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'Wheel the World' recognizes Ann Arbor as disabled-friendly community

Mike Price (far left), Executive Vice President at Destination Ann Arbor, speaks at the "Wheel the World" event in Ann Arbor. Sitting on stage are (from L to R) Arturo Gaona, Chief Partnerships Officer & Co-Founder, Wheel the World; Emma Bailey, Influencer, Wheelchair User and Accessible Travel Advocate; Susan Westhoff, President and CEO, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and Leslie Science & Nature Center; Alex Gossage, Executive Director, Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston; and Sarah Miller, President & CEO, Destination Ann Arbor
Chad Wiebesick
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Destination Ann Arbor
Mike Price (far left), Executive Vice President at Destination Ann Arbor, speaks at the "Wheel the World" event in Ann Arbor. Sitting on stage are (from L to R) Arturo Gaona, Chief Partnerships Officer & Co-Founder, Wheel the World; Emma Bailey, Influencer, Wheelchair User and Accessible Travel Advocate; Susan Westhoff, President and CEO, Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum and Leslie Science & Nature Center; Alex Gossage, Executive Director, Disability Network Washtenaw Monroe Livingston; and Sarah Miller, President & CEO, Destination Ann Arbor

The Ann Arbor area has become the first destination in Michigan to achieve a “Destination Verified” status for accessible travel.

Wheel the World is a company specializing in accessible travel that provides information regarding destinations for people with disabilities. The “Destination Verified” status recognizes communities have passed third-party assessments to be disabled-friendly.

Destination Ann Arbor Director of Public Affairs Chad Wiebesick says they learned through the project that many local businesses in Washtenaw County were already very accessible.

“…which makes our community really an ideal destination for visitors of all abilities regardless of their physical or their cognitive or even invisible disabilities.”

The evaluations include mapping out hotel bed heights, as some travelers may need beds lower or higher to the ground than what’s standard.

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News Reporter and Host Kevin Meerschaert was a student reporter at WEMU in the early 90s. After another 30 years in the public radio business and stops in Indiana, Maryland, Florida, and New Mexico, Kevin is back to where it all began.
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