By Meg St-Esprit at Thrillist

Those first few moments in a new destination are exhilarating. The fresh sights, scents, sounds, come together to create that elusive high avid travelers chase. But for travelers with disabilities, the same new experiences can be overwhelming, and even limiting.

Airports are loud and often difficult to navigate for anyone, but for a neurodivergent traveler who struggles to function in chaotic environments, they can be nearly impossible. For a visually impaired traveler, the signage most people use to navigate a new destination is often unreadable. New cities are exciting, but a wheelchair user likely doesn’t know which restaurants and museums are accessible, like they would in their hometown. Calling an Uber or hailing a cab is also not always an option, as most rideshare vehicles are not wheelchair accessible. Will the hotel have a shower they get in and out of, or a place for their service animal to relieve themself? For many travelers with disabilities, each step of their journey requires careful planning and consideration.

As an avid traveler and mother to children with multiple physical and developmental disabilities, I know how much planning a vacation for a family like ours requires, and just how time consuming and frustrating it can be. A crop of apps and programs created to make travel more accessible have begun to level the playing field, though. We tested these programs in real-world settings ranging from airports to our own community to see just how they work and how they can make traveling easier for us. While there are many new apps and programs emerging constantly, we focused on those that are available in most destinations and are easy to navigate. While the tourism industry still has a long way to go to make travel more accessible, these programs are leading the charge—and have made our most recent trips a bit less fraught.

accessibleGO

For non-disabled travelers, booking a hotel is mostly about price, location, and amenities. For travelers with physical disabilities, hotels can be a nightmare. While the ADA has guidelines about accessible hotel rooms, these booking rules often do not fully apply to third-party booking sites like Priceline or Travelocity. Sometimes a traveler books an accessible room only to find it doesn’t match the online description or was even given away to a non-disabled hotel guest.

That’s where accessibleGo comes in. This platform allows travelers to filter accessibility options that extend beyond the basic “wheelchair accessible” toggle feature in most hotel booking apps. AccessibleGO allows users to search for lodging with roll-in showers, accessible swimming pools, outdoor space for service dogs, and more. The platform also takes things one step further—once a booking is made, an accessibleGO team member contacts the destination directly to assure that all accommodations are able to be met.

“Our goal here at accessibleGO is to enable travelers with disabilities to get their accessibility needs met, no matter where they are going or what their needs are so that they feel comfortable to take that trip,” says co-founder and CEO Miriam Elijas. Beyond hotel rooms, users can search for mobility rentals, rental cars with hand controls, wheelchair van rentals, and more.

Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program

While there’s no app yet, the web-based Sunflower program is growing in usage around the world. By simply requesting a free lanyard through the program, users are easily identifiable to airport staff as a traveler with an invisible disability. The bright green lanyards are decorated with sunflowers and are easily visible to TSA and airline staff. As a family that travels with several invisible disabilities, including autism, ADHD, and a joint condition that limits mobility some days but not others, we don’t always stand out as a family that may need assistance navigating the airport—but we do.

We first tested this program out at Pittsburgh International Airport, which also has a great sensory room. The TSA lines at PIT are generally not long, but we were able to take our children through a shorter line reserved for travelers with disabilities. On our return trip out of Orlando International Airport, the security lines were long and overwhelming. We knew that not all of our children would be able to manage it after a busy week. The security line marked with a sunflower symbol was much shorter, and the TSA staff took extra care with our kids and their anxiety.

Gatwick Airport in London was the first to use the sunflower lanyards in 2016, and the program has expanded across the world since. Participating locations have sunflower lanyards on site—most airports keep them at the customer service desk before security. Travelers can also request a pass via the website or by contacting their local airport ahead of their trip—and they do not need to disclose their disability to receive a pass. At this time, over 200 airports participate in countries across the globe, and a growing list of railways, museums, and theme parks are adopting the program as well. Some users report that not all airport staff seem to be versed in what the lanyard means, so continued education is needed. We do think an app would be helpful, too. The website is thorough and helpful, but since most of us travel with our phones in pockets, apps are just handier.

