Reinventing Travel for All: Why Accessibility Can’t Wait

Accessible business travel is more than a moral imperative: collaboration, a pro-active mindset, and inclusive policies make our industry stronger, more sustainable, and more profitable.

Accessible business travel isn’t just about equality: It’s about sustainability for the entire global business travel industry. As knowledge about accessibility expands, the gap between the needs of disabled travelers and a seamless experience are becoming more and more obvious. And modern technology is making it easier and easier to create adaptive solutions for travelers with needs outside the norm.

By taking a proactive approach to understanding the diverse span of disabilities beyond visible physical disabilities, travel managers across the industry can make a meaningful difference in improving efficacy, inclusion, and sustainability within the business travel industry.

“It is not about the disability, but the ability. Not ‘you cannot’ but how you can,” explained Chairman of the United States Access Board Elver Ariza-Silva during GBTA’s 2025 Sustainability Summit. “Opportunities are everywhere. Creating access to get the opportunities for your business, for the employees, for everyone—that is the most important, vital thing.”

Read on for more insights from Ariza-Silva and the other accessibility experts pushing our industry toward a more inclusive, effective, and sustainable future.

Accessibility Begins at Home

“Everyone needs some kind of accessibility to get from Point A to Point B. Directly or indirectly, travel relies on accessibility, and that’s the reason accessibility cannot wait or be ignored,” says Ariza-Silva, who suffers from Polio. “My journey for traveling begins not when I arrive at the airport nor the train station, but when I am about to open the door of my apartment and leave. I must be sure that I have enough power on my scooter to go, that the building’s elevator is working correctly, that there are no barriers or obstacles on the streets–the list continues.”

As Ariza-Silva makes clear, accessibility needs begin before travel actually starts, underscoring the vital importance of accessibility policies and protocols within businesses that rely on travel. Similarly, embedding accessible technology into websites, cell phone apps, and screen readers is crucial to ensuring travel is possible for all.

“Technology shouldn’t be a barrier, it should be an enabler,” says Emmanuelle Casado, Sustainability Solutions Senior Lead at Amadeus. “It’s important to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines which provide a standard applicable for any digital platform.”

Casado recommends considering the entire scope of digital accessibility guidelines available, including color schemes, contrast, and how screen readers interact with websites. Similarly, travel kiosks should contain accessibility features so all travelers can access information quickly and efficiently.

“What so often happens, because travel in business has so many challenges, is the person with disability might not make the trip. They might stay home,” says John Sage, CEO of Sage Inclusion. “You’re not getting the most out of them, but if your approach was a little more proactive the ROI would be there.”

A Proactive Approach That Works

To deliver accessible travel solutions and forge a path for an accessible business travel future, a proactive approach is crucial.

“People with disabilities need to be more visible,” says Ariza-Silva, adding that accessibility protocols should be developed in tandem with people requiring adaptive solutions. “People with disabilities must be at the table from design to deployment, like a three-legged stool.”

Sage recommends implementing accessibility training across organizations to give all stakeholders an understanding of existing business travel barriers. From understanding the force needed to open hotel and conference room doors to implementing adjustments for safety in bathrooms, knowledge about how, when, and where accessibility issues arrive is key to developing flexible, efficient solutions.

“Any sustainable business manages their risk. And often when it comes to employees traveling with disabilities, those risks are not managed very well,” says Sage, who also suggests embedding sustainability requirements into RFPs and proposals for vendors. “It really shouldn’t be the responsibility of the disabled person to make travel accessible.”

Requiring vendors to build accessible solutions into new programs would ensure accessibility becomes the norm, rather than a niche solution. By approaching solutions together, we can begin to create an industry where business travel is an option for all people because adaptive solutions will exist throughout journeys.

“The proactive approach is the only solution that really works,” says Sage. “It’s evaluating the locations where you send people before they ever tell you that they’re going to those locations. And a disabled person wants to go there, so be proactive.”

The Accessibility Toolkit, developed by GBTA Foundation in collaboration with the Inclusion & Culture Committee and the Accessibility Task Force, is a guide to help travel managers and buyers get started on creating more accessible policies and practices in their business travel programs. It includes recommendations based on industry best practices around travel policy, traveler communication, supplier engagement, and point-of-sale. The toolkit also lays out the key challenges in accessible business travel and how the industry can collaborate on a path forward. Travel buyers, TMCs, consultants, TMCs/OBTs, and suppliers should use this toolkit as a guide to inspire action, both in improving accessibility in individual programs but also in the collective effort to create a seamless travel landscape for all business travelers.

“Collaboration, community input and education make the change enduring,” says Ariza-Silva. As we look to the future of travel, we must ensure people with disabilities are co-creators, not afterthoughts.”

Partnership opportunities are available for organizations willing to support GBTA Foundation Accessibility program. Please reach out to Cady Wolf for more details.