Industry Case Studies

The following case studies have been prepared by buyers and suppliers in the business travel industry with strong accessibility initiatives. They include a description of their accessibility initiatives, how they were developed, lessons learned along the ways, and calls to action for the industry. Please review these case studies to determine what might be relevant for your company or program, and reach out to the companies listed for more information

Advito: Elevating Corporate Travel Communications with Enhanced Accessibility and Inclusion 

Credit: Engage by Advito Marketing Consultant

Advito is the consulting arm of BCD Travel, specializing in transforming corporate travel programs. Employing an intelligence-driven framework, Advito dynamically manages supplier spend and traveler behavior, ensuring efficient travel programs that meet the needs of all stakeholders. Through smart analytics, unique supplier strategies, and integrated traveler engagement, Advito elevates travel programs to new heights of sustainability, savings, and satisfaction. Within our specialized practice area, Engage by Advito, we leverage dynamic communication strategies to effectively achieve organizational objectives, drive employee engagement, and enhance overall employee interactions. 

Collaboration is Key 
Given our role as consultants serving diverse organizations, we engage closely with our clients to identify their accessibility requirements. Our collaboration typically commences with a strategy development workshop aimed at delving into our client's company culture, perceptions, target audiences, communication channels, and program objectives. The outcomes of this workshop serve as the foundation for establishing key goals and messaging aligned with the overarching strategy. We often recommend conducting a comprehensive policy review and revision and performing an asset audit to ensure commonly used communications are digitally accessible through features such as alternative text, appropriate color contrast, and closed captioning for videos. We have also created tips and guides for a more accessible traveler experience.  

Stakeholder Engagement and Endorsement 
Securing stakeholder endorsement for prioritizing accessibility is pivotal for implementing best practices. This requires articulating the advantages and significance of accessibility, aligning accessibility objectives with organizational goals, and educating on potential ramifications related to traveler experience, legal adherence, and brand perception. Here are some ways these can be achieved:  

1. Articulate Accessibility Advantages and Significance: 
   • Develop comprehensive documentation outlining the benefits and importance of accessibility in all aspects of the operations. 
2. Align Accessibility Objectives with Organizational Goals: 
   • Conduct a review of current organizational objectives and strategize on how accessibility goals can complement and enhance them. 
   • Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the alignment of accessibility initiatives with broader organizational goals. 
3. Educate on Potential Ramifications: 
   • Develop training materials or workshops to educate employees on the potential consequences of neglecting accessibility, such as negative impacts on traveler experience, legal compliance issues, and brand reputation. 
   • Provide case studies or real-life examples to illustrate the significance of accessibility in different contexts. 
4. Address Traveler Experience: 
   • Implement regular assessments and feedback mechanisms to gauge traveler experiences related to accessibility. 
   • Develop action plans to address any identified gaps or areas for improvement in the traveler experience. 
5. Ensure Legal Adherence: 
   • Conduct regular audits to ensure compliance with accessibility laws and regulations. 
   • Stay updated on evolving legal requirements and adjust organizational practices accordingly. 
6. Manage Brand Perception: 
   • Develop a proactive communication strategy to highlight the organization's commitment to accessibility. 
   • Engage with diverse stakeholders, including advocacy groups and communities, to foster a positive brand image related to accessibility initiatives. 

Challenges and Implementation Roadblocks 
We have faced a few challenges in our client engagements including the necessity to ensure inclusivity across all disabilities, navigating delicate conversations with individuals who may be hesitant to disclose their condition(s), and limited stakeholder support which results in de-prioritization of accessibility initiatives. Our approach to addressing these challenges exhibited variability; however, fostering trust and demonstrating empathy emerged as two effective methods in navigating them. By working closely with internal Employee Resource Groups and Human Resources, you could identify where the needs are and how to navigate them.  

Success Metrics 
Success is evaluated on a case-by-case basis and hinges upon the effectiveness of the strategy, adherence to the client-set benchmarks, and achievement of the key objectives. As part of our standard practice, we integrate engagement analytics and reporting mechanisms to fine-tune messaging and pinpoint areas of improvement and achievement. We leverage the quantitative data provided by the communication channels via URL clicks, page visits and other KPIs set by the client. Additionally, routine consultations with key stakeholders and/or the formation of a focus group provide qualitative data to assess

Roadmap for Future Improvements
We hope that an increasing number of organizations will leverage our specialized Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) and digital accessibility services to address the growing importance of heightened awareness of accessibility - not only within the realm of travel but also across other business divisions. We currently have an Advito team member on the GBTA Inclusion and Culture Committee who has been championing this topic of accessibility. DE&I is an ongoing topic of conversation we have from a consultative perspective with our clients.  ​​​

Recommendation for Travel Buyers 
Prioritizing accessibility is crucial as it aligns with most clients’ primary concern in business travel: duty of care. Consider conducting a brief pulse poll or leveraging other departments such as Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and Human Resources (HR) to explore avenues for implementing a strategy that meets the needs of your travelers. Also, consider utilizing Advito's Engage practice to develop a custom communication strategy based on accessibility best practices.

