Miriam Nodzo, CTC
As I have reflected on my history as a Travel Advisor, one of the areas that I have had an interest in exploring more deeply is providing resources for meaningful trip experiences for people with disabilities.
In this paper, I will share my introduction to Disability Travel and the first trip I planned for the Woods Family and their teenage Son Daniel who has Autism. I will also provide insight on Resorts and Hotels that provide great accommodations and experiences for people with disabilities. I will highlight two of my favorite YouTubers with disabilities who have the “ability” to make their travel dreams a reality. Finally, will provide a list of resources with website links that share fantastic trip ideas as well as support, encouragement, and travel tips for disabled travelers.
You might ask why and how I became interested in Disability travel. While working for a Global Travel Company, an opportunity was presented to our team of advisors back in 2018 to get a certification as a Certified Autism Travel Professional with IBCCES (International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards). I was immediately interested and opted in for this training. IBCCES created this online training and certification program for travel advisors so that we could understand how to best serve families with disabilities and plan wonderful vacations. According to their website (http://www.ibcccess.org), “A Certified Autism Travel Professional (CATP) is defined as a professional who has demonstrated that they are both knowledgeable and capable of providing support and travel-related services to an individual on the autism spectrum as well as their family.” I had no idea what a person with Autism goes through on a day-to-day basis. While I went through the training, I learned that Autism is a mental health condition and depending on the spectrum they are in, they can struggle with issues such as: poor communication with others, some may not be able to function on their own, minimal eye contact, social disconnect, lack of concern, anxiety (resulting in meltdowns), obsessive interests, sensitivity to sounds around them, self-harm, the challenge with focus, twitching and jerking, and difficulty eating to name a few. Everything can be potentially magnified for a person with Autism as they see the world around them differently. This training showed videos to provide an insight into what they deal with, and I was immediately impacted by this.
Shortly after completing my certification, I received a call from the Woods Family asking if I could plan a cruise trip for their family. My client wanted to know what type of accommodations were available for their teenage son Daniel who has Autism. I did some research and found out the Royal Caribbean offers an autism-friendly experience. On their website, it states the following, “Royal Caribbean offers an autism-friendly initiative for families living with autism, Down Syndrome and other developmental disabilities. This includes sensory-friendly films and toys, dietary menu options, and overall autism-friendly training for Adventure Ocean staff and more.”
On their website Royal Caribbean offers a wide range of autism-friendly products and services, and they include:
- Priority check-in, boarding and departure
- Special dietary accommodations including gluten-free and dairy-free
- Adventure Ocean flexible grouping by ability for children 3 to 11 years old
- Adventure Ocean toilet-trained policy exception
- Pagers/phones for parents of children in the Adventure Ocean program while signed into our care (subject to availability) Availability: These Autism Friendly products and services are available on all cruises.
In addition, Autism on the Seas offers “Staffed Cruises” catering to families with children, teens and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. These “Staffed Cruises” include:
- Extra professionally trained staff in caring for individuals with developmental disabilities (provided at one staff member for every 2-3 special needs guests)
- Assistance with Royal Caribbean’s products and services
- Specialized respite sessions
- Private activities and sessions
I contacted the Royal Caribbean Access Department, and they quickly provided the Guest Special Needs Form where I could address all of his needs. My clients were able to get priority boarding, a stateroom close to the elevator, a fantastic behind-the-scenes cruise tour and their son was pleasantly surprised when he had the opportunity to meet the captain of the ship. After their experience, my client said that Daniel enjoyed this trip and that it was the best trip ever, and I was so happy to be a small part of his amazing experience. This is my “why” for providing this service. It brings me joy and fulfillment to provide meaningful travel experiences and create memories that will last a lifetime.
As I have researched the area of disability travel, there are many great resources that are available to people with disabilities. Whether you are a person with a disability or have a loved one with a disability, you can be encouraged to know that you can look forward to planning a great vacation and fulfilling your bucket list trips!
There are tour operators that provide great options for the disability community. Below please find a couple my top picks:
Beaches All-Inclusive Resorts
(Autism-Friendly Kids Camps and Wheelchair Accessible Services)
Beaches Resorts was one of the first resort companies to have received the Certified Autism Center (CAC) designation, and in 2019, Beaches became the first to complete a rigorous Advanced Certified Autism Center (ACAC) certification from the IBCCES. On their website, they share the following information: “Beaches is committed to providing access to as many guests as possible. We provide accommodations in select room categories for our guests with disabilities… Beaches Turks and Caicos located in Providenciales and Beaches Negril located in Jamaica, accommodate wheelchair users with ramps and wheelchair accessible lifts situated throughout the resort… Our Kids Camps ensure team members have the requisite knowledge, skills, temperament, and expertise to cater to all children, including those with autism and other special needs, and offer age-specific programs for infants, toddlers, pre-teens and teens.” This resort offers an all-inclusive program with all meals and activities that are included.
