All About Change - Season 3, Episode 12: Travel Blogger Cory Lee on Traveling the World with Muscular Atrophy

Episode Date: September 6, 2020

On this episode of All Inclusive Jay speaks with travel blogger Cory Lee. Cory was diagnosed with muscular atrophy at a young age, but that never affected his passion for travel. He now runs the blog Curb Free with Cory Lee which has been featured on CBS, New Mobility magazine and received the 2019 Society of Travel Writers Award. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Travel blogger Corey Lee was diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy at the age of two, but that never stood in the way of his love for traveling. To date, he's traveled to all seven continents in over 30 countries. All Inclusive, a podcast on inclusion, innovation, and social justice with Jay Ruderman. Hi, I'm Jay Ruderman and welcome to All Inclusive with my guest, Corey Lee of the website Curb Free. Corey Lee, welcome to All Inclusive and thank you for being with us today. Yeah, thank you so much for having me. I'm really excited to be here and chat with you, so thank you. Great. I look forward to talking to you and about, you know, who you are and your ambitions and how you started your travel

blog, Curb Free. So let me just start off by asking you, when you began your blog or website and it started to take off and you began to do featured interviews in Forbes and you were invited on television interviews, were you surprised by people's experiences and reactions? surprised by people's experiences and reactions? I mean, I was definitely surprised, especially just when things kind of first started taking off, because I started the blog really as just, you know, a resource to hopefully, you know, show maybe a few other wheelchair users or people out there with disabilities, you know, like what was accessible in Australia or wherever they went that I'd previously gone. And so, I mean, I hope to have a little bit of an audience, but I never expected for it to, you know,

grow to the scale that it is now and for it to receive like recognition in Forbes and National Geographic numerous times. And it's really like mind blowing, like almost when I sit down and like, look at my media page of like where all I've been featured, I was actually just in National Geographic this morning and a new article that came out. So it's always just like such a shock to me whenever I received those emails. And even like from your podcast, like that was an honor as well. So thank you for that.

And, but yeah, I would say it's always definitely a good, good surprise. Well, thank you. And, and I would imagine that there are millions of wheelchair users around the world who, like you, have a desire to travel and, and have to do their research before they go out and travel to make sure that where they're going is accessible. So just tell me about how all this started. How did you decide that this is what you wanted to do? We know that Americans, as opposed to the rest of the world, don't travel all that much, and only 42% of Americans actually have a passport. So just tell me how this idea came about for you.

Yeah, I was actually researching accessibility for an upcoming trip to Australia back in 2013. And it was in December of 2013 when I was just like online searching for accessible things to do in Sydney and accessible taxis in Melbourne, Australia, things like that. And when I started typing that into Google, I noticed like almost immediately that there was a huge lack of information in regards to accessibility within Australia. And so then it got me thinking, well, if there's not really information on Australia, then is there information on England

or on all these destinations in Europe or even on the US? And so I searched numerous destinations and found that it was pretty much the case all across the board. There really just wasn't a lot of accessibility info out there. There were maybe only two or three other like accessible travel blogs at the time. And so I wanted to create a resource and a website where other wheelchair users could go to and really learn, you know, like what they can do and all of these destinations that I've been to. At that time, they can do in all of these destinations that I've been to. At that time, I'd really only traveled in the United States and a couple places in Europe.

And I was going to Australia like two months after I started the blog. But I really didn't have a ton of experience, but I knew that I had enough that I could hopefully do something with it and show others what Australia know, what Australia would be like when I finally got there. So that's really where the idea was born. And then after the trip to Australia, I started just documenting everything from that trip and all of my past trips. And

about a year later, it finally started like gaining a good bit of traffic and kind of taking off. So how often do you blog? How often are you talking about, you know, traveling and are hotels and airlines and tourist sites, are they contacting you and asking you to write about them? them? Yeah, so I would say about a year to two years after I started the blog, I started like pitching press trips and trying to work with hotels and destinations. And now that the blog has grown, and I have like followers on social media and things like that, places will reach out to me and want me to write about the accessibility of their destination or attraction or hotel in exchange for like a complimentary stay or something like that. So I have definitely been doing a lot of that in the past few years. But I usually blog at least once a week. I'll publish a new blog post and sometimes twice.

You know, I've got a lot of content to write about or, but otherwise, I mean, I am posting every day on my social media channels, on Facebook, Instagram, and trying to, you know, keep spreading the word and getting the word out there that travel is possible for anyone. And so what is this time of COVID-19 been like for you when travel is very difficult? I mean, road trips, there are some planes flying, but travel has really been curtailed. So what has this period been like for you? I am ready for it to be over with. No doubt about it.

Like all of us. Right. It's definitely been a struggle in the travel industry as a whole. I mean, the New York Times, they got rid of their travel section. I mean, a couple of magazines closed down. And it's definitely been a struggle across the whole industry. But for me, I've tried to, you know, just use this time at home to really crank out a lot of quality content and catch up on, you know, writing posts about past trips and staying really active on social media. So about two months ago, I launched a weekly Facebook Live series where I interview different destination representatives and PR people from that destination.