Case Study – Advancing Duty of Care with Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I)  

By taking a travel-first approach, Advito delivered multi-layered deliverables to support more inclusive travel for all.
​​​
Challenge:

The client needed to communicate sensitive information to their travelers about how to stay safe and secure while on the road, as part of their duty of care concerning DE&I.​ 

The challenge was to make travel resources available to all employees with comprehensive tips, looking through a DE&I lens to ensure they feel secure as their true, authentic selves while traveling.​ 

Approach:

Advito created a custom intranet page to house information about DE&I for the client’s employees aimed at encouraging them to be conscientious.  

We created unique infographics for travelers with tips and guides on how to travel safely on behalf of the company, specifically targeted towards women, LGBTQ+ and disabled travelers. 

Results:

This campaign resulted in the effective communication and implementation of all the deliverables outlined in the approach, including a comprehensive set of infographics. 

The messaging on respect and consideration for the safety and security of employees traveling for business was well received. The feedback from travelers and stakeholders was overwhelmingly positive. 

Jump to Top of Page

Alaska Airlines: Working to Make Travel More Accessible for All

Credit: Steve Nelson, Accessibility & Diversity Program Manager, Alaska Airlines 

Accessibility in Air Travel – The Problem Statement
Airline travel can be challenging and cumbersome for individuals with disabilities, especially business travelers with tight and demanding schedules and little time to plan. Alaska Airlines is a major US airline that offers a premium product experience across several different travel points, making it an ideal option for business travel. Like many airlines, Alaska has several different lines of business that each play a part in accessibility.  An airline's unique challenge is that the “travel experience” goes far beyond the aircraft itself. A Business traveler begins their journey with an airline the moment they book their flight, then they must travel through the airport, navigate potential gate changes, board and fly on the aircraft, and then gather any luggage or materials before heading to their destination. 

Creating a Central Function and Asking the Experts
Alaska sought to make this experience more seamless by connecting all of the many divisions and stakeholders who each manage a segment of the travel experience through a central “Disability Office.” The Disability Office includes employees with many years of experience supporting accessibility work in several industries and is led by a manager with Autism. This is important because while many people advocate for accessibility and understand the lack of access is a problem, only those with the lived experience of navigating an inaccessible world will truly be able to help you uncover problems. For example, it may seem (to a sighted person) that adding Braille text to any situation will make that situation accessible for a blind individual, however, very few blind individuals read Braille. Additionally, Braille requires the use of two hands, so if you are putting Braille placards in an area where the user will likely not have free hands, it is likely not the best accessible option. A sighted person may not know this, but a blind person will. The blind community can help guide your thinking so that you always apply the best tools and options.  

The office provides consultation services and guidance, connects stakeholders with disability nonprofits, and gathers focus groups of travelers with disabilities who can share their experiences and guide the development of new technologies and improvements to existing policies and procedures. The key is to always seek best practices and guidance from the communities we are looking to serve.

The Process of Creating a Disability Office
Forming the disability office began with a proposal highlighting the unique challenges travelers with disabilities experience. It looked at other organizations, both within and outside of the travel sector, and compared the advances those groups have made compared to the fairly stagnant accessibility evolution seen in the airline industry. There is an adage made popular during the COVID-19 Pandemic within the disability community that reads, “Nothing about us, without us.” This adage suggests that folks with disabilities should always be involved in strategy and decisions involving their access.  We used this phrase and some supporting data found through online forums to advocate, not only for the office but to ensure people close to the disability community were involved. Leaders at Alaska were thrilled to approve the formation of the new office and placed it under the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion arm of the People Team.

Developing an Accessibility Handbook and Inclusive Design Methodologies
Since its inception, the Disability Office has worked with an accessibility nonprofit to develop guides that outline Alaska’s ambitious accessibility goals in the built environment. These guides include images, outlines, and measurements needed to exceed basic regulations and create a more efficient and comfortable travel experience. Part of this process included surveying travelers to learn more about their specific needs and to help us understand our opportunities. The images and notes in the guide make it easier for planners and designers to visualize what an ideally accessible space should look like. 