Be My Eyes

When I rush through an airport, my eyes glance up at the overhead signage to point me towards my gate, restrooms, or baggage claim. Once at my destination, I scan for safe walking routes. For visually impaired travelers, navigating airports, hotels, and unfamiliar destinations in general can be a challenge. Braille signage is not as common as it should be, and is only required in certain locations. With the app Be My Eyes, which is available on Apple and Android, users can scan anything from written documents to photos—and AI or a stable of volunteers will verbally interpret the information for them.

We tested it on overhead signs in a local T station as well as on sets of public stairs near our home. The AI descriptions are incredibly accurate, even noting how shadows on a photo may indicate a tree out of frame and denoting the location of handrails and cracks in the pavement. After requesting an AI response, we had the option to ask further questions to the chatbot or call a live volunteer for more input. Overall, we found the app to be well-designed and very user friendly.

TSA Cares

While most accessibility programs are private companies or nonprofits, TSA does have one solid option: TSA Cares. The Cares program is available in all US airports and exists to modify standard security and travel requirements to meet the needs of certain groups of travelers. In addition to supporting travelers with disabilities, TSA Cares also offers support to military families, families traveling with young children, and other groups who may have a difficult time traveling. Travelers can print a TSA notification card to let staff know about their needs if they do not wish to (or cannot) do so verbally.

There’s also an app called MyTSA that provides information on packing rules, wait times, and disability accommodations. There are various accommodations offered by the program. For example, the program can help travelers become exempt from removing their shoes or unpack their bags at security.

The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is one of many locations incorporating TSA Cares protocol into a broader goal of accessibility. The Newark airport recently joined the list of airports with sensory rooms, and had added a security line dedicated solely to screening neurodivergent travelers—the first in the country. How travelers utilize TSA Cares varies widely based on their needs, and some airports seem better at it than others. More cohesive training for TSA staff would be a great addition to the program. Contact the program to find out specifics about your needs.

Google Maps

Most travelers are familiar with Google Maps and accompanying Google services that make trips easier. But recent improvements in Google products have made Maps a perfect choice for travelers with disabilities.

Sasha Blair-Goldensohn, Accessibility and Disability Inclusion Features Lead at Google Maps, is a wheelchair user himself, so he’s used his own personal experiences to make Google services more accessible. He says these updates are a game changer for travelers with accessibility needs and points to the crowdsourced accessibility information from other Maps users and the ability to create wheelchair-accessible routes as top features.

When browsing shops in a particular destination, the wheelchair icon features details like step-free entrances, accessible parking, and more. The screen reader and voice guidance features are helpful for travelers with auditory and visual impairments. The screen reader feature audibly provides information on nearby locations when the user holds their phone up to scan their surrounding area. Voice guidance in Maps, which is enabled with a toggle button in settings, provides much more detailed feedback on walking routes so that visually impaired travelers or those who have a hard time following a basic map can navigate a new location. Google Live Transcribe can turn any audio announcement or speaking person’s words into written text for travelers with auditory disabilities, too.

Roadtrippers

Planning a road trip—complete with waystations along the route—can be particularly tricky for travelers with disabilities. For those with service dogs, finding a spot where their companion can play, rest, and relieve themselves is necessary, for example. The Roadrippers app, which is available on Apple and Android, has long been a go-to for travelers choosing stops and attractions along a selected route. By choosing your route and how frequently you plan to stop for a short break or overnight, the app creates a custom itinerary that includes necessary stops like gas stations—and fun stops like the World’s Largest Corn Maze.

Updates to the platform allow travelers with disabilities to filter their searches with accessibility in mind. Once users choose the type of attraction they are interested in, they can then select the “wheelchair accessible” filter to narrow a broad list down to spots that work for them. A vast collection of reviews and feedback from other travelers can help determine if a particular attraction is a fit. I’m hopeful that future updates to the platform will increase the ability of options travelers with disabilities can search for—particularly info on the accessibility of roadside attractions.

zTrip

If we aren’t road tripping or renting a car when we travel, rideshares are a must. While our family can use any standard rideshare vehicle, some travelers with physical disabilities cannot. Unfortunately, this is an area where the main players fall short. Uber and Lyft do have accessible vehicles via the UberWAV and Lyft WAV programs, but it’s limited to a small number of cities so far. Foldable wheelchairs are allowed in standard rideshare cars—if they fit, which is a gamble.

