Press Releases

Open Doors Organization Launches New, Improved Website

August 4, 2011
Contact: Eric Lipp or Laurel Van Horn, 773.388.8839
ericlipp@opendoorsnfp.org or laurel@opendoorsnfp.org

CHICAGO: Open Doors Organization (ODO), the Chicago-based non-profit, has redesigned and expanded its website, www.opendoorsnfp.org, adding separate sections and useful resources for businesses and consumers as well as media. Founded in 2000, ODO works primarily within travel and tourism, helping the industry to improve their facilities, products and services for customers with disabilities. The easy to navigate site is fully accessible for people with disabilities including those who use screen readers.

Open Doors Organization, which first received national and international attention for its pioneering research on the disability travel market, has continually expanded its products and services over the past decade. Eric Lipp, ODO founder and executive director, stated, “The new website will enable us to highlight and promote our many projects and services, from our award-winning Easy Access guides to our disability awareness training programs. At the same time it aims to serve the travel industry in general, not just our own clientele.”

For businesses, there are separate sections and resources for Aviation, Hospitality, Cruise Lines, Ground Transportation, Cultural Facilities and Recreation, as well as general resources on the Americans with Disabilities Act, Accessible Meetings, Universal Design and Web Accessibility. In addition there are research papers by ODO staff on the American disability travel market.

For journalists and reporters, the new Media section includes contact information, disability language guidelines and press releases. Also relevant is the News section which includes both news items from ODO and past coverage on the organization.

Consumers are better served by the revamped website, with travel tips on planning various types of accessible vacations, articles on barrier-free destinations and extensive links to online travel resources including Easy Access Chicago and Easy Access Springfield. “Educating travelers with disabilities about their rights as well as the opportunities increasingly open to them will always be an important part of our mission,” commented Mr. Lipp.

For more information about Open Doors Organization, call 773.388.8839.
Visit the new website at www.opendoorsnfp.org.

Back to Top

Chicago Opens Its Doors With Easy Access Chicago Guide

January 17, 2008
Contact: Stephanie Aenchbacher, 312.240.2688
stephanie.aenchbacher@edelman.com

CHICAGO – The Open Doors Organization, in conjunction with the Illinois Department of
Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO), the Chicago Mayor’s Office for People
with Disabilities, the Chicago Convention and Tourism Bureau and Great Lakes ADA
announces Easy Access Chicago, a comprehensive visitor guide for disabled travelers.
The 50-page guide provides detailed information about Chicago’s accessible offerings
allowing disabled visitors to make informed decisions about their travel during their stay in the city.

“Chicago was recently named one of America’s most accessible cities by the National
Organization on Disability,” said Jack Lavin, director, Illinois Department of Commerce
and Economic Opportunity. “We are pleased to have had the opportunity to work with the Open Doors Organization and our partners to develop the Easy Access Chicago guide and further our commitment to providing an enjoyable travel experience for all of our visitors.”

The first-ever resource guide offers a wide variety of visitor offerings throughout Chicago
that are accessible and appeal to a range of budgets and tastes. The Easy Access
Chicago guide includes:

– Details of Chicago’s public transportation, inter-city ground transportation, and airports
– Descriptions of attractions such as parks, gardens, zoos, recreational areas, museums, theaters, architecture, tours and more
– Highlights of hotels, restaurants and nightlife options
– An overview of Chicago’s most accessible neighborhoods
– Area and transit maps

“Every location featured in Easy Access Chicago was visited by our trained site inspectors to ensure its accessibility,” said Eric Lipp, executive director, Open Doors Organization. “This guide truly opens the doors for travelers with disabilities to experience all that Chicago has to offer.”

Best used in conjunction with the Chicago Official Visitors Guide and Chicago Convention and Visitors Bureau Web site, www.choosechicago.com, the Easy Access Chicago guide is available by calling the Illinois Bureau of Tourism at 1-800-2CONNECT or by visiting www.enjoyillinois.com or www.easyaccesschicago.org.

Back to Top

Disability Travel Survey Identifies Most Popular American Cities

March 30, 2006
Contact: Eric Lipp or Laurel Van Horn, 773.388.8839
ericlipp@opendoorsnfp.org or laurel@opendoorsnfp.org

CHICAGO: Where do adults with disabilities commonly travel for leisure or business within the continental US? Until the recent study of U.S. adults with disabilities, conducted in February 2005 by Harris Interactive® for the Open Doors Organization (ODO), there was really no answer to this key question. Now American cities and their tourism bureaus can gauge how popular they are among this growing market segment. Topping the list of cities most traveled to by adults with disabilities were New York City (47%), Washington, DC. (45%), and Chicago (44%), edging out Orlando, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles (all tied at 42%). Rounding out the top ten destinations, in order, were San Francisco, Atlanta, Dallas, and San Diego.

