TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Inclusive tourism

Meet the TravelAbility Team

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Group photo of the TravelAbility team on stage in front of a TravelAbility step-and-repeat banner, with two dogs and a few people posing on the floor.

Behind every fearless leader, bold dreamer, and change maker is the team that helps to bring the vision into fruition. Meet the team behind TravelAbility and its initiatives.

Headshot of Jake Steinman, smiling, wearing glasses and a dark zip-up.

Jake Steinman

Founder and CEO 

Visionary, networker, and leader extraordinaire, Jake is continuously identifying the gaps in accessibility and inclusion and prescribing ways to fill them. Since 2019, he’s been leading various initiatives to educate, inspire and connect the travel industry on accessibility issues.

Lillian Karl smiling outdoors in front of green foliage, with shoulder-length brown hair and bangs, wearing a maroon, tan, and sage patchwork-print button-up shirt.

Lillian Karl

Communications and Events Director

The maestra behind the magic, Lillian turns big ideas into organized action. She takes the vision, breaks it into manageable pieces, keeps all the moving parts on track, and makes sure the right people have the right pieces at the right time. From the Summit and Accessibility Playbook to the newsletter and everything in between, Lillian is the organizational force that helps bring TravelAbility’s ideas to life. 

Headshot of Kitty Sharman with long dark hair, wearing a green top.

Kitty Sharman

Accessibility Programs Coordinator

Focused on execution and day-to-day operations, Kitty helps keep TravelAbility’s projects, resources, and relationships moving forward. She works across initiatives like the Creator Community, the Accessibility Playbook, and the annual Summit. Whether connecting creators with the TravelAbility team, building out new resources, or improving how information is managed internally, Kitty helps get things done. 

Portrait of Danah Heye with gray-blonde hair and sunglasses on her head, in front of a sparkling mirrored backdrop.

Danah Heye

Director of Destination A11Y Development 

Danah works directly with DMOs to help them develop and advance their accessibility strategies, while also supporting TravelAbility’s business development and destination partnerships. With decades of experience in destination marketing, sales, and business development, including more than 15 years with Madden Media, she brings a strong understanding of the destination industry to her work at TravelAbility. 

Headshot of Jennifer Allen with dark curly hair, smiling, wearing a black top and red earrings.

Jennifer Allen

Editor-in-Chief

The storyteller behind the newsletter, Jennifer brings her perspective as a disability mom, advocate, and travel writer to every piece as she finds the stories worth telling and turns complex conversations about accessibility and inclusion into compelling content that informs, challenges, and inspires. 

Portrait of Eliana Satkin with long brown hair, smiling outdoors in a white top.

Eliana Satkin

Newsletter Coordinator 

The hands behind the newsletter each month, Eliana updates the TravelAbility Insider with new content, promotional graphics, and crafts the social posts and email that bring readers back to it, making sure the latest stories on accessible travel get seen by the community that needs them.

Headshot of Jay Burress, smiling, wearing round glasses, a tan textured blazer, and a light blue collared shirt.

Jay Burress

Jay is helping build out TravelAbility’s Accessibility Convention Program, currently in its pilot phase with destinations and convention venues. Jay brings decades of destination leadership experience to this work, including serving as President and CEO of Visit Anaheim and Experience Arlington. 

Portrait of Alison Granger with dark wavy hair, standing in a lit tunnel-like space.

Alison Granger

Vision 2030 Consultant

Alison brings technical and marketing expertise to Vision 2030: The Accessibility Moonshot, focused on the needs and opportunities of the aging traveler. She contributes to the initiative’s work at the intersection of technology, marketing, and accessible travel. Her background includes more than a decade in event production and managing more than 300 events for organizations including NVIDIA and Google. 

Kristy Durso smiling by the ocean, leaning on a wooden post.

Kristy Durso

TravelAbility Ambassador

Kristy is a wheelchair user, accessibility advocate, public speaker, entrepreneur, and Army veteran. As a TravelAbility Ambassador, she represents TravelAbility at conferences and events, speaking about accessibility and connecting with others across the travel industry. She also owns Incredible Memories Travel, a full-service travel agency serving travelers with and without accessibility needs. Her experiences as a mother of children with different disabilities and support needs further inform her perspective on accessible travel. 

Headshot of Rob Schultz with glasses and a short beard, wearing a blue hoodie.