While zTrip is not yet in every U.S city, there are more options in more locations. Wheelchair accessible vans and trained drivers are a regular part of zTrip’s business so they know how to accommodate travelers safely. Riders can hail a zTrip vehicle just like a standard taxi, though there’s no guarantee that will be an accessible vehicle. For that, rides can be booked via phone, website, or app. Hopefully zTrip expands to more cities soon so that it’s a reliable option wherever you’re headed.

Imagine traveling to a national park that you’ve always dreamed of seeing, super-excited … and then discovering that it’s off limits to you. If you’re a traveler with a disability, you’ve experienced this. “All the parks that I’ve visited are not fully accessible,” says Alice Lopez of Austin, Texas, a self-described “proud blind mom” with mobility issues. “I always have a hard time.”

She’s in good company. According to the Centers for Disease Control, approximately 25 percent of Americans have some sort of disability. As our population ages, that number will continue to grow. To address this issue, the National Park Service (www.nps.gov) launched a program in 2015 to make the nation’s premier parks and historic sites more accessible for travelers with sensory and mobility needs.

The result: You can admire Yosemite’s Giant Sequoias or gaze at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon in a wheelchair, ride fat-tire beach buggies on national seashores, and more. In addition, the NPS offers an access pass to all parks for $10 for people with disabilities. They have also added enhancements for visitors with vision issues and other conditions.

Alas, it’s not a perfect system. “While the national parks are supposed to be accessible, reality on the ground isn’t always the case,” says Miriam Eljas Goldman, cofounder and CEO of accessibleGO.com, a New York-based travel booking website designed for people with accessibility needs. (Alice Lopez, mentioned above, is one of accessibleGO.com’s travel forum experts.) Ask about accessible accommodations, tours, walkways, and infrastructure before you go to avoid disappointment.

Check each park’s website under “Plan Your Visit,” and “Accessibility,” to see what’s offered, advises Wiener Russell of Chapel Hill, N.C., on the accessibleGO forum. “My wife is confined to a wheelchair but we have been to many national parks and have used trails and done other activities together.” Communities like accessibleGO, with 120,000 users, are a great resource. “By asking others who might share the same disability concerns, you will be much more likely to get the information you need,” Eljas says.

Even then, you may not get a real wilderness experience, just a taste of the park’s glories. accessibleGO.com travel forum expert Paul Choquette of Coatesville, Pa., has visited the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Everglades, and other big parks. “There is always at least one ‘accessible’ trail that is indicative of the area and surroundings,” he notes, but for his tastes, they’re too tame: “They tend to be short, flat, and paved, and don’t really get you out into nature.” Just another factor to consider as you make your plans.

Among the services offered at NPS sites — in addition to accessible restrooms, visitor centers, food concessions, and parking — are wheelchair-accessible trails, boardwalks to attractions, beach entrances with wheelchair-and-assistive-device-friendly surfaces, along with accessible picnic areas and campsites, and some loaner devices including beach wheelchairs (typically available on a first-come, first-served basis). Some visitor centers have audio-enhanced exhibits, tactile features for the blind, and captioned and audio-aided videos, plus assistive-listening devices in theaters and exhibits. Braille, large-print, and audio versions of print materials may also be available. These features vary among parks.

Also, look beyond the gear the parks offer if you want to go exploring, or want to make sure equipment is available for you. Some rental outfits deliver scooters and off-road, ATV-type wheelchairs. Choquette offered another tip for manual wheelchair-using explorers: “Get a fifth-wheel attachment. It makes unpacked nature trails easier to navigate.”

A few parks stand out as especially user-friendly for those with accessibility issues. Here’s a look:

Congaree National Park, Hopkins, S.C.

This bio-diverse park claims the largest intact expanse of old growth, bottomland hardwood forest remaining in the southeastern United States. Think massive “champion” trees, set within more than 26,000 acres of wilderness, and a 50-mile paddling trail. “It’s a surprising one for accessibility,” Russell says. An elevated walkway in the lowlands forest offers a window into this enchanting environment. The park’s visitor center offers a standard wheelchair, two large wheelchairs, three all-terrain wheelchairs, and Braille brochures upon request; call ahead to inquire about availability. There’s an accessible campsite at Longleaf Campground, with packed dirt and fine gravel, and accessible vault toilets. Paddling on Cedar Creek is a great way to see the park, but expect uneven terrain at canoe launches. The park offers free kayak adaptations for those who BYO boat. These devices allow users with a weak grip, no grip, or only one arm to paddle. www.nps.gov/cong

Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona

Brian Kelly, The Points Guy (www.thepointsguy.com) called the Grand Canyon “one of the most wheelchair-accessible NPs in the country.” Glenn Ratzel of Livingston, Texas, a forum travel member at accessibleGO.com agrees. The South Rim is the most accessible area, guests say. Accessible shuttle buses, visitor center, and wheelchair-friendly viewpoints and trails get love from mobility-challenged visitors.