General findings from this study, released in conjunction with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), not only identified which cities these travelers have visited, but also explored their patterns of hotel, restaurant and transportation use. 40 major tourism destinations from every region of the continental US were included in the survey.

Based as it is in Chicago, Open Doors Organization was delighted with the city´s third-place finish. “We are making great strides in making Chicago one of the most accessible cities in the nation,” said Karen Tamley, Commissioner of the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities. “From popular tourist attractions such as the Lakefront Festivals and Millennium Park to our 100% accessible bus fleet, we believe Chicago offers a wide range of accessible options for residents and visitors with disabilities, making it one of the nation’s top destinations.”

But are American cities in general doing enough to ensure that this group of visitors also has a great travel experience? “Often only a few minor steps can make a city more attractive to first-time visitors with disabilities and encourage repeat visits. Adapted transportation continues to be an issue, getting to and from the airport or just visiting local attractions. Having a website that is both accessible in itself and has accessibility information is another key component to serving this market,” says ODO Executive Director, Eric Lipp.

The survey, the second of two studies undertaken by ODO, was carried out in response to the growing population of adults with disabilities. It was conducted online and by telephone in February 2005 among a national sample of 1,373 U.S. adults with disabilities aged 18 or over. The question concerning U.S. destinations was asked only of online respondents, a sample of 871. The sampling error for the total sample and online sample results is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For further description of methodology, see the ODO website (www.opendoorsnfp.org).

Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), based in Rochester, New York, is the 13th largest and the fastest-growing market research firm in the world, most widely known for The Harris Poll® and for its pioneering leadership in the online market research industry.

Also contributing to the design of the ODO study was the Travel Industry Association of America, a leader in market research on the U.S. travel industry. The Open Doors Organization is a non-profit organization founded in 2000 for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and make their goods and services accessible to people with disabilities. Copies of the market study are available for sale through ODO (773-388-8839, info@opendoorsnfp.org).

Back to Top

Disability Travel On The Rise Despite Barriers To Access

August 1, 2005
Contact: Eric Lipp, 773.388.8839
ericlipp@opendoorsnfp.org

CHICAGO: The Open Doors Organization (ODO) in cooperation with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) today released the findings of its 2005 research study. The poll, conducted by Harris Interactive®, is a follow-up to ODO´s groundbreaking study of 2002 on the spending trends and market scope of U.S. adults with disabilities. “This new data,” says ODO Director Eric Lipp, “confirms what we already knew, that there is a strong disability travel market. In the past two years alone, more than 21 million adults with disabilities traveled for pleasure and/or business.” The 2005 study reveals which destinations, domestic and international, are most popular among travelers with disabilities and provides new data on Internet use. Surprisingly, the study showed marked increases in certain sectors despite ongoing barriers to access.

The 2002 ODO study quantified how much adults with disabilities were spending on travel-approximately $13.6 billion annually–and suggested that revenues from this market could easily double if certain needs were met and obstacles removed. The 2005 ODO study, which employed an identical methodology, shows businesses in the travel industry the extent and types of barriers the majority of travelers with disabilities still experience. Among those adults with disabilities who have traveled by air, 84% said they encountered obstacles when interfacing with airlines and 82% said they encountered obstacles at airports.

Despite such barriers, the average number of leisure trips and hotel stays was up 50% from 2002. However, 60% of travelers with disabilities who have stayed overnight in paid accommodations said they had problems at these properties, either physical barriers (48%), problems with customer service (45%) or communication barriers (15%). On the positive side, as Eric Lipp notes, “Many of the most common complaints identified by the study, such as heavy doors and lack of knowledge among staff, could be easy and inexpensive to resolve.”

In terms of restaurants, the study indicates 71% of adults with disabilities dine out at least once a week and also shows a 6% increase in casual dining from 2002. To attract this clientele, Fuddruckers restaurants are offering such things as Braille/large print menus, customer service training and larger pathways between tables. In the new poll, 40% of adults with disabilities complained of the lack of room between tables.

The 2005 ODO study covered a new area of travel car rental. It found that 20% of adults with disabilities rented a car for travel in the past two years. But a staggering 50% said they would be more inclined to rent a car if it were delivered to and picked up from them, while 36% would be willing to pay more for this service. In Eric Lipp´s view, “More rental car agencies should follow the example set by Avis, which now offers Avis Access®, a comprehensive program of individualized products to serve customers with disabilities.”

The survey was conducted both online and by telephone between February 8-25, 2005 among a national sample of 1,373 adults aged 18 or over. The sampling error for the total sample is plus or minus 3 percentage points. For further description of the study methodology, see the ODO website (www.opendoorsnfp.org). Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), the 15th largest market research firm in the world, is known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research. Also contributing to the design of the ODO 2005 study was the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), a leader in market research on the U.S. travel industry.

