News From The Founder of TravelAbility Summit
The Top 20 Takeaways from TravelAbility Summit

TravelAbility Summit was the first national summit that explored ways the travel industry can better serve the disability community. While sessions and panels during the Summit identified a substantial disconnect between the two groups, the event provided a bridge between travel industry professionals and the travelers with disabilities attending the conference. 
Bringing together these communities that would never normally speak with each other was a major achievement of the Summit. We are committed to continuing this critical conversation.  

While the conference focused on the intersection of travel and accessibility, it also created the opportunity for the disability community, which is built around advocacy groups promoting access for specific disabilities, to come together over the common cause of accessible travel. What these groups all have in common is the aspiration to travel because it’s the toy department of life. We were delighted to make this happen. 
The Take Aways


  • “Nothing About Us Without Us.” This should be the guiding principle for any travel organization that wants to increase their accessibility. This means destinations building accessible product and content to be featured on their website should include advice from local organizations representing different disabilities. Consultation with people with disabilities should be the first step when hotels are renovating ADA rooms. Accessibility initiatives should be taken in partnership with people with disabilities

  • Accessibility is Good for Business Significant numbers were presented at the conference indicating the size of the accessible travel market, the growing numbers as we age into a disability, and the friends/family /companions /caregivers directly impacted by travel decisions. Eighty-seven percent of autism-affected families don’t travel at all.

  • Accessibility is Hospitality. Thirty years after the passage of the ADA, compliance makes travel possible but far from pleasant. “Accessible” isn’t a decent definition. Many establishments still don’t do enough and empathy cannot be regulated. For example, wheelchair travelers need hotel and bathroom interior photos, blind travelers need housekeepers who don’t move items. 

  • Reduce the The Fear Factor Fear of the unknown plays a big factor when people with disabilities are considering destinations and especially hotels, while fear of imperfection makes many hotels and attractions ambivalent and/or uncomfortable about welcoming disabled guests.

  • Fear Motivates. Some fears can be productive and result in compliance action: FOGS (Fear of Getting Sued) and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) are primary motivators of compliance.

  • There are Easy Fixes. While almost all hotels post images of their rooms, public space and exterior on their websites for everyone to see, few include photos of their ADA accessible rooms, which is critical for those with disabilities to determine if the hotel is right for them.

  • Empathy Creates Change. Language, empathy, and understanding matter. Because people don’t know what to say or how to say it, they should simply ask, “How can I assist you?” In fact, many travelers with special needs indicate that potentially litigious situations could be nipped in the bud through better frontline staff training. In the words of Mark Twain: “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” 

  • Count Me In. Volunteers seem to be in surprisingly abundant supply for initiatives and events where they can help people with disabilities. For example, Be Me Eyes, a free app that connects blind and low-vision individuals through a live video call with sighted volunteers from all over the world now has 3 million volunteers and 150,000 users. 

  • All Disabilities Have a Spectrum. Autism isn’t the only disability with a spectrum. Every disability has a spectrum which makes it impossible to be accessible for everyone. However, as Aaron Clefton, an ADA plaintiff attorney panelist told the audience, “If my clients had been treated with respect and had their problems addressed with courtesy, none of them would have sued.”

  • ROI for Accessibility is Real. If you’re accessible for those who are disabled today, you’ll be accessible for the 77 million baby boomers who have the wealth, time and interest to travel as they age into a disability.

  • Universal Design Benefits Everyone. Curb cuts were originally designed for wheelchair users but they are also used for baby carriages, scooters and skateboarders.  AVA, one of the products featured in Launchpad, is a voice-to-text service where deaf conference attendees can easily follow what presenters are saying through their app. At the same time, everyone can click “save” and they will have a PDF of the speech. Prominent hotel chains such as Marriott are working on accessible rooms of the future. 

  • Destinations are the Evangelists of Accessibility. As a collection of suppliers and a conduit of information, Destination Marketing Organizations are well positioned to advocate, to share information, spearhead movements, promote certification, host workshops, raise awareness, train and amplify the message. 

  • Beyond Website Compliance. Having accurate up-to-date information about accessibility on a travel supplier or destination’s website is the most effective form of customer service. 

  • Nature Belongs to Everyone. National Parks, beaches and local parks are developing innovative approaches to help people with a variety of disabilities enjoy nature and the salutary effects that outdoor activities bring to everyone.  

  • Family and Caregivers Need Vacations Age related disease like dementia and Alzheimer are stressful for the care takers. Leaving a cognitively challenged elder at home is not an option. Vacation options that provide solutions are in demand.

  • There are P.R. benefits to Becoming Accessible. Destinations and suppliers who have promoted their accessibility initiatives have received favorable coverage from local news outlets as it is viewed as cutting edge and a positive service for the community.  

  • Practical Products Solve Accessibility Problems. TravelAbility’s pre-conference LaunchPad, a "pitchfest" featuring 15 start-ups and established companies, showcased emerging assistive technology and products to the travel and disability community. The voting outcome revealed that the judges favored practical products engineered for every day use over emerging technologies.

  •  Inspo-Porn is a Thing. Inspiration porn is the portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or in part on the basis of their disability.Learn more Someone needs to tell the news media.

  • Simulating the Travel Experience Creates Real Benefits. It has been proven, from airports to air carriers to hotels, simulation reduces anxiety among those on the autism spectrum. It opens great possibilities for virtual reality technology

  • Awareness Creates Community. Connecting with people with disabilities, exposure to ideas and innovation plus resources creates a new travel community committed to accessibility
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