And, there’s this: “Show the ranger at the entrance booth (use the left lane) your handicap placard. They will give you a pass and a daily gate code that will allow you to park right next to the sites,” Ratzel notes. You’ll gain access to drivable areas that aren’t typically open to visitors. Some park outfitters offer accessible mule rides, and some rafting companies offer wheelchair access to rafts. www.nps.gov/grca

Yellowstone National Park in Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming

Within its 2.2 million acres, Yellowstone is a wonderland of dramatic canyons, dense forests, alpine rivers, hot springs, and gushing geysers. Residents include bears, wolves, bison, elk, and antelope, among hundreds of species. Yellowstone is surprisingly accessible; an extended system of boardwalks provides access to popular attractions such as the Old Faithful geyser.

Yellowstone offers multiple accessible paths, complimentary use of wheelchairs, and accessible fishing on the Madison River at the Mount Haynes Overlook. The park’s website spells out exactly what to expect, accessibility-wise, at all of its major beauty spots (we checked — it’s up-to-date). “Yellowstone is my first choice due to its size and accessibility. Every activity I encountered there was accommodating for wheelchair, mobility vision and hearing challenges,” writes Aileen Joy Walsh of Las Vegas in a recent post on accessibleGO.com. This park-lover also recommends the boat tour at Everglades National Park, and the numerous accessibility features of Sequoia National Park. www.nps.gov/yell

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore in Empire, Mich.

Picture 450-foot-tall sandy bluffs rising alongside 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, with a backdrop of forest. No wonder Sleeping Bear Dunes is considered one of the most beautiful parks in America. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, a 7.4-mile loop, offers stellar views (at 12 overlooks) of Lake Michigan, the Glen Lakes, and the dunes.

Mobility aids are available for guests’ use, including sand wheelchairs and a track chair, an all-terrain, electric powered chair suitable for the Bay View Trail in Port Oneida, and the Railroad Grade Trail in Platte River Campground. To make reservations, visit the Friends of Sleeping Bear Dunes website. Other features include an accessible campsite at D.H. Day Campground, and accessible canoe and kayak transfers and launching on Loon Lake. Accessible parking and toilets are available at four locations within the park; a hard-surfaced, wheelchair-adapted picnic area is also available.

Deep, loose sand makes traversing the beach a difficult proposition, though. The park offers a hard-surfaced beach deck with benches at the Cannery Beach in Glen Haven. To assist guests who have experienced some degree of hearing loss, the park has installed a permanent Assistive Listening Device at the visitor center. The park’s 25-minute film is close-captioned. Portable wireless FM Assistive Listening Devices are available for use with interpretive programs in the visitor center and ranger-led trail walks. www.nps.gov/slbe

It takes a different kind of approach to reach the 53 million Americans with disabilities — but Miriam Eljas, CEO of AccessibleGO, thinks she is getting it right. Launched in 2017 as a hotel booking site built exclusively for people with accessibility needs, the platform recently added flights, rental cars with hand controls, wheelchair van rentals, mobility rentals and concierge ride services for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, all in one place.

According to Eljas, that 53 million include 30 million with a mobility disability, eight million vision, eight million hearing and 11 million cognitive (the total is larger than 53 million because many have multiple disabilities.)

It may seem like a no-brainer to reach out to this sizeable segment — and many do. But according to Eljas, it’s not that simple. The difference is in the follow-through. With every booking, AccessibleGO staff will reach out to the supplier to confirm that the accessibility request will be fulfilled.

For flights, AccessibleGO will contact the airline directly to insure that requests can be accommodated. For car rental, they’ll verify that there are hand controls and spinner knobs; and for hotels that the accessible room is actually available and has the special features that are necessary – like bathtubs with grab bars, refrigerators for medicine, visual fire or smoke detectors and more.

