| Twenty years ago people with disabilities had limited | | | | Increasingly, potential travelers with disabilities can find |
| prospects for traveling. They were often restricted by | | | | specialized agencies or internet resources to assist |
| the inability to travel with the medical equipment they | | | | with their travel needs, such as: |
| required (such as oxygen or dialysis machines), | | | | *access to oxygen or dialysis |
| physical inaccessibility, and prohibitive costs such as | | | | *barrier-free cruises (including accessible tenders and |
| having to pay for an accompanying attendant. | | | | shore excursions) |
| Significant changes in disability rights evolved in North | | | | *licensed companions |
| America with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of | | | | *medical transportation |
| 1973, The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and | | | | *scooter rentals |
| the Canadian ratification of the UN Convention on the | | | | *accessible minibus carriers |
| Rights of Persons with Disabilities on March 11, 2010. | | | | *luggage services |
| The travel industry soon recognized that our aging | | | | *adaptive equipment |
| population would increasingly affect the issue of | | | | *overseas sign language interpreters |
| barrier-free travel. With more baby boomers retiring, | | | | *accessible hotels |
| their disposable income would be up for grabs for the | | | | *assistance with service animals |
| travel agencies that would be able to adapt to meet | | | | *specialized guided tours |
| their mobility and medical needs. More individuals with | | | | Another niche that the travel industry has started to |
| developmental disabilities have integrated into the | | | | promote is vacation home exchanges or investment in |
| workforce, and innovations such as the Canadian | | | | time-shares for travelers with disabilities seeking a |
| Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) have | | | | consistent, reliable vacation experience. Inevitably, the |
| introduced financial stability and retirement savings to | | | | travel industry will cater less to families with children |
| people with disabilities. Altogether, a new and | | | | and more to people with disabilities of all kinds. Those |
| increasingly vocal market has arisen, giving the travel | | | | that ignore this trend will be left behind as travel |
| industry a rapidly- expanding, specialized market to | | | | becomes more inclusive. |
| cater to. | | | | |