A plugin makes it easy for booking agencies to serve customers with disabilities

The service integrates with booking agencies’ systems – alerting travel providers to travellers’ needs

Spotted: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates there to be around one billion people worldwide living with some type of disability. That is 15 per cent of the global population. For people with disability who have the means to travel, experiences vary greatly, with many locations and booking systems unable to provide a seamless, door-to-door experience that is fully accessible.  

New SaaS platform Travaxy is changing this situation by providing an API for travel agencies that provides a diversity of accessibility information in one place. Travaxy integrates directly with an organisation’s software, allowing booking agents to tailor searches by type and level of disability. The search then returns results of hotels, venues, outings, and more that have indicated they meet the required level of accessibility.

Travaxy’s platform rates hotels based on 90 different accessibility parameters, and automatically alerts airlines to a traveller’s needs. The company provides support to users of the platform to ensure businesses are making full use of the system’s capabilities.

Springwise is increasingly spotting exciting accessibility innovations that make it possible for previously out-of-reach activities or industries to include people with a disability. For example, a cafe chain and coffee brain employs workers with cognitive disabilities, and a multi-sensory smart cane includes safety features to help users navigate busy public spaces.