Wednesday, May 7, 2014

Accessibility Road Trip Followup

About a month ago, I did a blog post about a cross-country trip some college students were planning for this summer, the purpose of which is to document accessibility at hotels and restaurants they encounter on their trip. The group appears to be led by Kunho Kim, who is a paraplegic wheelchair user. All of the group are Harvard students.

I just checked back with the project’s beautiful website, and it appears that they are close to raising their $6,000 goal to pay for the trip. They have also posted their first accessibility review … of a local bed & breakfast. It looks like they will be posting some practice reviews before leaving for their trip.

It is all very nicely done, and the website is very pleasant to visit and browse. I hope that they develop a bit more of a strict rating system, so that it is easier to compare the places they review. Also, I hope they review a variety of different places, with different styles and price levels, including both chain establishments and independently owned motels and restaurants. I do like that their B&B review included aspects of how the staff responded to their accessibility needs.

It seems like a fun and worthwhile project, and definitely worth checking up on over the course of the summer. Plus, imagine how great it would be if this became a trend ... disabled college students road-tripping to document accessibility!

The website is: 20 States On Wheels.