That kind of service may sound like an expensive proposition, but Eljas said a 30% repeat booking rate and retention of lifetime customers compensates for the time investment in making sure that accessibility features are, in fact, in place.

There is a significant awakening happening about accessible travel, said Eljas, with more companies publishing their accessible rooms online and so forth. But the follow-through and execution are often lacking – and that makes for unhappy customers who will not be back.

The biggest issue for many customers, said Eljas, is the lack of trust in the experience. “A traveler will often show up late after a long flight and their accessible room has been given away. We make sure that doesn’t happen.”

In addition, according to Eljas, travelers who ask about accessibility may have to wait a week or so to get a response. For almost all of AccessibleGo’s listings, booking is instantaneous, except in the case of van rentals and wheelchair accessible rides when there is an answer within 24 hours.

AccessibleGO markets itself in traditional ways — with paid advertising, social media and a lot of word of mouth. Also critical is a community forum that, said Eljas, is “the heart and soul” of the operation, with users posting continually with questions and answers about their experiences. “This is a community where people offer support and motivation to those who haven’t traveled in a while or who have recently become disabled.”

If marketers are interested in getting a greater share of this large but complex demographic, the bottom line is that, while honesty and follow-through are always key in a marketing promise, in the world of disabilities they are paramount.

By Lily Girma
January 25, 2024 at 3:15 AM PST

Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Americans with disabilities made up an active, rapidly growing segment of the travel industry. In 2018 and 2019, at least 70% of them (28 million people) collectively spent $58.7 billion on trips, according to a 2020 nationwide study conducted by the Harris Poll. The report, commissioned by Open Doors Organization, an accessible-travel advocacy group, shows that such spending has skyrocketed—up 339%, from $17.3 billion, in 2015. Still, more than 70% of the special needs travelers reported that they encountered major obstacles in dealing with airlines, airports, cruise lines and hotels.

Accessible travel took a hit during the pandemic years, like every other travel segment. And now, with travel spending soaring, a startup focused on accessible vacations aims to better serve the sector.

On Jan. 17, hotel-focused booking platform accessibleGO announced a wide-reaching expansion to make it simpler for travelers with disabilities to plan trips. Having helped them find rooms with up to seven special accessibility features in 180 destinations across the US since 2018, the platform is moving to address nearly every facet of a vacation, from flights to airport transfers and car rentals.

“There was very limited interest in our demographic when we started [in 2018],” says Miriam Eljas, accessibleGO’s co-founder and chief executive officer, who was inspired to create the site after traveling with her late mother, who had multiple sclerosis. “Now, it’s really changed. There’s been this awakening in the travel industry that there is this market—and they want to travel and they have these needs that must be met.” To wit, Eljas says, accessibleGO’s booking volume was four times higher in 2023 than in 2022.

For a special needs traveler, booking a vacation can be far from seamless. It’s not always guaranteed, for instance, that a traveler in a wheelchair will receive prompt service at an airport, whether they’re traveling with a service animal or need assistance to get from the check-in counter to the gate. Even if they obtain the requested room with a roll-in shower or a fridge to store medicine, they might find accessibility features to be insufficient in the same hotel’s lobby and restaurants. And when it comes to transportation around their destination, a rental car might lack the necessary add-on features, while public transit might be short on wheelchair-accessible options.

As the first one-stop shop for accessible travel in the US, accessibleGo is addressing all of this. Book a flight on its site, for instance, and you can add specific special needs requests. A new rental car portal has options from all the major companies, including wheelchair vans and such optional accessibility features as spinner knobs that make it easier to steer with one hand. Users can book wheelchair-accessible taxi services and rent mobility accessories and hotel aids like scooters, wheelchairs and hoyer lifts, which help them shift from bed to wheelchair and vice versa.

Part of what complicates the expansion is a continued need for “white glove service,” as Eljas describes it, to ameliorate (if not quite eliminate) blunders by airlines and other providers. While the Americans with Disabilities Act and Air Carrier Access Act legally require buildings and airlines in the US to accommodate wheelchair users in specific and detailed ways, it can be onerous to confirm that they will meet the moment; this usually requires lengthy discussions with customer service. AccessibleGo is taking on that responsibility for every hotel, flight and car rental booking made on its platform. “It’s a core part [of our proposition] that makes people trust us and understand we’ve got their back,” says Eljas. “And that’s a very big part of [working with] this demographic—making them feel confident and safe.”

