These trailblazers are working toward more inclusive tourism experiences for all travelers.

BY SOPHIE MORGAN

January 19, 2024

In the ever-evolving world of accessible travel, where the horizons of exploration are so often limited by systemic barriers and attitudinal hurdles, a profound transformation is taking place. Thanks to the relentless dedication of a selection of individuals with lived experience of Disability, we find ourselves on the cusp of a remarkable new era of travel, one which may well culminate in a barrier-free planet.

In this month’s Beyond Barriers, Condé Nast Traveller UK’s monthly column dedicated to sharing the latest developments and stories of Disabled travel, we meet some of the most influential figures in the field of accessible travel. These are remarkable pioneers who have defied stereotypes and paved the way for a more inclusive world, harnessing their personal experiences to catalyze a global shift. Their collective efforts are a testament to the transformative power of determination, creativity, and advocacy. Here are 14 trailblazers making the world more accessible and inclusive for 2024.

Maayan Ziv

Founder, AccessNow

Wheelchair user Maayan Ziv, an unstoppable activist named one of Canada’s Most Powerful Women, has been a trailblazer for inclusive travel for decades. As the founder of AccessNow, she developed the tech platform to enable Disabled travelers to navigate the spaces where they live, work, and travel with greater confidence and knowledge. Additionally, as co-founder of the Rights on Fights initiative, Ziv champions inclusive air travel on a global scale.

Alvaro Silberstein

Founder & CEO, Wheel The World

Fred Maahs

Founder, Maahs Travels

Fred Maahs Jr., the visionary behind Maahs Travels, has earned widespread recognition for his unwavering dedication to enhancing accessibility for individuals with disabilities. As a consultant and speaker, he passionately advocates for expanding inclusivity, tapping into the vast market represented by people with disabilities. He is also the co-founder of JourneyAble, a storytelling platform, content network, and social community, elevating accessibility on the world stage.

Suzanne Edwards

Head of Hosting Accessibility Standards, Airbnb

Suzanne Edwards serves as Airbnb’s Head of Hosting Accessibility Standards and is the driving force behind the visionary Adapted category. This category, now boasting over a thousand accessible listings worldwide, has garnered over five million searches since its launch last year. It offers a diverse range of accommodations with verified step-free entry, accessible bedrooms and bathrooms, and essential accessibility amenities, opening up uncharted territories in an unprecedented manner.

Michele Urwin

Founder, All Wheels Up

All Wheels Up emerged from Urwin’s struggles to plan a trip to Disney World with her son Greyson, who uses a wheelchair due to spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Faced with the complexities of wheelchair travel, Urwin embarked on a mission to have wheelchairs crash-tested for commercial flights. Her collaboration with regulatory bodies like the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines, manufacturers, and Congress has yielded a commitment to making air travel accessible and safe for those using electric or modified manual wheelchairs, alleviating industry-wide concerns.

Richard Thompson

Co-Founder & CEO, Inclu

Thompson has spent four decades in the tourism and hospitality industries and has visited over seventy countries in his travels. Following his own life-changing spinal injury, he co-founded IncluTravel, reigniting the travel ambitions of those who believed their journeys were over. Inclu is pioneering a new era of education, connectivity, and support to reshape the opportunities within the industry.

Sylvia Longmire

Founder, Spin the Globe

Longmire is an award-winning accessible travel writer, photographer, author, entrepreneur, and Disability rights advocate. A service-Disabled veteran and former Ms. Wheelchair USA 2016, she is the creative mind behind the respected Spin the Globe travel blog. Through her adventures traveling the world in her power wheelchair and publishing four accessible travel-related books, she continues to inspire and empower.

Cory Lee

Founder, Curb Free with Cory Lee

Since the inception of his blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, in 2013, wheelchair user Cory Lee has amassed hundreds of thousands of followers, traversed all seven continents, and risen as one of the foremost travel bloggers focusing on accessibility. Beyond his influencer work, he collaborates with Wheel The World and provides travel grants through his non-profit, The Curb Free Foundation, to assist wheelchair users in their journeys.

Angus Drummond

Founder, Limitless Travel

Diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy in his early twenties, Drummond’s life took a different turn. Leaving his career in finance for the pursuit of happiness, his adventurous spirit emerged. Traveling through thirty-five countries with his wife, he observed the world’s lack of accessibility, and upon returning to the UK, he founded Limitless, envisioning an inclusive world for Disabled travelers. After eight years, Limitless is turning global exploration into a reality.

Amar Latif

Founder, Travel Eyes

Scottish entrepreneur Amar Latif, the self-proclaimed “blind guy who wants to show you the world,” is the founder of Travel Eyes. This innovative company matches sighted guides with blind or visually impaired travelers, proving that sightseeing is an experience meant for all. Amar’s global travels and commitment to inclusivity have led to media appearances with outlets like the BBC and Channel 4.

Neha Arora

Founder, PlanetAbled

PlanetAbled finds its roots in Arora’s personal experiences, shaped by her parents’ challenges—a mother with childhood polio and a father with vision loss. Arora launched PlanetAbled in New Delhi, specializing in travel services for individuals with disabilities and seniors. Their mission revolves around integrating accessibility and inclusion into sustainable tourism practices worldwide.

Matt Pierri

Founder & CEO, Sociability

Australian Matt Pierri, a wheelchair user due to a spinal cord injury sustained at sixteen, is on a mission to enhance accessibility for Disabled individuals and their communities. He designed and built the mapping App, Sociability, whose mission is to bridge the information gap, empowering Disabled individuals, and promoting inclusion. By demonstrating that accessible spaces attract more visitors, Pierri aims to shift the narrative and make accessibility the norm, fostering greater inclusion.

Chris Wood

Founder, Flying Disabled

Hailing from Hertfordshire in the UK, Chris Wood used to work as a roadie for music acts like Motorhead and Blondie. However, as a proud dad of two wheelchair-using children who were unable to experience the world as he wished they could, Wood has turned his focus to enhance air travel for wheelchair users, earning him an MBE for his contributions to Aviation Accessibility. He is also part of the coalition behind the ground-breaking Air4All system.

Agnes Abelsen

Founder, Travengers

Inspired by Abelsen’s autistic sister Elise, Travengers was created to enable those with hidden disabilities a chance to connect and explore. Launched in January 2020, Travenger’s mission is to promote acceptance and inclusivity for young people with hidden disabilities. The team is comprised of neurodivergent and neurotypical travel enthusiasts, and they organize social events as well as virtual and domestic tours (they are based in Australia).

Source : cntraveler

January 2024