TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Hotels

Tips on Accessible Solo Travel by Chelsea Bear, a TravelAbility Board Member

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Woman wearing sunglasses and smiling as she stands in front of a body of water

Research. Planning. More research. Repeat.

That’s the message threaded through Chelsea Bear’s Trip Advisor article on solo travel for people with disabilities: You can’t be overprepared.

Chelsea confesses that as a person with cerebral palsy who uses an electric scooter, she used to think that solo travel was not an option for her.  Now, she writes, “at age 30, I can happily say that my younger self’s beliefs and fears were completely wrong—I’ve traveled to 10 countries outside of the United States and dozens of states domestically.” In addition to tapping her own experience, Chelsea shares tips from leading travel influencers including Corey Lee, Sylvia Longmire, and Houston Vandergriff. Tips range from zip ties to extra batteries to mapping every conceivable destination and resource ahead of time. Read more.

UK Blue Badge Access Awards Recognize Hospitality Leaders in Accessible Design

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Seven people, one in a wheelchair, smiling and holding up award statues

TravelAbility recently attended the BLUE BADGE ACCESS AWARDS 2023  held at London’s Great Scotland Yard Hotel. We also attended a West End performance of Little Big Things, an incredibly rousing, accessibility-themed musical. The Blue Badge Access Awards want to raise the profile of accessibility in the industry and to honor the venues that are excelling at—and proud of—their accessibility.

The 11 Awards—for everything from best and worst bathrooms (loos), to hotels, spas and bars—were presented to venues and individuals that have provided exceptional accessibility, style, and design in the hospitality business and beyond…as well as those who haven’t! Read more.

TravelAbility Takeaway: This was not only a wonderful ceremony celebrating the best of Britain’s accessibility with a cheeky nod to the not-so-great, but also a blueprint for any destination to create their own award luncheon to showcase and honor their industry partners that provide stand-out accessibility and perhaps even generate FOMO.  After listening to various speakers discussing their frustrations with the inconsistent and catch-as-catch-can accessibility, it made us appreciate the ADA which, inadequate as it may be, provides a baseline of physical accessibility that is generally available.  In the UK, which has had the Disability Equality Act since 2010, there is no enforcement and many buildings—including hotels—are centuries old and grandfathered out.  

Travel Oregon Awards 3.6 Million in Grants for Inclusive Tourism

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Woman using a wheelchair on a beach with steep cliffs rising out of the ocean

As part of an ongoing and far-reaching statewide initiative, Travel Oregon has awarded $3.6 million in competitive grants to DMOs, attractions, and cities for inclusion and accessibility projects.

The grants program targets funding for accessibility and inclusivity for underserved and under-resourced communities including people with disabilities, BIPOC, Oregon’s nine federally recognized tribes and LBGTQIA+. Funded projects reflect and align with Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures—and must improve tourism infrastructure or enhance promotion of accessible and inclusive tourism.

“To say I’m inspired by the potential of this year’s grant awards would be an understatement,” said Todd Davidson, CEO of Travel Oregon. “Upon completion, each project will make a substantial impact on the accessibility and inclusivity of the tourism industry in Oregon, supporting Travel Oregon’s vision of a welcoming destination for all where tourism drives economic prosperity, benefits the natural environment and celebrates rich, diverse cultures.” Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: No question that Oregon is one of the key states to watch for leadership on inclusive and accessible travel. As we reported in last month’s Insider, Travel Oregon had the largest contingent of attendees at the Emerging Markets Summit in Savannah in August, with more than 30 staffers. They are using the TravelAbility network to great advantage, studying model initiatives from around the country and the world and turning that research into sustainable practice.

Supreme Court Likely to Delay Ruling on ADA Requirements for Hotel Websites

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But the Issue Isn’t Going Away So Be Prepared!

View of the Supreme Court building from the outside

In a surprising twist in a case we’ve been following closely, disability rights activist Deborah Laufer withdrew her complaint against a small hotel that she charged had failed to meet ADA disclosure standards on its website. Since she filed her lawsuit, the hotel has been sold and new owners have posted the required information. And Laufer has said she doesn’t plan to add to the 600+ lawsuits she has filed against hotels.