Copies of the 2005 market study are available for sale to businesses, non-profits and individuals through the Open Doors Organization by calling 773 388-8839 or e-mailing info@opendoorsnfp.org. The Open Doors Organization is a non-profit organization founded for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and for making businesses´ goods and services accessible to people with disabilities.

The 2002 travelers with disabilities survey was conducted on behalf of Open Doors Organization by Harris Interactive with a methodology identical to the 2005 study (telephone and online). The sample consisted of 1,037 interviews (534 online and 503 by phone). The study was conducted between September 23, 2002 and October 8, 2002.

This is calculated based on data on the incidence of adults with disabilities (15% of U.S. adults) obtained through The Harris Poll (February 2005) and based off of the 209,128,094 people age 18 years and older in the U.S. population, according to the 2000 U.S. Census.

This is calculated by combining expenditures for air travel, hotel stays, restaurant dining, and entertainment reported by adults with disabilities for the previous two years.

Methodology for 2005 Study
Harris Interactive® conducted the online and telephone survey in the United States on behalf of Open Doors Organization between February 8 and February 28, 2005 among 1,373 adults (including 871 online respondents and 502 telephone respondents) ages 18 and over with disabilties. Disability was defined as having blindness, deafness, or a condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. Respondents were screened based on this criteria using a variation of the 2000 Census question. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, income and region were weighted where necessary to align with population proportions. Propensity score weighting was also used for the online sample, to adjust for respondents’ propensity to be online.

Though the online sample is not a probability sample, in theory, with probability samples of this size, Harris Interactive estimates with 95 percent certainty that the results for the overall sample have a sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points of what they would be if the entire population of U.S. adults with disabilities had been polled with complete accuracy. Sampling error for the sub-sample results of adults with disabilities who have traveled for businesss and/or leisure in the last two years (n= 1037) and adults with disabilities who have traveled by air (n= 497) is higher and varies.

About Harris Interactive®
Harris Interactive Inc. (www.harrisinteractive.com), the 15th largest market research firm in the world, is a Rochester, NY-based global research company that blends premier strategic consulting with innovative and efficient methods of investigation, analysis and application. Known for The Harris Poll® and for pioneering Internet-based research methods, Harris Interactive conducts proprietary and public research to help its clients achieve clear, material and enduring results. Harris Interactive combines its intellectual capital, databases and technology to advance market leadership through its U.S. offices and wholly owned subsidiaries, HI Europe in London (www.hieurope.com), Novatris in Paris (www.novatris.com), and through an independent global network of affiliate market research companies. EOE M/F/D/V.

Back to Top

People With Disabilities Will Spend $35 Billion Dining Out in 2003

May 16, 2003
Contact: Eric Lipp, 773.388.8839
ericlipp@opendoorsnfp.org

CHICAGO, PR Newswire– There are currently 30 million people over the age of eighteen with disabilities living in the United States. In 2003, they will spend nearly $35 billion dining away from home, according to new statistics released by Harris Interactive in conjunction with Open Doors Organization. More than 75% of people with disabilities dine out at least once per week. The National Restaurant Association projects 2003 sales in fast food restaurants to be about $120 billion and 2003 sales in full service restaurants to be more than $150 billion. Surprisingly, what is most convenient for most Americans – fast food – is where the disability community has the least impact on the bottom line, just ten percent of sales. According to a 2000 Harris/NOD study, people with disabilities are much more likely to live in lower income brackets or be unemployed. Ironically, people with disabilities make up fifteen percent of the sales in full service restaurants where they spend two to three times more per meal.

The Open Doors Organization in cooperation with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) and the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) released a landmark study on the spending trends and market scope of U.S. resident diners and travelers with disabilities. Open Doors Organization (ODO) will be presenting the results from the study pertaining to restaurants at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel/Motel Show in Chicago at McCormick Place May 17th – 20th (visit ODO at booth 7464).

Harris Interactive interviewed 1037 adults with disabilities to create the 2002 Open Doors Organization Market Study. The study, released earlier this year at the 7th annual SATH World Congress, is already helping hotels, cruise lines and airlines evaluate how effectively they market to the disability community. ODO works with businesses to educate them on the benefits of marketing effectively to the disability community. Executive Director, Eric Lipp, says, “We want to educate companies about the size and spending power of the disability market. People with disabilities are the largest population among all diversity groups, and we spend the most.”

Statistics show that learning to market and cater responsibly to the needs of people with disabilities could pay off big down the road. Assuming that incidence rates by age remain the same, by the year 2030 the total disability population will increase by 30.9 million and the severely disabled population will increase by 21 million, when compared to 1997. “The goal of the study is to educate restaurant owners about the value in marketing to the disability community. By reaching out and inviting a viable part of the community into their establishments, restaurant and hotel/motel owners will see the rewards of a loyal clientele,” said Lipp.