Rob Schultz

Design Director

The creative force behind TravelAbility’s visual world, Rob brings ideas to life through graphic design, branding, and visual storytelling. He creates the logos and creative materials across TravelAbility’s initiatives and designs the Accessibility Playbook, including each new edition, turning the team’s content into a polished, engaging resource. 

Headshot of Jaime Hood with shoulder-length light brown hair, smiling.

Jaime Hood

Website Director

The person to call when TravelAbility’s website needs a little extra expertise, Jaime built the site’s original design and structure and brings extensive web development experience to the team. She serves as a resource for bigger website needs, technical questions, and keeping the site on solid footing as TravelAbility continues to grow. 

Mark Nicolas smiling slightly in a bright hall with exposed wood beams, wearing glasses and a black zip-up jacket, with red diamond panels on the wall behind him.

Mark Nicolas

IT Consultant

The person keeping TravelAbility’s digital infrastructure running, Mark provides IT support across the organization, managing everything from domains and email to technical issues that keep the team connected and working. When something technical needs figuring out, Mark is the person the team turns to. 

Accessible Hunting? South Dakota Just Put It on the Map.

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Hunter in blaze orange using a wheelchair in an autumn forest, holding a shotgun.

We’ve learned where to look for accessible hotels: match your needs through Wheel the World’s booking platform.

We can find short term rentals using things like BecomingrentABLE or filters through Airbnb.

We can even build loose travel itineraries based on the experiences of other disabled travelers.

But what if we’re looking for something a little more niche? What if we wanted to continue our annual hunting trip with our buddies, after a major spinal cord injury?

Accessible travel information doesn’t have to start with your biggest attractions. It can start with the things people already come to your destination to do.

That’s where we tend to hit a roadblock.

Not in South Dakota.

South Dakota’s Game, Fish & Parks website has a page dedicated to Accessible Hunting Areas, opening the gate to opportunities that feel impossible to find.

The state has identified specific Game Production Areas where hunters with a disabled hunter permit can use all-terrain vehicles or other vehicles on designated roads and trails. Some locations have accessible hunting blinds. Others have designated trails that provide vehicle access to areas where hunters can pursue deer, pheasant, turkey, waterfowl and other game.

DMO’s should pay attention. Not only is this website easy information on accessible outdoor adventures for visitors, it’s also an example of what an accessibility landing page could look like, detailing locations and what to expect. There are caveats, and South Dakota is upfront about them. The areas are unattended, terrain varies, not every portion of a Game Production Area will be accessible, and hunters are responsible for determining whether conditions are safe for them. That transparency is what makes this page so useful.

Accessible travel information doesn’t have to start with your biggest attractions. It can start with the things people already come to your destination to do.

Hunt. Fish. Camp. Golf. Birdwatch. Paddle. Attend a rodeo. Visit a shooting range. Go stargazing. Cheer for a local sports team.

Somewhere in your destination, there may already be accessible infrastructure, adaptive programs, special permits or designated access that travelers simply don’t know exists.

This is an opportunity where you don’t have to create something new. Find what already exists, document it clearly, and make sure the people who need it can find it.

↪Check out the website.

Innovation of the Month: SignGlasses Brings Sign Language and Captions Into View

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Through SignGlasses smart glasses, a smiling woman is in view with a sign language interpreter appearing in the corner of the lens.

“If I could just put on glasses and everything was there, captions, interpreting, all of it, that would change everything,” says Dr. Ashley Walker, a Deaf pharmacist, educator, and advocate.

Thanks to SignGlasses, that dream is a little closer.

SignGlasses combines smart glasses with live sign language interpreting, captioning, and pre-recorded media, placing communication access directly in the user’s field of vision. Instead of looking down at a phone, tablet, or screen, a Deaf or hard-of-hearing visitor can see interpretation or captions overlaid on the environment around them.

From an Exhibit Tour to a New Approach to Access

Founded in 2017 at Brigham Young University, SignGlasses emerged from the challenges faced by Deaf individuals during an exhibit tour. Since then, feedback from the Deaf community has driven the pursuit to create a smarter solution that enhances communication access for all. 

The result is a system designed around a simple idea: accessibility should be available where the experience is happening, rather than requiring the visitor to interrupt that experience to access it.

That distinction can be particularly important in museums, attractions, theaters, and other environments where guests are constantly looking around, moving between exhibits, or watching a presentation.

How SignGlasses Works

SignGlasses’ patented technology connects smart glasses to its platform of professional interpreters and captioners.