That led several justices to declare the case moot at oral arguments.

“The case before us is dead as a door nail,” Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. declared.

“This is like dead, dead, dead, in all the ways something can be dead,” Justice Elena Kagan followed.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ketanji Brown Jackson joined the chorus with Jackson asking the lawyer for the hotel why he was “asking us to take on extra work to end a case when we’ve all agreed it has to be ended.”

The attorney argued that there is an important legal issue at the heart of the case: Do “testers” who are examining websites of hotels they have no intention of staying at have standing to file a lawsuit?

Chief Justice John Roberts was the lone voice from the bench urging his colleagues to decide the issue now rather than kicking the can down the road. Read more.

TravelAbility TakeAway: Destinations may want to share this with their hotel GM’s and get ahead of this issue before they are forced to. We agree with Justice Roberts that the issue isn’t going away. Better to have some of the required specifics up on your site and add to it over time than not to have anything up.

And it shouldn’t be that hard. All GM’s need to do is provide a separate landing page listing the same accessibility features they have on their room descriptions along with room and bathroom images in their photo galleries. It’s really about good customer service, so that guests with disabled family members don’t have to be detectives to see if it fits their needs. Here’s a best practice example from a hotel in San Francisco, who told us that the landing page saves an immeasurable amount of time and training of front desk staff. It’s much easier and quicker to have a reference page to point vs. fielding a lot of questions. 

Addendum: On December 5th, the Supreme Court announced that it will not decide who wins this case because it is moot due to the plaintiff’s withdrawal of the case.  The declaration may be a win for disability rights law, and for broader civil rights law, as a decision in the case could have put an end to “tester standing,” an important way civil rights laws are enforced in this country. But the issue will certainly loop back around the court system.

All nine justices agreed that the case was moot and should not be decided. Seven of the justices agreed that the lower court’s decision is also moot. One justice (Ketanji Brown Jackson) thought the lower court decision (in favor of the disabled plaintiff) should remain on the books.

TravelAbility and Destinations International Announce Partnership to Promote Accessibility

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Photo collage including head shot and title of Don Welsh, CEO of Destinations International and Jake Steinman, Founder and CEO of TravelAbility. Includes logos of the two companies.

TravelAbility, the leading conference and media company dedicated to making travel easier and more enjoyable for people with disabilities and the aging population, has announced a partnership with Destinations International, the world’s largest and most reliable resource for destination organizations and tourism boards.

The partnership aims to help scale accessibility to Destinations International’s 700+ destination organization members as part of their social inclusion strategy. TravelAbility will serve as Destinations International’s official accessibility advisor, providing guidance on how to create more welcoming destinations for people with different abilities through content, prospective speakers, and a satellite version of their InnovateAble pitch event where assistive technology entrepreneurs will present their solutions for improving accessibility in the travel industry.

Destinations International will also market The Accessibility Playbook, a comprehensive guide for destinations and travel businesses to improve their accessibility and inclusion initiatives for travelers with disabilities. The Playbook contains over 100 videos, PowerPoint decks, and a series of “TravelAbility Trusted” innovations, amenities, and third-party assessment providers that may help them scale accessibility by sharing it with their industry partners.

“We are thrilled to partner with Destinations International to advance the cause of accessibility in the travel industry. This is a win-win situation for both organizations and for the millions of travelers who can benefit from more accessible and inclusive travel experiences,” said Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility.

“Accessibility is a key component of our social inclusion strategy, and we look forward to working with TravelAbility as our official accessibility advisor. They have the expertise, the network, and the passion to help our 700+ members create more inclusive destinations for all travelers,” said Don Welsh, president and CEO of Destinations International.

The Accessibility Playbook will be available for purchase online at the Destinations International website in 2024. To learn more about this partnership or the Accessibility Playbook, contact Sophia Hyder Hock, Chief Diversity Officer at shyderhock@destinationsinternational.org or Jake Steinman, founder and CEO of TravelAbility at jake@travelability.net

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