Visit Tucson Staff Completes Accessibility Training

Creating opportunities for individuals with disabilities to enjoy a destination is more than a goodwill gesture. It makes financial sense. Research from Open Doors Organization found that U.S. travelers with disabilities spend nearly $50 billion annually on travel, and the total doubles when factoring in companions.

Yet challenges for travelers with special needs continue. Heavy hotel doors, inconvenient room locations, and insufficient shower benches are regular trouble spots.

To better accommodate all visitors, Visit Tucson recently initiated training for its hospitality community via the Wheel the World Academy program. The self-paced video series offers tips on how to offer the best inclusive service for guests with diverse disabilities and accessibility needs.

Laura Neff, destination stewardship manager at Visit Tucson, said the training reinforced the DMO’s belief in being as inclusionary as possible. It also served as a reminder that a tourism bureau alone can’t do it all. “The training further reinforced the importance of training for partners, stakeholders, and hospitality workers citywide to strengthen and breed inclusive culture,” Neff said.

Inspired Insights spoke to Neff about the training process and the importance of addressing the needs of travelers with disabilities.

Can you walk us through Visit Tucson's decision to partner with Wheel the World for accessibility training?

Visit Tucson is dedicated to destination stewardship and creating a type of tourism that is net positive — one that gives back to the community more than it takes. That includes advocating for an accessible and equitable city that reflects the kind, diverse, and welcoming community that lives in and visits Tucson. The initial goal when partnering with Wheel the World was to make accessibility information available and actionable for our stakeholders and partners within Tucson’s tourism industry. The hope is we can continue bettering our city through education and awareness.

Photo Credit: Visit Tucson

What did the training program entail?

The Wheel the World Academy program is a self-paced video-based module program that consists of about 25 videos with short quizzes after each module. The training covers different physical, mental, and cognitive needs and takes about an hour and a half to complete on average. It was perfect for Visit Tucson staff as everyone has varied schedules and workflows, and this training allowed everyone to move at their own pace. So far, 16 staff members are to be certified with those numbers growing.

How has the training transformed Visit Tucson's approach to destination stewardship and accessibility?

This training reinforced a lot of what we already knew and introduced our staff to new and updated concepts in relation to working with folks with different needs. Our staff is now better equipped to facilitate smooth, hospitable experiences during client meetings, events, and other tourism industry-based activities.

From the marketing standpoint, Wheel the World helps Tucson stand out as a verified accessible destination. They’re a trusted resource for travelers with varying needs, so partnering with them helps position Tucson as a welcoming and accessible city. Wheel the World has also partnered with our marketing team to create content directed toward their audience.

Based on your experience, what advice would you give to other destination management organizations considering similar accessibility training?

Our advice to other DMOs who are considering training is to invest in your community. Accessible tourism doesn’t just help visitors; inclusivity helps everyone. Our first step was to look at how we were affecting the tourism industry in Tucson as a whole and how we could improve our footprint when it comes to net positive tourism. This led us to look more distinctly at how people move through our city which led us to more inclusive tourism and accessibility.

Photo Credit: Visit Tucson