Changes to the check-in and bag drop experience have already started to roll out, and travelers can be sure that each new element that is added to the travel experience has been tested by people with various disabilities because all travelers deserve to travel with dignity and freedom. Some of these tools include the electronic bag tag, which allows guests to quickly drop off their luggage after they arrive at the airport. The activation is done by simply touching the phone used for check-in to the electronic bag tag, which has an antenna that powers and reads the information transmitted from the phone. The e-paper bag tag’s screen will then display the guest’s flight information. For travelers who do not use electronic bag tags, self-tag kiosks are available that make the process of tagging luggage as easy as scanning their mobile boarding pass. More changes are coming which will further improve the traveler experience, and the Disability Office has formed a team of travelers with disabilities who are helping designers to better understand their needs. 

Closing Summary
Our tip to anyone involved in the travel process is clear. Include people with disabilities in your decision-making. Create a “standard” for what the traveler should expect from your product, and then ask your audience of people with disabilities how to ensure they are included in that standard. Then - KEEP TALKING to your audience because needs can change over time, and you want to be ahead of those changes. Create a guide with images, measurements, and instructions so that expectations are clear and simple to understand. This will also help to ensure consistency and accuracy. Tell the “why” behind your accessibility efforts so your teams bringing them to life will believe in them – and your travelers will, too. A great way to do this is to update your resources with verbatim statements from your consumers. Share the success stories! . 

Examples from the “Accessible Facilities Handbook”
The Accessible Facilities Handbook is designed to provide guidance when designing or redesigning spaces at Alaska Airlines corporate buildings, or in airports. The guidance is designed to provide solutions that are often more inclusive than what is required by law. The guidance is based on customer feedback and the expertise of the nonprofit organization that helped design the book. Additionally, there is a “quick reference” section that is more focused on legally required accessibility requirements. 

Jump to Top of Page

CWT: Unlocking Accessible Travel

Credit: Stephanie Lewis, Director, Service Design, CWT with contributions from Richard Thompson, Global Head of ESG and Employee Experience, CWT

CWT arranges corporate travel for businesses of all sizes and travelers with various requirements and preferences. Our accessibility program was designed to provide equal access and barrier-free support for travelers with visible and non-visible disabilities. Led by our Global Solutions Design and Change and Execution teams, the program is a natural addition to our broader portfolio of globally consistent, specialized services. 

Collaboration and Listening
We collaborated with prospects, customers, and third-party consultants to fully understand traveler requirements and the current accessibility challenges in business travel. Key themes were identified during the discovery and scoping discussions:

• Individual difference: Support should be tailored to the traveler's unique requirements, not a disability. 
• Respecting the traveler’s privacy: The ability to self-disclose needs is vital. 
• Needs must be met throughout the booking process and the trip. 
• Concerns about suppliers not receiving or acknowledging special assistance requests. 

The success of this initiative came from the collaborative efforts of various in-house and third- party contributors: 

• The Traveler Experience team, responsible for delivering the service globally 
• The Learning and Development team, creating our training materials 
• The Product and Technology team, who adapted technologies to support the booking workflow 
• The Sales and Customer Management teams, who facilitated various discussions and workshops 

Understanding the Bigger Picture 

As a Travel Management Company (TMC), our role is to source, book, and confirm accessible travel services, but there are other stakeholders with equal impact and accountability in ensuring accessible travel. 
 
Suppliers are ultimately responsible for delivering the services we book, and travelers have a pivotal role in disclosing individual needs and measuring the success of our program through post-trip feedback and insights. 
 
Meticulous planning and door-to-door support are vital components of our offering. In addition to sourcing accessible transport and lodging services, we increased our scope to accessible ground transportation solutions. Plus, the airport became a key player. Understanding accessibility services for departure, arrival, and transient locations is crucial to creating the perfect trip. Every service is reviewed, booked, and verified to ensure needs are accurately recorded. We reconfirm with suppliers 24-48 hours before travel and provide dedicated contact details to special assistance teams if support is needed on-trip. 

Training, Communication, Consistency, and Respect  
We focused heavily on counselor training, creating a 60-minute interactive training module, delivered in three languages, that includes tactical/process training and enhances communication skills. 
 
We reviewed many online resources, such as The Hidden Disabilities Sunflower, to better understand the challenges travelers experience, and develop our program accordingly. Our aim was to enhance skills such as empathy and awareness, communicating with respect, avoiding ableist language, and building trust to reduce the anxiety experienced by many travelers, while also looking to simplify the booking process for a smoother and more efficient booking experience. We interviewed counselors familiar with booking accessibility services, and encouraged employees with disabilities to share their experiences and provide feedback on the training materials. 
 
While stakeholder engagement and communication were critical in driving internal change, the development of our special assistance program was led by increased customer demand, both for existing customers and for prospects placing more emphasis on inclusivity during the bid phase. 
 

