SEAN SCHULTZ
There are two parts to my story–the first is why I travel.
Most would say travel is in my blood: at six weeks old, I moved to Korea for two years, and so it started my growing up as a navy brat. I’ve lived all over the US and the world and 20 school systems! I lived in Iran during the start of the civil war when the Shah left and graduated from high school in Bermuda! Lived on Adak, AL as a pre- teen and went halibut fishing with Dad and friends, as well as Italy for almost 10 years. Worked for airlines for over 10 years and ran family hotels and restaurants in Italy. I have visited most of Europe, much of the Caribbean, parts of Asia and the Middle East and I have been on over 80 cruises and counting!
In the US, I have lived in all 4 corners of the USA plus Alaska and Hawaii, and 
many spots in between. My grandparents were part-time RV-ers using campers, a motorhome, 5th wheel trailers, AND a boat. So I have visited the badlands, Devil’s Tower, Mt. Rushmore, Las Vegas, Redwoods, just to name a few. Who likes Amusement parks? I’ve seen most– Disneyworld, Disneyland, 3 different Sea Worlds, Six Flags in five different states, both Universal Studios (Florida and California) as well as several different Kings Dominion parks. Not to be forgotten is Camp Snoopy, which is inside the Mall of America in Minnesota.
Why the focus on Accessible Travel?
My above-mentioned grandparents drove school buses. Grandma drove a bus for the Hearing and Visually-impaired. I learned a fair amount of sign language from a book she had and I got a chance to practice, I still can do the alphabet. Having been a moving military family I was exposed to many travel situations with disabled kids as well as some adults who had a military injury.
As a teen, I was a competitive swimmer, lifeguard and swim instructor. I was trained and then taught over the years kids and adults who were deaf, blind, and missing limbs, as well as those with mental challenges.
Later, as an airline instructor, I was asked to re-write the CRO (Complaints Resolution Officer) course which deals with the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA), which is basically the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) as it pertains to the airlines. I did this well enough that the Secretary of Transportation sent many of their interns to my class. I also taught many classes on how to assist passengers with special needs through airports and had many guest lecturers from the Disabled community. I was also invited to Washington DC to participate on the large committee to advise, recommend and counsel on changes, additions, and clarification of the ACAA. Hence, I’m “The Guy Who Helped write THE BOOK” (On Accessible Travel)
DAWN BEERS O’BRIEN
My name is Dawn Beers OBrien. I am owner and travel agent for my company Wheelie Fun Cruise and Travel, LLC. To give a little background as to why I am joining Sean on this blog. I want to share with you all how I feel my experience and knowledge can hopefully help you and your clients understand the needs of clients with disabilities. Our ultimate goal is to make their travel plans not only enjoyable, but as stress free as possible.
As I approach my 50th birthday later this year, my ‘story’ goes back more than 30 years ago when I was in a serious car accident at age 18. I broke my neck in three places and severed my spinal cord, rendering me with a permanent disability and life in a wheelchair.
Back in 1985 when I was injured, there wasn’t an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). What this means is that, if I went to a place of business and there was a stairway or other form of obstacle to enter, I was out of luck, I had no way to enter and no right to complain that I could not enter.
Seems so foreign to me now that I have a level of independence that the ADA has afforded me and if I am faced with a business not in compliance with the law, I can demand action.
My desire to get into the travel industry began when I visited Walt Disney World in 1992. I was 7 years post injury, and the ADA had been in place for only a year and a half at this point. My expectations were not high as I was used to having difficulty entering most buildings, crossing the street, because there were no curb cuts, etc…however, everything changed in my life forever with this first trip to WDW. For the first time in 7 years, I felt like an equal to the rest of the world, I felt independent because I could cross the street alone, not requiring assistance to get up on a curb, I could enter a building alone because there were automatic door openers or ramps that led the way –it was truly an awakening.
After this trip, I started traveling on a regular basis. Soon I went to work for a travel company as a reservationist selling travel packages to people all over the world. I felt encouraged to travel outside of the US as the ADA was soon influencing other countries to acknowledge the special needs market.
Fast forward to 2017. I have been in a wheelchair for 31 years and in the travel business since 1996. I have seen a lot of changes in this industry and a much larger focus on making travel accessible to all forms of special needs clients. HOWEVER, that doesn’t mean that things are perfect, in fact far from it, I still face obstacles, both physical and attitudinal, whenever I travel, but have learned to take each of these experiences and turn it into either a learning experience for those involved, or have taken action so that my bad experience are not repeated for future special needs travelers.
Sean and I are hoping that this blog will provide helpful and insightful information to all of our readers. With our professional and personal experience and knowledge, we hope travel professionals and travelers with special needs alike, find our tidbits useful and educational.