Eric Lipp, founder and executive director at Open Doors Organization, says this service is accessibleGo’s biggest competitive advantage. “A lot of times information doesn’t get conveyed from a third-party vendor [such as Booking.com or Expedia] to the carrier, cruise line or hotel,” he explains.

AccessibleGo is not alone in trying to address this large but overlooked market. Competition now includes Wheel the World, which offers hotels, activities and group tours in 117 global destinations, and Responsible Travel, a marketplace for multiday tours whose website includes a filter for accessible itineraries around the world. Such services are growing at pace with accessible advocacy: Groups like the International Air Transport Association, International Civil Aviation Organization and Airlines for America are all discussing accessibility with greater urgency.

AccessibleGo thus faces challenges to dominate the market. It must grow quickly to serve international destinations and to add activities and tours before competitors catch up on the airline and car rental fronts. The company is scaling-up its reach by partnering with Arc, a nonprofit organization with 800 nationwide chapters for people with developmental disabilities. In exchange for marketing access to Arc’s sizable user base, accessibleGo is creating a give-back program to support the nonprofit. It hopes to replicate this model with other nonprofits in the near future.

Meanwhile, with Open Doors’ next national study already underway, the market for accessible travel seems certain to keep growing.

“I can tell you—just looking at the number of wheelchair pushers [who help disabled travelers] at airports,” says Lipp. “We are out in pretty full force.”

NEW YORK, N.Y., Jan. 17, 2024 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) – accessibleGO, the leading accessible travel platform, today unveiled a series of enhanced products and services to make all aspects of travel more accessible and inclusive for people with disabilities. Now in addition to hotels, customers can book flights, rental cars with hand controls, wheelchair van rentals, mobility rentals, and concierge ride services for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, all in one place. Additional features will be introduced in the coming months.

At accessibleGO, disrupting the travel booking process extends beyond the initial reservation. Once a booking is made, an accessibleGO team member contacts the provider to confirm accessibility requests can be accommodated. This key differentiator provides peace of mind for customers and their travel companions that specific needs will be met.

“In a world where traveling with accessible needs can feel totally inaccessible, we are committed to doing all we can to empower travelers with disabilities as they plan their trips,” said Miriam Eljas, co-founder and CEO of accessibleGO. “We are excited about the progress we’ve made with our partners in the disability community, and look forward to continuing to improve the travel booking process for people with accessibility needs and their travel companions so they can travel freely and with confidence.”

The new features on accessibleGO.com include:

• Flights: In addition to booking flights, customers can specify what they require assistance with. accessibleGO will contact the airlines directly to confirm the accessibility requests can be accommodated.
• Car Rentals: Customers can request unique accessibility features including car hand controls and spinner knobs, which will be confirmed on their reservation by accessibleGO within five business days.
• Wheelchair Van Rentals: Customers now have access to the widest national coverage of wheelchair van rentals via agreements with national and regional partners.
• Mobility Rentals: Through a partnership with Scootaround, customers can book mobility products including scooters, wheelchairs, hoyer lifts, hospital beds and recliners through accessibleGO.
• Concierge Ride Services for Wheelchair-Accessible Vehicles: In partnership with Jayride, accessibleGO is offering wheelchair accessible rides, including airport transfers, hotel pickups and general travel services, ensuring customers will have the right vehicle with a reliable service provider with 24/7 support by Jayride’s customer service team.

Travelers can also book an accessible hotel, resort or motel worldwide on accessibleGO’s one-of-a-kind hotel booking platform, which also includes proprietary accessibility information on more than 6,000 hotels in more than 180 cities across the U.S. Other benefits include exclusive discounted rates up to 60 percent off for members and an unparalleled customer service experience that confirms accessibility requests including rooms and special features such as roll-in showers, ADA bathtubs with grab bars, refrigerators for medicine, visual fire or smoke alarms, and more.

accessibleGO’s robust booking engine is complemented by an engaged community of travelers worldwide with all different kinds of disabilities, where questions can be asked, personal stories and experiences are freely shared, and trusted recommendations and tips are posted from people with accessible travel needs along with their caregivers.