While creating the offering, we discovered some recurring issues for travelers with disabilities. First, there is a lack of consistency in accessing and booking services across suppliers, making navigating as a travel booker particularly challenging. Take the example of a wheelchair user. Often there are forms to be completed, which vary between suppliers. They will ask very specific questions around traveler needs. Some suppliers may require a signed physician note, but others don’t.  
 
Language used by suppliers is also inconsistent, making it difficult to find accessibility services and booking processes. For instance, while accessibility services may be available via customer services teams, some use the terminology “special assistance” while others may refer to “support” or “disability assistance”. Even check-in time recommendations aren’t consistent for special assistance, with recommendations of anywhere between 60 minutes and three hours, depending on the supplier.  
 
These inconsistencies make the booking process lengthy and complex, negatively impacting the overall experience for travelers. So, our response was to create a globally accessible digital repository that provides a single access point to accessibility information for our counselor base. This tool has significantly increased our teams' productivity and smoothed the booking process for travelers. 
 
Another hurdle surrounded the reliance on self-disclosure of needs. Needs can be permanent, temporary, situational, and they can change over time. We were keen to provide an unintrusive solution where travelers weren’t forced to disclose their needs during every interaction with us. To do this meant some technology development. We adapted our global profile tool to allow travelers to manage their details directly in their profile, which counselors routinely access. This ensures needs are accounted for during every booking and trip amendment, eliminating the requirement for repeated self-disclosure. 

Just the Start

We launched the initial version of our program in the first quarter of 2024, and the feedback has been positive. We have collected input from travelers using the special assistance program, plus insights from travel managers involved in its development. 
 
An accurate measure of success is how the user experiences our offering, and we closely monitor traveler feedback to capture insights and improvement opportunities post-trip. We see this as an iterative approach, and the voice of the customer will continue to drive the evolution of our roadmap. 
 
The first version of our special assistance program focused on travelers with disabilities, reflecting the biggest demand we hear from customers and prospects around accessibility today. However, we recognize that accessibility is broader than this, so the model was designed with scale in mind —we will continue to expand it to incorporate additional traveler demographics with emerging customer demands.  
 
Providing accessible travel solutions is a collective industry-wide responsibility, and consistency is crucial in getting this right. Our call to action for industry partners is to embrace collaboration and join forces in our quest to provide equal and barrier-free access to all travelers, driving meaningful industry change, together. 

Jump to Top of Page

Driving Inclusivity: How Cytric Easy by Amadeus Implemented Digital Accessibility by Design

Credit: Nicolas Hebrant, Global Product Manager – UX Travel & Accessibility – USA, Amadeus Cytric Solutions

In today's digital landscape, accessibility isn't just a checkbox—it's a fundamental pillar of inclusive design. For Cytric Easy by Amadeus, the journey towards accessibility excellence began nearly five years ago with the inception of a bold vision: to make technology accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities. Since then, the Cytric team has embarked on a transformative journey, driven by a steadfast commitment to integrating accessibility by design principles into its solutions. Over half a decade ago, the Cytric teams took a proactive stance towards inclusivity by initiating the implementation of accessibility by design principles. This journey began with Cytric Travel and Cytric Expense, setting a strong foundation for our commitment to accessibility excellence.

A wider company commitment
Making Cytric accessible is part of our wider company commitment at Amadeus to make travel technology more inclusive. Not only as a reflection of our company’s own values and the importance of embracing diversity and inclusivity, but also a business imperative (according to the World Health Organization (WHO), over one billion people currently experience disability) management was fully onboard with making accessibility a priority for Cytric. 

From Self-Assessment to Preliminary Audit 
Until 2023, the team relied on internal self-assessments to evaluate accessibility compliance. However, recognizing the need for rigorous evaluation, an external preliminary accessibility audit was commissioned in the summer of 2023. The results were revealing—while compliance at the individual page level showed promise, global compliance of main user flows highlighted inconsistencies in implementation across development teams. 

Formation of a Cross-Functional Team and Introduction of a New Role 
In response to the audit findings, the Amadeus Cytric Solutions team took action. We formed a cross-functional team, an ‘Accessibility Center of Excellence’, comprised of product managers, engineers, quality assurance specialists, and user experience (UX) specialists. This team’s goal, guided by the newly created role of Accessibility Compliance Manager, is to ensure better alignment in implementing accessibility requirements across the product portfolio. Additionally, it will be this group’s responsibility to continually monitor Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) evolutions in the coming years and make internal recommendations on our portfolio’s roadmaps. 

Achievements and Progress 
With management support and collaboration, significant progress was achieved within a short timeframe. UX design and R&D development guidelines were refined and standardized to ensure consistency among all the development teams. New Accessibility QA automated tools have been tested and are in the process of implementation. Finally, a substantial number of findings from the accessibility audit were addressed within three months, showcasing commitment to swift action. 
 