The Open Doors Organization is a not-for-profit corporation founded for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and to provide direct support to people with disabilities. The organization creates comprehensive programs and services that offer training, consultation and market statistics to both the public and private sectors. For more information, go to www.opendoorsnfp.org, email info@opendoorsnfp.org.

Back to Top

Travelers With Disabilities Could Spend $27 Billion Per Year, Says New Harris Interactive Poll

January 16, 2003
Contact: Eric Lipp, Open Doors Organization, 773.388.8839
Cathy Keefe, Travel Industry Association of America, 202.408.2183

The Open Doors Organization in cooperation with the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) and the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH) released a landmark study on the spending trends and market scope of U.S. resident travelers with disabilities. The study, conducted by Harris Interactive, polled 1,037 people with disabilities. The major findings of this groundbreaking study were released on January 16, 2003 at the 7th Annual SATH World Congress in Miami.

The study suggested that people with disabilities could spend at least $27 billion per year, if certain needs were met. These include a “meet and greet” at airports and preferred seating as top issues for the airlines while lodging issues include the need for rooms close to amenities and staff members that go out of their way to accommodate guests with disabilities. People with disabilities spent $13.6 billion on 31.7 million trips in the past year. The modifications suggested by the survey could increase expenditures by people with disabilities by 100% per year.

In 2001, the airline industry saw $3.3 billion in spending by travelers with disabilities, resulting in 52,800 jobs created to provide services for people with disabilities. The lodging industry saw $4.2 billion in spending and 60,000 jobs. The study also suggested that people with disabilities could at least double their spending generating $6.4 billion for airlines and $8.4 billion for lodging if the needs of travelers with disabilities were addressed. Currently travelers with disabilities generate a total of 194,000 travel-related jobs, $4.22 billion in payroll and $2.52 billion in tax revenues in the U.S.

The study was conducted to measure general travel behaviors including how often people with disabilities travel, with whom they travel, how much they spend while on the road, the mode of transportation and accommodations used, and on which sources of information they rely to make decisions. The study provides information that travel industry and related businesses will find invaluable as they seek to stem large losses following the terrorist acts of 9/11/01. The upside potential for both the economy and the travel industry is highly significant. TIA participated in the study in a consulting capacity, advising in the questionnaire design and validating the study and its findings against TIA’s substantial market and economic research resources for the U.S. travel industry.

The Open Doors Organization is a not-for-profit corporation founded for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and to provide direct support to people with disabilities. The organization creates comprehensive programs and services that offer training and consultation and market statistics to both the public and private sectors. For more information, go to www.opendoorsnfp.org, email info@opendoorsnfp.org or call 312-640-5000 extension 222.

Back to Top

Open Doors Commissions A New Harris Poll of U.S. Disability Population

June 2002
Contact: Eric Lipp or Theresa Pacione 773.388.8839
info@opendoorsnfp.org

Open Doors is a non-profit located in Chicago, Illinois. Its mission is to bridge the gap between business and disability communities.

Harris Interactive commissioned to study travel, hospitality and entertainment spending
of people with disabilities

The Open Doors Organization and its partners the Travel Industry Association of America (TIA), the Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality (SATH), and the
University of Illinois-Chicago (UIC) have commissioned Harris Interactive to conduct a national study of the spending patterns of people with disabilities with respect to their travel, hotel, and dining preferences. The landmark study due to be released at the SATH Seventh World Congress in Miami in January 2003, will enable travel, entertainment and hospitality-related businesses to learn more about the opportunities and profits associated with providing people with disabilities a positive experience when they travel for business or pleasure.

Disability cuts across all age, education, and income levels making this the single largest minority group in America. According to the latest available census figures, in 1995 there were about 48.5 million people over the age of 15 with a disability in the U.S. With a net disposable income totaling more than $175 billion, Americans with disabilities spent $81.7 billion on travel alone in 1995.

“These statistics demonstrate that, if properly reached, people with disabilities can be an extremely profitable marketing target.” said Eric Lipp founder and director of the Open Doors Organization. “This study will teach the travel, entertainment and hospitality-related businesses more about the size, revenue opportunities and preferences of people with disabilities. Further, this information will enable businesses to determine how best to meet these needs in order to realize revenue growth among a large but relatively untapped market.”

The Open Doors Organization is a not-for-profit corporation founded for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and to provide direct support to people with disabilities. The organization provides comprehensive programs and services that offer training and consultation to both the public and private sector.

For more information about Open Doors, call 773.388.8839.
Visit our website at opendoorsnfp.org

Back to Top