Ann Arbor Receives Wheel the World Status for Accessibility

The travel-accessibility platform Wheel the World has awarded its Destination Verified status to Ann Arbor, Mich., making the growing city the first in the state to achieve that designation — and one of just 31 destinations nationwide. Communities can achieve such status after undergoing a rigorous, third-party accessibility assessment. In Ann Arbor's case, dozens of businesses, attractions and hotels received confidential evaluations that were led by the Disability Network of Washtenaw Monroe Livingston, whose team was trained by Wheel the World.

Once a destination is verified by the organization, the suppliers that were assessed appear on Wheel the World's global travel-booking platform. The site is geared toward individual or family travel, although group trips planned around accessibility requirements also are available. Travelers with accessibility needs can use the site to book anywhere in the world, but the growing "Destination Verified" list allows Wheel the World to provide more detailed accessibility information for locations with this seal of approval.

Making traveler accessibility a priority

The Pure Michigan Accessible Traveler Grant, which made the assessments possible, highlights the region's commitment to accessible tourism for people with physical, cognitive and invisible disabilities. "Accessibility is at the heart of our mission to ensure that travel is accessible to everyone, and all are welcome in Pure Michigan," said Kelly Wolgamott, vice president of Pure Michigan, part of the Michigan Economic Development Corp., in a statement. "We are thrilled to congratulate Destination Ann Arbor on achieving Destination Verified status and will look forward to seeing the positive impact this initiative will have on our efforts to promote accessible and inclusive travel experiences across the state."

While such awareness of accessible tourism is growing, a recent report from the City Destinations Alliance and Destinations International revealed that relatively few destination management organizations have acted. While 59 percent of the 92 DMOs and CVBs surveyed for the Global Accessibility Report have defined accessibility, just 33 percent have implemented an actionable accessibility strategy.

The Wheel the World platform offers a relatively streamlined process for taking first steps, noted Mike Price, Destination Ann Arbor's chief sales and operations officer. For people with disabilities, he said, "Travel anxiety is a real thing when you're trying to figure out where to go, what to do, how to access a space. This is a good starting point. And this tool is not only an incredible benefit for the visitor but it's a local asset, as well. The more businesses, the more partners we have on the platform, the more our community will understand what those accessibility options are at any facility."

Expanding future accessibility strategy

Alex Gossage, executive director of the Disability Network of Washtenaw Monroe Livingston, wants to see efforts such as this build the foundation for a culture of accessibility. "And that looks like people with various kinds of disabilities being able to be in and of the community — being able to participate, recreate, work," he explained. "And I'd like to see a community where when you think about accessibility, it's not how it relates to the ADA. The ADA is a baseline; if you meet it, you're not breaking the law. The ADA is also over 30 years old; we've come a long way since then and we need to be looking beyond that."

Destination Ann Arbor president and CEO Sarah Miller likewise believes the Wheel the World designation is an important beginning — but the community must continue its efforts to be more accessible and inclusive, both for physically challenged and neurodiverse travelers and for community members. "There's a lot of work to be done," she said, "but starting this journey is great. It's a big journey and it will take years, but we're excited about it."