Moreover, Cytric-wide awareness of accessibility was raised through non-technical training sessions, empowering employees to champion inclusivity. 
 
As a culmination of these efforts, the team is in the process of securing an official product-wide statement of compliance—a testament to its dedication to accessibility excellence and user- centric design principles. 

Recommendation for Travel Buyers 
Travel, Expense & Accessibility requirements can compete for the same resources which leads to difficult arbitration situations if priorities are not clear. Facilitate cross-functional workshops for your travel/procurement teams with your company’s accessibility experts to align priorities and address conflicting requirements. Clarify accessibility needs, encourage teams to collaborate, and ensure business priorities are aligned for all stakeholders. This collaborative approach will help in defining clearer product-wide priorities for your service providers and ensure quicker solutions are implemented. 

Conclusion
In a world where digital experiences are ubiquitous, accessibility isn't just a feature—it's a necessity. For Cytric Easy by Amadeus, the journey towards accessibility by design has been one of evolution, driven by a relentless commitment to accessibility and innovation. By quickly establishing an Accessibility Center of Excellence with cross-functional representatives, the team ensures a portfolio-wide approach to enhanced user-experiences and technological inclusivity. 

Jump to Top of Page

Designing for Everybody, Accessible by All.

Credit: Sharon Doyle, VP Product and Technology + Tejas Shah, Head of Design, Deem

A critical part of software design and delivery is to ensure your products are accessible to everyone.  In this case study, we will explore tips and tricks that Deem has used to ensure that your company can also provide frictionless experiences for travelers when using your digital products either to search and book travel, or when serving the traveler digitally during their travel journey.  

Why accessibility isn't just nice to have
Making digital spaces accessible is not just a nice-to-have; it's the right thing to do. Period. And that should be your starting point. Accessibility and inclusion can also however give your business a competitive edge, helping you increase revenues by retaining and winning customers who value this focus.  It is also something that your customers (rightly so) ask for.   On top of that several corporations have faced legal actions due to negligence in addressing the accessibility needs of customers. 

Your focus therefore should be about including everyone, and ensuring every traveler can use your services seamlessly, which is just good business. Taking a proactive approach, building and thinking about accessibility from the start, will help you avoid the dark paths of fixing later or, worse still, litigation. 

Creating accessible interfaces
Accessibility requirements span a full spectrum of needs—from permanent disabilities to temporary impairments and situational constraints. Importantly, for the business traveler on a plane, in a car, or at a meeting, your design should consider these diverse contexts to ensure seamless, hassle-free access to your services, no matter the environment.  For example, at Deem we think about vision accessibility moving from a blind and vision-impaired individual (permanent), to a person with a cataract or eye operation (temporary), to a car driver who can't look at their device (situational).  This broad range of accessibility means investment benefits a larger, more diverse audience.  It's not just about covering legal accessibility obligations; it's about improving  digital interfaces and making those improvements usable by all.

A structure that builds accessibility needs from the start
Accessibility design needs to be an integral part of your product delivery.  We recommend you treat accessibility as a set of additional layers in the stack of requirements you research during the design and development process. Your design teams need to evangelize inclusive design practices throughout the organization, training and educating everyone.  For example, we have accessibility checkpoints in our process that include considerations for users with visual, motor, and cognitive impairments and we follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)  where we regularly conduct accessibility audits to identify and address any barriers. 

In product and engineering we recommend to start early with a structured approach, right from the ideation phase.  Have inclusive personas and scenarios to guide all design decisions to account for a range of disabilities. Then test your implementation rigorously throughout the development process.  At Deem we have both automated and manual tests in our process to simulate various disabilities and we conduct testing sessions with users who have disabilities; this is key, never assume and always listen to real users.  
You also want to have a skilled team that has compassion and experience with accessibility design so regular training on latest WCAG versions and best practices as part of your processes will help you build great accessible products.  Most web designers will be familiar with these guidelines but interpreting them correctly can require additional training and experience.  Certifications to become a Web Accessibility Specialist are available for those teams also. 

5 best practices you can adopt 

1. Design for visual clarity: covers people with reduced ability to see, uncorrectable by glasses or medication.  We do this by emphasizing contrast ratios, typography, and whitespace in our visual design.  Our color palettes are carefully chosen to ensure contrast and readability for users with color blindness, while also considering the impact on those with low vision.  
2. Design for visual and motor impairment: covers people with partial or total loss of function of a body part, usually a limb or limbs which may result in muscle weakness, poor stamina, or total paralysis.  Design apps that are compatible with the following:
   • screen readers, VoiceOver, and TalkBack 
   • offer complete keyboard navigation 
   • VoiceControl support (now even better with Natural Language Processing and GenAI), and 
   • responsive layout allowing dynamic text sizes with high-contrast modes.
3. Design for cognitive impairment: covers people with conditions including dyslexia, ADD/ADHD, autism, and brain injuries.  Cognitive impairment can result in a person having trouble remembering, learning new things, and concentrating.  Here we design with a focus on: 
   • clear and simple language 
   • keeping a consistent navigation between mobile and desktop 
   • use the concept of progressive disclosure, making complex information simple to navigate 
   • designing workflows that avoid time sensitivity throughout the experience 
   • animations that reduce motion effects that could be disorienting for users with sensitivities.
      