In an article written by Arundhati Nath, she highlighted 6 tour companies dedicated to Travelers with Disabilities and shared, “Inaccessibility shouldn’t hold anyone back.” The six companies focus on accessible travel. They are as follows: “Travel for All, Seable Holidays, Easy Access Travel, Planet Abled, Wheel the World, and Tapooz Travel.”
HOTELS
There are hotels that are committed to providing accommodations and services to people with disabilities:
One of my preferred vendors, VAX Vacations, shared an article written by Jenna Buege (Associate Editor of The Compass Magazine) entitled, “7 Top-Notch Wheelchair-Accessible Resorts and Hotels.” Buege shared that “Location, price, amenities—booking the right hotel can prove to be a challenging experience for many travelers. And when you add accessibility requirements into the mix the process can become even tougher. Luckily, many hotels and resorts around the globe are upping their accessibility ante with spacious rooms, ADA-compliant features and easy access to onsite attractions.”
I am so pleased to see how intentionally many resorts/hotels are providing accommodations, on-site activities and tour options for people with disabilities. Although there are many advocates continuing to address the need for more, I would like to highlight a few of them for your reading.
Halekulani Hotel – Hawaii
Halekulani Hotel is located in Honolulu, HI and they are committed to providing equal access and opportunity for individuals with disabilities with ADA regulations and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. They are fully accessible to wheelchair users.
Grand Velas Riviera Maya – Mexico
Grand Velas Riviera Maya provides exciting opportunities such as high-end amenities, private plunge pools and spa services, fantastic dining options and accessible rooms.
Omni Orlando Resort at Championsgate – Florida
Omni Orlando Resort has accessible rooms with Florida decor and vibrant colors. Their room includes several important features such as enlarged door openings, roll-in showers with a handheld showerhead and grab bars, a toilet and sink that is no higher than 29 inches from the floor and more.
Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz – Berlin
Scandic Berlin Potsdamer Platz offers 60 accessible rooms, and this area has great accessible areas. According to Buege article, she shares the following: “… the moment that guests enter the building via a set of automatic lobby doors and continues throughout the hotel with a spacious elevator, wide hallways and tap-to-unlock keycards for each room. Inside awaits an adjustable bed, a wheelchair-friendly desk, a spacious layout and a wheel-chair accessible bathroom.”
The Palazzo at the Venetian Resort – Las Vegas
The Palazzo at the Venetian Resort, Buege shared that “…upon arrival, visitors can choose between valet and self-park options, Wheelchair Jimmy notes that it’s easy to ‘roll in’ from the parking lot to the stunning Venetian-themed lobby which is also fully accessible. The hotel features 3,000 total rooms, 66 of which are designed for wheelchair users. Also worth noting, The Palazzo is connected to the Venetian Resort and visitors can easily explore the hotel’s collection of restaurants and shops on the 2nd floor. Plus, thanks to a small hydraulic lift, the Venetian’s world-famous canals and gondolas are wheelchair-accessible, too. How romantic.”
Arenal Manoa Resort & Hot Springs – Costa Rica
Arenal Manoa Resort & Hot Springs offers three different room categories—Junior Suites, Junior Suite Superior and Premium Suite with Hot Tub and they all offer wheelchair-accessible and offer access to a large terrace.
Other hotels that offer great accessible rooms are Noelle (Nashville), Resort at Squaw Creek (California), Mirror Lake Inn Resort and Spa (Lake Placid), International David, an IHG Hotel (Tel Aviv), Sandals Barbados, Novotel Melbourne on Collins (Australia) and Walt Disney Resorts (Florida).
My Favorite YouTubers with Disabilities
Another pastime for me has been to follow YouTubers who openly share about their lives and how they embark on adventures despite their disabilities. I would like to share about two of my favorite ones that are so inspiring, truly making a difference sharing about this topic and have shared how travel has impacted their lives in a positive way.
Charisma and Cole‘s story captured my attention the moment I saw their first video. At the young age of 16, Cole was out with friends playing in river rapids when he jumped and hit his head on a partially submerged rock. He endured a spinal cord injury that left him as a quadriplegic. In a moment, he lost function on his hands, his torso and his legs. He faced incredible depression and at one point did not want to live. With his family and incredible support of friends, they helped him through this difficult time. After several years passed, he met Charisma at an inpatient rehab center where she had the responsibility of helping Cole with exercises to help stimulate his legs. Over time they developed a strong friendship and eventually fell in love and married on 11/7/20. They are an interracial couple so they also face discrimination, but they have an amazing testimony of what true love can conquer. As a couple, their mission is to share how they live their day-to-day lives despite Cole’s disability and bring awareness of how to live a full life of love and travel adventures. They share about their travels and have enjoyed cruise trips and other vacations with friends and family. Their videos shed light on how they pack, prepare in advance (so important to their overall experience) and the many adventures they have enjoyed. I recommend you check out their beach trip in LA. The you tube video is called, “I Rented This Chair for FREE!” by Roll with Cole & Charisma. Enjoy this adventure with them!