To book travel or to join and engage with the accessibleGO community, visit accessibleGO.com.

About Tourist Access Ltd. dba accessibleGO

accessibleGO is the leading accessible travel platform in the U.S. for people with disabilities to book accessible hotel rooms, flights, car rentals with hand controls, wheelchair van rentals, mobility rentals, and concierge ride services for wheelchair-accessible vehicles. accessibleGO also offers proprietary accessibility information on more than 6,000 U.S. hotels, along with exclusive discounted rates up to 60 percent off for members and an unparalleled customer service experience that confirms accessibility requests. The robust booking engine is complemented by a dynamic community of travelers with similar circumstances who share information and inspiration with each other.

Visit https://accessiblego.com/ for more information.

There are 53M Americans who have a disability. They spend over $29B annually on travel. Despite these large numbers, there is no one‐stop source to fill the important needs of this demographic. accessibleGO is a travel platform that offers bookings with accessibility data, reviews written by people with disabilities and a community offering accessibility information and support for like‐minded individuals needing the same services. The platform is operational, and following successful consumer marketing tests, accessibleGO quickly experienced 50,000 signups in a few months and saw a repeat bookings rate double the industry average.

“My relationship with Rick goes back many years to when he was a founder of WeeSchool. He is the perfect person for the task at hand”, says Richard Wolpow, Managing Partner. “Rick has been working with the athletes of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams for over 25 years and has been an integral part of the strategic & growth strategy for the Company and is working on bringing recognized Paralympic athletes and organizations to help support the mission. He has been working closely with Miriam Eljas, Co-founder and CEO even before Red Door finalized its investment. I am honored that Rick accepted the position and excited about the Company’s path and commitment to its mission”, Wolpow concluded.

Rick Simms stated ““I am honored and excited to represent Red Door’s Board of Directors Seat with accessibleGO.” For many years I have been working with the elite athletes of the US Paralympic Alpine, Nordic and Snowboard teams. I also have a family member with disabilities. I know the difficulties disabled individuals and their families experience with travel. I also know the power of travel in the overall wellbeing of individuals with disabilities and their families. accessibleGO is filling a huge need in this space including community involvement, collectively providing input on travel experiences, etc. accessibleGO showcases the power of travel and solves the difficulties around accessibility. I am excited to be on this journey with Red Door and accessibleGO”, Simms concluded.

“We are delighted that Red Door Capital Partners has appointed Rick Simms onto our board,” says Miriam Eljas, Co-founder & CEO. “Rick’s involvement in the disability community with paralympic athletes has been a major advantage for us and we are so glad to benefit from his expertise. We are looking forward to collaborating with Rick and actualizing the company’s vision.” Eljas concluded.

About Red Door Capital Partners LLC

The Red Door team is a team of industry experts from private equity operations, investment, wealth management, and legal services, that have joined together to identify, invest in, and manage private equity transactions. Many Red Door opportunities are investing side-by-side with institutional funds and family offices with terms and safeguards in place typically only provided to institutional investors. Red Door partners with founders and entrepreneurs that seek real capital partners to create collaborative relationships, deploy strategic oversight, implement governance and professionalize operations – all to ensure our family of investors are protected and prepared for a successful exit transaction. For more information on Red Door and its latest transactions visit www.reddoorcp.com

About Tourist Access Ltd. dba accessibleGO

accessibleGO is a travel platform for people with disabilities offering bookings, reviews and community. With proprietary accessibility information, an unparalleled booking experience and a community of people with disabilities sharing experiences, accessibleGO is reshaping accessible travel. Our site provides a level of confidence, trust and transparency on accessibility that is unprecedented in the travel industry. Visit accessibleGO.com or email contact@accessibleGO.com to experience our game-changing platform.