4. Beyond digital interfaces: We’re also pushing for changes that make the travel experience smoother for everyone. Recognizing the broader spectrum of accessibility, we advocate for the integration of accessibility friendly filters in travel accommodations and beyond.  This area requires data to be available to apply those filters against.  The need for, and support of accessibility-data in the travel industry is not covered in this article but something the travel industry needs to address further. 
5. Test accessibility with users: Finally, get out into the market and test with your users.  See how they respond to your design and learn from how they use your products in different contexts.  Recruiting a diverse group of users with varying levels of impairment can itself be challenging, so start to plan this step early.  Moreover, the tools to conduct usability tests also need to be accessible with flexible testing methods that adapt to users with different needs. 

In many of these best practices the key will be your Design System which needs to include accessibility checklists for language, voice / tone guidelines, and animation guides for your product and engineering teams to use.  For every new design or new UI component, have your team go through these checklists.  Each new feature then needs to be tested thoroughly with users early using prototypes with mockups of the accessible versions like larger font sizes, color contrast tests and voice over labels.  Finally, each component should be completed with QA automated accessibility tests for long term maintenance and regression support. 

Recommendation for Travel Buyers 
Travel, Expense & Accessibility requirements can compete for the same resources which leads to difficult arbitration situations if priorities are not clear. Facilitate cross-functional workshops for your travel/procurement teams with your company’s accessibility experts to align priorities and address conflicting requirements. Clarify accessibility needs, encourage teams to collaborate, and ensure business priorities are aligned for all stakeholders. This collaborative approach will help in defining clearer product-wide priorities for your service providers and ensure quicker solutions are implemented. 

Conclusion
In a world where digital experiences are ubiquitous, accessibility isn't just a feature—it's a necessity. For Cytric Easy by Amadeus, the journey towards accessibility by design has been one of evolution, driven by a relentless commitment to accessibility and innovation. By quickly establishing an Accessibility Center of Excellence with cross-functional representatives, the team ensures a portfolio-wide approach to enhanced user-experiences and technological inclusivity. 

Jump to Top of Page

Salesforce: Enhancing Accessibility in Corporate Travel 

Credit: Kimberly Johnson, Senior Manager, Global Travel Operations & Corporate Aviation, Salesforce 
Amy Wood, Manager, Accessible Events & Real Estate / Travel, Salesforce 

Introducing the TRSA Desk
In today's corporate landscape, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all employees is paramount. Recognizing the unique needs of individuals with disabilities and medical conditions, companies are increasingly implementing initiatives to provide specialized support and accommodations. One such initiative making waves in the realm of corporate travel is the TRSA Desk - Travelers Required Specialty Assistance desk. Designed to cater specifically to employees with disabilities, the TRSA Desk goes above and beyond in facilitating accessible travel for work-related purposes. From booking accessible hotel rooms to arranging travel companions and managing unforeseen disruptions, the TRSA Desk is dedicated to ensuring that employees can navigate their business travels with ease and confidence. 

How Does the TRSA Desk Work?
The process begins when an employee submits a Workplace Accommodation ticket to the Employee Success team, accompanied by proper documentation from their medical provider outlining their specific accommodation needs. Once the accommodation is approved, the Accessibility Manager collaborates with the TRSA Desk to provide the necessary details. 

The TRSA Desk then conducts a one-time intake with the employee to verify their travel requirements, upcoming trips, and any other pertinent information. Following this intake, the TRSA Desk takes the reins, handling all aspects of travel booking and confirmation on behalf of the employee. 

Key Features and Benefits 

• Comprehensive Support: The TRSA Desk offers end-to-end assistance, from initial intake to travel booking and beyond. Employees can rely on the desk to address all their accessibility needs efficiently and effectively. 
• Streamlined Process: By centralizing accessibility-related travel services, the TRSA Desk simplifies the booking process for employees, eliminating the need for multiple points of contact or cumbersome paperwork. 
• Prompt Response: With a focus on fast support, the TRSA Desk ensures that employees' travel accommodations are swiftly confirmed, allowing them to focus on their work responsibilities without undue stress or delay. 

