As we leave July, the month the US celebrates the signing of the Americans with Dis abilities Act with Disability Pride Month, Wheel the World, the expert solution for accessible travel is thrilled to announce that Marine Discovery Center has joined our Destination Verified Program. This partnership underscores our shared commitment to making travel accessible for everyone.

Mission: To empower people with disabilities to explore the world without limits.

Vision: A world where every place is accessible for everyone.

Our Solution: Wheel the World combines a two -sided marketplace with an Online Travel Agency to meet demand and an Accessibility Management System for supply. This comprehensive approach ensures that people with accessibility needs can find and book hotels and experiences with all the necessary accessibility details on wheeltheworld.com.

Destination Verified Program Executive Summary:
Despite the American Disability Act (ADA) being implemented over 30 years ago, the United States still faces significant accessibility challenges. Barriers exist in people's mindsets, infrastructure, and the availability of accurate information and service s for those with disabilities. Unfortunately, 8 out of 10 Americans with disabilities have negative experiences when traveling due to the lack of accessibility information and specialized services tailored to their needs. This affects 15 million travelers with accessibility needs, who embark on over 40 million trips annually, spending over $23 billion annually.

To address this critical issue, Wheel the World was founded in 2019. We have created an inclusive online booking platform for travelers with disabilities and seniors to travel the world.

By digitizing accessibility information from the travel industry and providing an accessible user experience, Wheel the World allows users to book hotels and tours that match their accessibility needs. We are headquartered in San Francisco, California, and operate in over 250 destinations across 50 countries worldwide.

About Destination Verified and Its Goals:
The Destination Verified Program is a seal of approval for travel destinations and their local partners to take action on their accessibility. The objective is to allow future visitors with accessibility needs and local communities to travel confidently to our verified destinations and their local partners (Hotels, Tours and Activities, Convention Centers, Vineyards, Restaurants, and more). By raising and assessing accessibility information and training local partners, we create frictionless products for people with disabilities to visit them with worry -free travel.

How the Destination Verified Program Works:
Wheel the World verifies destinations by sending carefully trained Mappers to visit and assess accessibility information using our WebApp (Accessibility Mapping System) to collect over 200 data points of accessible information. As we gather this information, we provide recommendations for improving infrastructure and offer training access through our E -learning platform. This enables local partners to understand more about disabilities and accessibility, ensuring their products are ready to be booked on wheeltheworld.com.

Each partner in our program will receive notifications to remind them to complete training and take action on the assessments provided. This continuous effort ensures that destinations become increasingly accessible.

How We Do It:
● Raise and assess accessibility information from travel services at your destination.
● Provide e-training for local partners to learn how to improve.
● Generate a directory of accessible travel services with a simple booking solution
through wheeltheworld.com.
● Promote your destination and its accessible travel offerings to communities of people
with disabilities.

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About Wheel the World
Wheel the World is an online travel booking company dedicated to empowering people with disabilities, seniors, and their families to explore the world without limits. We offer a wide range of travel options, including places to stay, things to do, multi -day private trips, and group tours in over 250 destinations across 50 countries worldwide.

Our platform provides detailed and verified accessibility information, ensuring that travelers can make informed decisions and enjoy worry-free experiences.

Join Us in Making the World Accessible:
We are excited to work with the Marine Discovery Center to make it a leading example of accessible travel. Together, we can create a world where every place is accessible for everyone.

For more information, please visit wheeltheworld.com or contact Arturo at arturo@wheeltheworld.com

About Marine Discovery Center
The Marine Discovery Center’s mission is “To protect and restore Florida’s coastal and Indian River Lagoon ecosystems through education, research, and community stewardship and our vision is to promote a healthy coastal ecosystem for all, forever. “

 

Media Contact:

Shonna Green, Director, Marketing & Development

386.428.4828.