About Rick Simms

Rick is a CPA with 30+ years’ experience in all aspects of business consulting. He began his career with KPMG and later was CFO of a Denver based oil and gas exploration company. In 1986 he formed his own CPA firm, working with private and public companies, including as an owner, officer and board member of Data National Corporation, a CRM leader in automotive and retail petroleum companies. After the sale to Ernest and Young Consulting Rick formed Richard Simms PC, providing consulting and financing to early stage and later stage companies. In 2015 Rick founded WeeSchool with William and Julie Clark, the founders of Baby Einstein. WeeSchool developed an app and website for new parents with age-appropriate milestones. The company merged with Teaching Strategies in 2019 and the company was purchased by KKR in 2021. In 2022 Rick started working with accessibleGO, leveraging his network to bring spokesmen, supporters and partners to the company. Rick is also an advisor and investor with Red Door Capital Partners.

Rick has been involved in various nonprofit endeavors including Chairman of the Board of the Mental Health Center of Denver. In 1995 he was a founder of No Excuses Unlimited, a nonprofit formed to assist the athletes of the Paralympic Alpine, Snowboard and Nordic Teams. Since inception No Excuses Unlimited has provided over 2.5 million of funding to the Paralympic athletes.

There are 53M Americans who have a disability. They spend over $29B annually on travel. Despite these large numbers, there is no one‐stop source to fill the important needs of this demographic. accessibleGO is a travel platform that offers bookings with accessibility data, reviews written by people with disabilities and a community offering accessibility information and support for like‐minded individuals needing the same services. The platform is operational, and following successful consumer marketing tests, accessibleGO quickly experienced 50,000 signups in a few months and saw a repeat bookings rate double the industry average.

Company milestones include: launch of booking engine powered by the Priceline Partner Network, creation of accessible travel guides for all major US cities, won the booking.com regional startup competition, formation of partnerships with disability entities including Open Doors Organization, Scootaround & Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation, as well as breaking of target to grow from 5,000 registered users to 50,000 in 6 months, conducted consumer marketing validation tests resulting in a 32% repeat bookings rate, double that of the industry average.

“Red Door is so excited to be part of the opportunity,” says Richard Wolpow, Managing Partner. “It’s amazing the level of interest we have received. I was also amazed to learn how many people are peripherally connected to friend or family members that regularly experience the hurdles of travel for the disabled. Knowing that Miriam Eljas, Co-founder and CEO has experienced this firsthand her entire life with her mother only further supported that the right team is at the helm. We are already working on bringing recognized Paralympic athletes and organizations to help support the mission. I am deeply proud of everyone that is making the commitment to turn accessibleGO into a huge success, Yashe Koach to you all,” Wolpow concluded.

“I have been working with the athletes of the US Olympic and Paralympic teams for over 25 years”, says Rick Simms, an Advisor with Red Door. “I know the difficulties disabled individuals experience in travel. I also know of the power of travel and activities in the overall wellbeing for individuals with disabilities. accessibleGO is filling a huge need in this space, and the need for community involvement regarding the impact of travel and solving the difficulties. I am looking forward to working with Red Door and the accessibleGO team!”

“The passion and commitment of Red Door to be part of our vision for transforming travel for people with disabilities is truly exciting to our entire team. We are delighted to bring Red Door on board,” says Miriam Eljas, Cofounder and CEO, accessibleGO. “As we begin to scale up our community growth and drive traction for our platform, we are thrilled to be solving these pain points that exist for millions of people with disabilities when they travel.”

About Red Door Capital Partners LLC

The Red Door team is a team of industry experts from private equity operations, investment, wealth management, and legal services, that have joined together to identify, invest in, and manage private equity transactions. Many Red Door opportunities are investing side-by-side with institutional funds and family offices with terms and safeguards in place typically only provided to institutional investors. Red Door partners with founders and entrepreneurs that seek real capital partners to create collaborative relationships, deploy strategic oversight, implement governance and professionalize operations – all to ensure our family of investors are protected and prepared for a successful exit transaction. For more information on Red Door and its latest transactions visit www.reddoorcp.com or contact Mike Warren, Senior Vice President of Strategy & Partnerships at mwarren@reeddoorcp.com.

About Tourist Access Ltd. dba accessibleGO

accessibleGO is a travel platform for people with disabilities offering bookings, reviews and community. With proprietary accessibility information, an unparalleled booking experience and a community of people with disabilities sharing experiences, accessibleGO is reshaping accessible travel. Our site provides a level of confidence, trust and transparency on accessibility that is unprecedented in the travel industry. Visit accessibleGO.com or email contact@accessibleGO.com to experience our game-changing platform.