven innovation is a powerful engine for progress.”

— Charlie Hammerman, CEO of the Disability Opportunity Fund

Event Highlights

The Showcase kicks off on the evening of July 15 with a welcome reception and networking cocktail event in The Schoolhouse Hotel’s historic ballroom, featuring a table showcase of participating companies. Day two opens with a networking breakfast followed by a full program of thought leadership and live demonstrations:

  • Opening Plenary: “The Vision of The Accessibility Lab” — led by Charlie Hammerman (DOF) and Chris Maher (Samaritan Partners)
  • Fireside Chat: “Disability-Driven Innovation” — moderated by Chris Maher with author and innovator Bob Ludke, whose book Case Studies in Disability-Driven Innovation explores how disability-centric design catalyzes broader technological and social change
  • Innovation Showcase: Lightning talks from trailblazing companies presenting accessible solutions for hospitality and tourism, including Wheel the World, Right Hear, Sign-Speak, LUCI Mobility, Si-Huis, We Hear You, and Sekond Skin Society
  • Accessibility Lab Site Tour: An immersive walk-through of The Schoolhouse Hotel, where showcased innovations are integrated directly into the built environment

About the Disability Opportunity Fund

The Disability Opportunity Fund (DOF) is a mission-driven lender dedicated to expanding economic opportunity and independence for people with disabilities. DOF finances projects that increase access to housing, employment, and community life, including The Schoolhouse Hotel and its Accessibility Lab — a living laboratory for inclusive design in the hospitality industry.

About The Schoolhouse Hotel & The Accessibility Lab

Located in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, The Schoolhouse Hotel is the world’s first fully accessible boutique hotel. Built within a beautifully restored historic schoolhouse, the property serves as home to The Accessibility Lab. The Accessibility Lab is a first-of-its-kind operational setting for startups to test real-world assistive tech & services in a built environment, improving accessibility for travelers with disabilities. The Lab is a pioneering collaboration between The Schoolhouse Hotel, Samaritan Partners, and TravelAbility, uniting expertise in hospitality, accessibility innovation, and impact investing.

MEDIA CONTACT
Genny Kurzweil
genny@thedof.org

One for the Books: 101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers

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TravelAbility’s Candy Harrington of Emerging Horizons has published the first guidebook dedicated exclusively to wheelchair-accessible destinations, lodgings and recreational opportunities. 101 Accessible Vacations contains destination information on over 101 cities, lodging options, national parks, tourist attractions and recreational activities around the country. The book is organized so readers can search for a holiday based on their specific interests or travel styles. 

“There’s a world of travel choices out there for wheelers and slow walkers. And this book contains many of those choices along with updated resources, information and access details to make them a reality.”

Candy Harrington
Book cover of "101 Accessible Vacations: Travel Ideas for Wheelers and Slow Walkers" by Candy B. Harrington, featuring a large cruise ship docked at a sunny coastal port.

Unlike other guidebooks that are organized geographically, 101 Accessible Vacations includes sections ranging from road trips and the great outdoors to historic haunts and cruising. 

Candy describes the access of all attractions, lodging options and tourist sights, rather than just stating that something is or isn’t accessible. After all, accessibility is in the eye of the beholder and what may be accessible to one person can be filled with obstacles to someone else.

Harrington says, “There’s a world of travel choices out there for wheelers and slow walkers. And this book contains many of those choices along with updated resources, information and access details to make them a reality.”

Pick up a copy from your favorite book seller or order online.

Is Accessibility The New Differentiator in Travel

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Travel marketing tends to follow a pattern.

One destination finds a way to stand out. Others quickly follow. What begins as a competitive advantage slowly becomes an industry expectation until eventually, travelers stop noticing it altogether.

Years ago, simply offering luxury amenities separated one hotel from another. Then came family-focused tourism. Then experiential travel. Then sustainability.

Accessibility, the  emerging differentiator has the potential to fundamentally reshape the world of travel and who gets to participate.

The destinations recognizing this shift early are already beginning to stand apart.

The Era’s Leading Up to This Moment

For decades, the easiest way for destinations and hotels to distinguish themselves was through exclusivity and amenities.