Partnership with American Express Global Business Travel
In a strategic collaboration, the travel team at Salesforce has partnered with American Express Global Business Travel to launch the TRSA Desk in the United States. This partnership underscores Salesforce's commitment to innovation and excellence in employee support services. 

Looking Ahead
As the TRSA Desk embarks on its journey, the goal is to conduct a trial period in the United States to refine the program and optimize the user experience before rolling it out globally. By gathering feedback and fine-tuning the process, Salesforce aims to create a seamless and inclusive travel experience for all employees, regardless of their accessibility requirements. 

At its core, the TRSA Desk embodies Salesforce's values of equality, diversity, and inclusion, ensuring that employees with disabilities and medical conditions can travel safely, comfortably, and with confidence. As the corporate landscape continues to evolve, initiatives like the TRSA Desk serve as a beacon of progress, paving the way for a more accessible and equitable workplace for all. 

Through proactive measures and collaborative partnerships, companies can empower their employees to thrive, both in their professional endeavors and personal well-being. The TRSA Desk stands as a testament to the transformative power of accessibility initiatives in fostering a culture of belonging and support within organizations worldwide. 

Understand Accessibility and Disability Inclusion at Salesforce
Our accessibility efforts extend to how we think about our products, events, and experiences, with the goal of becoming a top employer for people with disabilities. 

We can’t do this alone, and we don’t have all the answers. But we are committed to continually learning and iterating.  

The road to equality, inclusion, and true belonging for people with disabilities is a journey, and we know there is more work to be done. The more we provide people with disabilities access to the same opportunities and experiences, the more inclusive — and stronger — we become.  

As allies and members of the community ourselves, we drive awareness and thought leadership within our company and throughout the industry. 

Within the Salesforce ecosystem, we make sure product teams’ “definition of done” includes — at a minimum — compliance with industry-standard WCAG 2.1 AA. We strive to create an inclusive success-from-anywhere workplace for people with disabilities through a world-class accommodations program, accessible systems and tools, and empowered leaders who champion and advance accessibility within their teams. 

Supplier Engagement: 
At Salesforce, we are blazing new trails in enterprise software every day while focusing on our mission of improving the state of the world and driving Equality for all. Our company-wide commitment to Equality extends to our supply chain. Our suppliers are a critical part of our success and innovation. We work with suppliers that not only share our values, but also operate with integrity, respect, and transparency. 

Traveler Experience and Engagement 
Our one call-to-action for travel managers/buyers around accessibility in business travel would be to prioritize inclusivity in all aspects of travel planning and accommodations. This means actively seeking out and selecting airlines, hotels, transportation services, and venues that prioritize accessibility for individuals with disabilities. Additionally, it’s crucial to engage with travelers to understand their specific needs and preferences, and to ensure that all aspects of the trip, from transportation to accommodation and activities, are accessible and accommodating. By making accessibility a priority in business travel planning, travel managers can create more inclusive and welcoming experiences for all travelers, regardless of their abilities. 

We are proud to partner with Amex GBT on a new desk called The TRSA Desk - Travelers 
Required Specialty Assistance. Once approved to join this desk, they set up an intake call to note all the travelers’ specific needs to make their trip go more smoothly. They offer 24/7 service assisting with everything from what is need for air, ground and hotel. 
 

Jump to Top of Page

United Airlines: Driving Innovation Through Inclusion

Credit: Cari Wurzbacher, Key Account Manager Military & Government, United Airlines; Allegra Pusateri, UX Writing Manager, United Airlines

Our Purpose
Our shared purpose, “Connecting People. Uniting the World,” drives our decision making and is supported by our core4 values – Safety, Caring, Dependability and Efficiency. In action, that means doing the right thing for our planet, our passengers, and our people. We recognize that inclusion propels innovation, which is at the core of every decision we make. Imbedding accessibility into our processes this way both drives us forward and is the right thing to do. After all, when we make the travel experience more accessible for those who need it, we make it better for everyone. 

Our Commitment to Accessible Travel
Our core4 values are at the heart of everything that we do at United. We are welcoming, kind and compassionate to our fellow employees and all our customers. In fact, customers with accessibility requests can contact our Accessibility Desk at any time to discuss their travel needs.  

As an A4A member airline, we’ve pledged to improve accessibility for our passengers.  We know we cannot do this alone, and that means working with our partners and competitors to improve industry-wide standards and help provide a consistent positive experience to customers of all abilities.    

A key pillar of this pledge includes establishing a passenger accessibility advisory group to work directly with the disability community to improve our policies and procedures. Our Accessible Travel Advisory Board (ATAB) was established in 2008 and meets regularly to discuss everything from policy and procedures to technology enhancements — all to ease the travel experience for customers with disabilities. This group encouraged us to create a dedicated Business Resource Group internally – founded as Bridge.  