Cory Lee truly captured my heart the very first time I heard his story in a podcast. He enjoys living his life to the fullest despite his disability. On his website (Curbfree with Cory) he shared the following, “…My goal is to show you how to travel, where to travel, and most importantly, why to travel as a person with a disability… At the age of two I was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (type 2), but that certainly never diminished my desire to explore the world. When I was four years old, I got my first powered wheelchair and took my first trip. It was just to Walt Disney World, but then at the age of 15, I went to the Bahamas. This was my first time ever traveling internationally. Seeing the culture and trying the new foods sparked something inside of me that made me want to see so much more of this big, wild, beautiful world of ours. From then on, travel wasn’t something that I wanted to do, it was something I needed to do. I’m a big believer that travel is the best teacher, so throughout college, I traveled to places like Germany, England, and I even went down under in Australia.”
In Cory’s website he openly shares his addiction to travel, what he has learned and how people with disabilities can travel to many beautiful destinations are the world. He talks about accessible travel at conferences all over the world and via podcasts as well. I encourage you to visit his website at www.curbfreewthcorylee.com where you will find interesting articles based on his interviews and written by Cory. Some of my favorites were: “Meet Kelly Narowski, who has visited 46 Countries in a Wheelchair”, “Scott Crowley of Push Adventures”, “Can’t Stop this 9-Year-Old Traveler”, and “Angela of All Access Disneyland.” In addition, you will read about his amazing trips around the globe, his bucket list destinations and travel tips. Please embark on this adventure and be encouraged as you plan your next adventurous getaway!
Links to Helpful Resources for Disability Travel
There are so many great resources out there and this list continues to grow every year. I would like to share some with you to get you started.
- Accessible Go – The First ever Accessible Hotel Booking Site. Link to website: https://accessiblego.com/.
- APTAT – APTAT@rehab.alabama.gov – This site serves as a database of devices that are available to Alabama residents for demonstration and loan.
- Conde Nast Traveler – Provides Accessible Travel Articles – Link to Article about companies dedicated to Travelers with Disabilities: https://www.cntraveler.com/story/tour-companies-dedicated-to-travelers-with-disabilities.
- Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality (SATH) – provides services to individuals with disabilities. Link to website: https://sath.org/.
- National Ability Center – their mission is to empower people of all abilities to build self esteem and confidence through sports, recreation and educational programs. Link to site: https://discovernac.org/programs-2/.
- Recreation.gov – You can search for Accessible Campgrounds
- Accessible Travel Solutions – This site features tours, travel packages, testimonials and more. Link to website: https://www.accessibletravelsolutions.com/.
- Accessible Journeys Magazine – a fantastic resource that provides stories of people with disabilities traveling the world, Accessible Destinations, and more. Link to site: https://melangeandco.com/accessible-journeys-magazine/.
- Project Airtime – they offer amazing flying experiences for people of all disabilities. No exclusions. Link to site: https://projectairtime.org/.
- Hank Poore Foundation – Provides travel opportunities and life changing experiences for people with disabilities. Link to site: https://hankpoorefoundation.org/about/.
- Wheel the World – The Co-founder Alvaro Silberstein who loved to travel and travelled with his close friend Camilo Navarro was in a bad car accident that left him paralyzed as a teenager. After enduring many challenges, he started this company in 2017 and his purpose was to start this travel agency to provide travel adventures to all those challenged with disabilities.
- Major Airline Carriers/Trains/Buses – offer Special Assistance and Accessible Travel Assistance.
- American Airlines – https://www.aa.com/i18n/travel-info/special-assistance/special-assistance.jsp
- Delta Airlines – https://www.delta.com/us/en/accessible-travel-services/overview
- Southwest Airlines – https://www.southwest.com/help/accessible-travel-assistance
- Amtrak – https://www.amtrak.com/accessible-travel-services
- Greyhound – https://www.greyhound.com/help-and-info/customers-with-disabilities
In summary, I am so grateful for the options in the travel industry for people with disabilities and I look forward to learning more and providing these services to my clients with disabilities. In this paper, I had the opportunity to share my history with Disability Travel, and featured tour operators and hotels that provide accessible services, I showed the inspiring stories of people with disabilities living out their travel dreams. I outlined helpful resources where you can obtain travel inspiration, assistance with travel planning, and information on destinations that cater to disabled clients and travel tips.
Cite page
Autism Training and Certification for Travel Professionals, “n.d.”, from https://ibcces.org/certified-autism-travel-professional/
Autism Friendly Ships, “n.d.”, from https://www.royalcaribbean.com/experience/accessible-cruising/autism-friendly-ships
All-Inclusive Vacation For All To Enjoy, “n.d.”, from https://www.beaches.com/accessibility-guide/
Buege, Jenna 7 Top-Notch Wheelchair-Accessible Resorts and Hotels from https://www.vaxvacationaccess.com/the-compass/7-top-notch-wheelchair-accessible-resorts-and-hotels/
Nath, Arundhati 6 Tour Companies Dedicated to Travelers with Disabilities, Conde Nast Traveler, 2021
Lee, Cory Curbfree with Cory Lee, Sharing The World from a Wheelchair User’s Perspective “n.d.” from https://curbfreewithcorylee.com/wheelchair-travel-blog/cory/