Five-star service. Marble bathrooms. Infinity pools. Concierge access. Bigger resorts. Better views. More indulgence.

Luxury tourism was the differentiator until competition increased and amenities that once felt elite slowly became standard expectations. Pools, spas, upgraded bedding, room service, and wellness offerings moved from rare perks into common booking filters.

The rise of social media accelerated the shift to the era of experience-based travel. Instagrammable moments became marketing strategy. Walkable downtowns, colorful murals, food halls, boutique stays, and once-hidden local experiences became powerful differentiators.Travelers no longer wanted to simply visit somewhere. They wanted immersion.

Destinations leaned into culinary tourism, adventure travel, cultural festivals, local storytelling, outdoor recreation, and “live like a local” experiences.

At the same time, family travel expanded. Destinations increasingly competed to prove they could welcome multigenerational travelers with children, grandparents, and varying interests.

The emotional tone of travel marketing shifted to become less about prestige and more about connection… until nearly every destination offered authenticity and connection, describing themselves as vibrant, welcoming, immersive, and unforgettable.

The journey to sustainability felt especially meaningful.

Over the last decade, sustainability transformed from niche initiative into one of the most powerful differentiators in travel. Destinations promoted eco-lodges, carbon reduction goals, regenerative tourism campaigns, wildlife preservation, local sourcing, reusable infrastructure, and conservation partnerships.

Hotels removed single-use plastics. Attractions highlighted environmental stewardship. Airlines discussed carbon offsets. Entire tourism campaigns centered around responsible travel.

For a time, sustainability clearly separated forward-thinking brands from competitors.

Then, travelers began expecting it. They stopped staying in places that weren’t sustainable. As spending shifted, sustainability receded from innovation to baseline responsibility.

Whether it’s true or not, most destinations say they care about sustainability.

So, what comes next?

Accessibility Is Emerging as the Next Great Differentiator

Increasingly, the answer appears to be accessibility.

Not because accessibility is new.

Disabled travelers, aging travelers, neurodivergent travelers, families with disabled children, and travelers with temporary or situational disabilities have always existed.

What’s changing is visibility.

For years, accessibility lived mostly in compliance conversations. It was discussed quietly in ADA checklists, legal requirements, and accommodation policies. 

As the voices of disabled travelers gain traction and as the population of aging travelers grows in number, accessibility is moving into public-facing brand identity. 

Destinations are beginning to recognize that accessibility is not just about avoiding exclusion. It’s about actively creating participation.

And participation is powerful.

A sensory room at an airport doesn’t just help autistic travelers. It creates emotional relief for entire families.

An accessible trail doesn’t just benefit wheelchair users. It creates multigenerational outdoor access.

Captioning, quiet spaces, step-free routes, adaptive recreation, audio guides, and inclusive programming often improve experiences for far more people than originally intended.

Accessibility is becoming one of the few remaining ways destinations can visibly demonstrate care.

The Destinations That Will Stand Out

The next generation of destination leaders won’t be the ones with the biggest attractions.

They’ll be the ones asking better questions. 

Can families participate fully? Can disabled travelers navigate confidently? Can aging visitors continue exploring comfortably? Can overwhelmed travelers regulate and rest? Can inclusion be felt immediately upon arrival?

The destinations succeeding in accessibility are no longer treating it as a secondary initiative. They’re building it into infrastructure, staff training, attraction design, transportation, visitor information, and even the way they market themselves publicly.

What’s Next?  Accessibility 2026: A Differentiator; Accessibility 2030: The Price of Entry.

While we cannot predict what the next era will bring, historic trends show us that accessibility will move quickly from the differentiator to the cost of entry. 

For now, destinations are working to create accessible spaces that enable participation, scrambling to meet the needs of the largest underserved travel market in the world. 

Populations are aging. Mobility needs are increasing. Neurodivergent awareness is growing. Travelers are becoming more vocal about sensory needs, fatigue, chronic illness, and inclusive design. The destinations investing now are not preparing for a niche audience. They are preparing for the future of travel.

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