Employee Engagement
Our employee groups are referred to as Business Resource Groups (BRG) as they have a direct impact on our business. Each BRG has an Executive Sponsor which provides them with an enterprise-wide voice and ability to drive change. In 2019, we proudly launched Bridge, our BRG that is committed to being an ally for all employees and customers with disabilities.  

Through Bridge, our employees help create a work environment where all can strive to achieve their maximum potential. Employees can also support our commitment to being an ally for customers with disabilities. Over the past 5 years, Bridge has grown its membership to over 3,000 employees globally and has been the driving force behind several changes for our employees and customers.  

• Our award-winning inflight entertainment system is now more accessible than ever with consulting and testing from Bridge. We offer the most extensive suite of accessibility features on seatback entertainment, which accommodates any level of visual disability, as well as provides support for travelers with hearing and mobility disabilities.  
• Bridge successfully campaigned to add Braille placards to our planes, which allows travelers with visual impairments to feel how much United cares about their safety and independence. These placards will eventually appear across our entire fleet as part of our fleet modernization plans.  

Many of our Bridge members have their own accessibility story and United’s support from the very top enables them to feel comfortable in sharing their lived experiences and bringing awareness across the organization. For eight consecutive years, United has been recognized as a Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion and earned a top score on the Disability Equality Index benchmarking tool, a joint initiative of the American Association of People with Disabilities and Disability.

Our Social Story
In 2023 we launched our travel Social Story, which is aimed at helping those with invisible disabilities prepare for air travel. Members of Bridge partnered with design, writing and tech teams at United, along with members of the disability community to create this Social Story. In fact, the people featured throughout our Social Story are real United employees and customers who would benefit from its use. Since the launch, we’ve received positive feedback from our customers, family members of employees and even special education teachers who use it as a tool with their students.  

The Wheelchair Challenge
Unfortunately, mishandling wheelchairs and the resulting damage is a continual challenge for airlines across our industry. In 2023, United and United Express carried more than 200,000 wheelchairs around the world. Our employees are committed to making the travel experience more accessible for everyone through the development of several industry-first and leading products. We recently announced our new wheelchair sizing tool that helps customers pre-determine if their wheelchair can fit through the plane doors.  

• The size of aircraft cargo doors varies from plane to plane, so some are better able to handle certain wheelchairs than others. Because of this variation we saw both a need and opportunity for us to enhance the customer experience. What if we were able to let them know how easily their wheelchair could fit through the cargo door of the plane? We tested this idea by first adding the ability to look up what types of planes can fit different wheelchair sizes to the wheelchair information page on united.com, which was a great success. 
• As a next step, we decided to add the wheelchair sizing tool to united.com and the United app as a filter on flight search results. This way customers can enter the dimensions of their wheelchair before selecting a flight and the search results will be labeled to identify which options can fit their chair. Press Release: United Makes It Easier for Customers Who Use Wheelchairs to Book Flights That Can Accommodate Their Personal Device  
• This tool is accompanied by existing mobile technology letting our ramp agents know when a wheelchair is on a flight, along with its weight and size, to ensure they are prepared to receive and load it.  

In addition to working with our Accessible Travel Advisory Board (ATAB), we collaborated with United Spinal Association and Numotion to develop these industry-first initiatives. 

In further recognition of how important the safe transport of mobility devices is to our customers who use them, we’ve convened an enterprise-wide steering committee dedicated to enhancing the process of traveling with one, from shopping for a flight to navigating the airport and on to the plane – with innovative digital tools and caring support from our team members along the way. This committee is made up of specialists from across our organization who are passionate about accessibility at United and travel for all. Their cross-functional collaboration on mobility devices is key in establishing a roadmap for further enhancements across the accessibility spectrum.  
 
As a culmination of these efforts, the team is in the process of securing an official product-wide statement of compliance—a testament to its dedication to accessibility excellence and user- centric design principles. 

Closing
The heart of our purpose lies within the passion and dedication of our own people. Our employees’ contributions and advocacy are highlighted and elevated through BRG participation. The runway for accessible travel is not a race, nor a competition, but a continuous journey of improvement and understanding. Every step we take and enhancement we make on this journey is one closer to a world where the joy and freedom of travel are unbounded and shared by all. Take the first step by starting the conversation, as any successful initiative fundamentally begins with awareness and education.  

Helpful Links
Accessible Travel | United Airlines 
Airlines' Commitment to Accessibility | Airlines For America 
Our Commitment to Passenger Accessibility Final (airlines.org) 
Social Story | United Airlines 
United Makes It Easier for Customers Who Use Wheelchairs to Book Flights That Can Accommodate Their Personal Device 
 

Jump to Top of Page