With the glasses, users can receive live ASL interpretation or captions while continuing to look at their surroundings. The glasses are lightweight and portable, can accommodate prescription lenses, and can stream live interpretation. Pre-recorded media can also be stored on the device and synchronized with an experience without requiring Wi-Fi.

The platform supports two-way communication, allowing Deaf users to sign back and forth with an interpreter, who can also voice for the user when needed.

The Problem It Solves

For venues, providing an interpreter isn’t always as simple as having one available when a guest arrives. Traditional arrangements may require advance scheduling, and interpreters aren’t always available on short notice.

SignGlasses offers a simpler option.

A museum, attraction, theater, or visitor experience can provide smart glasses that allow guests to access interpretation or captions as they move through the experience. 

Options for Destinations

Pricing is customized according to an organization’s needs, and SignGlasses does not currently publish a standard price for its smart-glasses packages or services. 

Reach out to SignGlasses for more information or learn more on their website.

Beyond Sight: How Red Sea Global Is Designing Inclusive Experiences for Blind Travelers 

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Red Sea Global (RSG) is the developer behind The Red Sea and AMAALA, two major tourism projects in Saudi Arabia being built with a focus on responsible and mindful tourism. Since announcing its accessibility commitment in 2023, RSG has been working to incorporate inclusive design across the guest experience, from transportation and accommodations to activities, experiences, and excursions.

In a recent experience, Red Sea Global welcomed five travelers who are blind or have visual impairments to The Red Sea for a destination visit focused on exploring how the environment can be experienced beyond sight. Through sensory tours, guided experiences, storytelling, cultural activities, and personal connections, the team brought the destination to life in new ways while gathering valuable feedback directly from travelers.

Watch the video below and read the full article for an in-depth look at how Red Sea Global is creating more inclusive experiences and welcoming blind travelers to explore the destination in new ways.

Experiencing The Red Sea Beyond Sight | Red Sea Global

The first impression of a destination is not always visual. For Noura and her niece Sadeem, it began with a description.

Inside the welcome center at Red Sea International Airport hangs a large spiral sculpture. It shifts constantly, its colors changing in response to wind and ocean data. A member of Red Sea International Airport’s welcome team described its movement, its scale, and its connection to the surrounding environment, painting a vivid picture through words.

This moment set the tone for all that followed.

Red Sea Global recently welcomed five guests with visual impairments, most of them blind, to The Red Sea destination for a four-day visit shaped around experience, exploration, and connection. Abdulaziz, Raneem, Noura, Mohammed, and Mansour arrived with their companions and joined us at Six Senses Southern Dunes, The Red Sea. Two of the guests joined through our ongoing collaboration with Team Saudio, reflecting a broader effort to help shape more inclusive tourism and sporting experiences across our destinations.

Their visit formed part of our ongoing commitment to ensure our accessibility offering is as comprehensive and meaningful as possible, reflecting our belief that travel should be inclusive of everyone.

This commitment has been part of our approach from the beginning. Accessibility has not been treated as an after-thought, but as a design principle that influences the full guest journey, from arrival and transportation to experiences, public spaces, and the natural environment itself.

“Accessibility isn’t just about the facilities. It’s about being able to experience the destination in the same way as everyone else. We are committed to creating memories and experiences for people with disabilities that are equitable and inclusive across our resorts.  For these particular activities we wanted to explore how senses other than sight can enhance and enrich an experience. The most important thing is looking at the whole journey – from arrival to the beach, to restaurants, to activities. Every part of that experience needs to work.”

Mark Dyer, Associate Director for Accessibility, Destination Development at Red Sea Global.

Six Senses Southern Dunes, nestled among desert landscapes, was designed to connect guests to nature, culture, and wellbeing. From the moment of arrival, the focus was on creating an environment where guests could move comfortably and confidently through each space.

After settling in, the group gathered at the resort’s cookery school for a hands-on culinary experience led by Saudi chef Afnan Alhawsawi. With Ramadan approaching, the menu reflected familiar traditions. The sounds of preparation filled the space as ingredients were chopped, folded, and shaped.

For Abdulaziz, Mansour, and Mohammed, the evening took an unexpected turn. All three are skilled musicians, with Mansour making it his profession, and as dinner unfolded at Al Sarab Restaurant, they found their way to the instruments. Mansour at the piano, Mohammed at the keyboard, and Abdulaziz singing. Their performance moved effortlessly between Arabic and Western classics, culminating in a powerful rendition of Fly Me To The Moon.

The following morning, the desert became the setting. 

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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.

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