And we talk about accessibility within that destination. And so that's been a lot of fun. I actually did my last one, I think, last week. So I did eight episodes of that. And it was a big success and so much fun. And I have actually taken two weekend trips though within the past four months. And so I went to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Tennessee. Yeah, it's gorgeous.

And only like a few hours drive from where I live and found an accessible cabin there. And then a few weeks ago, I went to an alpaca farm in North Carolina and I stayed in an accessible cabin and got to hang out with alpacas all weekend. So it hasn't been all bad, but I'm definitely ready to get back on a plane. So let me ask you, hotels and airlines, travel companies, are they looking to attract people who are wheelchair users? Is that a part of the industry that they're looking to attract? I mean, some are, but I feel like most of the industry doesn't really think about it. So, I mean, whenever I'm speaking at a conference or giving a keynote or anything like that, I always try to, you know, really tell them why they should be focusing on

this market. So people with disabilities spend over $17 billion per year just on travel. And so, you know, we are out there, we want to spend the money. And I mean, a lot of places just don't realize really how big the market is. But as soon as I say those numbers, if I'm like speaking at a conference, everybody's eyes in the audience, they widen and they're like, oh my God, like, they're really out here spending money like why are we not trying to make our destination accessible and really you know like become inclusive because they're missing out on a huge market and uh so that's really like my overall mission i guess is to just really put the information out there and teach you know destinations why they should be inclusive right this. This is so true. I mean, money certainly gets people's attention. I hate that it does, but it definitely does the trick. Have you had experiences? Well, basically, let me ask you, when you're traveling,

are people usually accommodating and are they friendly to you and accepting? Or have you had the opposite experience? I mean, everyone that I've encountered pretty much has been really nice and accommodating. And I mean, I remember when I went to Iceland back in 2015 and I was in Reykjavik and a lot of the shops and restaurants are not accessible. So they had a step ticket inside,

but the chef actually came out from the kitchen and helped like lift my wheelchair up into the restaurant, like over a pretty big step. And some of the kitchen staff did. So, and my wheelchair is not light. I mean, it's like 350 pounds. It's a big, heavy duty powered wheelchair. And so that really meant a lot to me. And it's like little experiences like that, that I really love. And I think it shows, you know, that there really are kind people all over the world, if we're just willing to look for them and seek out those experiences. So that's been my overall experience, I guess. And I've been pretty fortunate in that regard. And how often is it that you travel to someplace and they're like,

oh yeah, our hotel's accessible, our airline's accessible, and you show up and it's not? That's definitely happened a few times, mostly in my earlier travel days so the first time that I ever went to Europe I called the hotel to see if they were accessible and they said that they were and I was only like 18 so I mean I didn't I knew nothing I was 18 years old so I called the hotel they said they were accessible and then after a few more questions it turned out that the only accessible feature they had was an elevator. And so I wouldn't have been able to, you know, get in the room or, you know, even go to the bathroom.

The doorway was too narrow and there was no roll-in shower. And so just because they had an elevator, they thought that meant they were accessible and they could accommodate me. So I think you've really got to ask the right questions. You've got to think about, you know, what all accommodations do you need at home in your everyday life? And then how, you know, useful are they and how can you have those when you're traveling? And so now whenever I call a hotel, I really like quiz them and grill them on their accessibility, request photos of the accessible room and bathroom

just to be 100% sure that it will work. And since I've started doing that, I've had much more success. So I have some stories for you. There's a friend of mine, Yuval Wagner in Israel, and he once was going away for a weekend. He's also a wheelchair user and showed up at the guest house and he was told it was accessible, but it wasn't. then break down the doorframe in order for him to get in and to use the room, which is sort of radical, but he wanted to stand up for his rights. I also remember an example, our foundation, the Ruderman Family Foundation has been very involved in advocacy. And we had a gentleman who was flying from Scotland down to continental Europe. And he said, he called them up and said, listen, I have a massive wheelchair. And, you know, is your plane accessible? Because I'm going on my honeymoon. And they assured him it was accessible.

And they assured him it was accessible. He showed up. They wouldn't take his wheelchair, and he ended up suing. We got involved in some of the advocacy. It happened eventually, but I hear this time and time again that airlines, hotels, they say, yes, we're accessible, but they're really not. They haven't completely thought through every aspect of how someone with a wheelchair can enjoy the facility. Yeah, I mean, for sure. And I think airlines, I mean, they have the longest way to go. I mean, that's really the part of traveling that I dread more than anything is actually flying and getting on the plane because I have to be transferred,

is actually flying and getting on the plane because I have to be transferred physically, like lifted out of my wheelchair by the airport staff. And I've been like nearly dropped several times. And, you know, then once I'm actually on the plane, finally, I have to worry about my wheelchair getting damaged throughout the flight because I can't stay in it. So I always have to worry about that through the whole flight and it's been damaged a couple times. But luckily, never anything like too major, but it's always like a real concern whenever I'm traveling. And so, I mean, yeah, I think the airline industry, it definitely has a long, long way to go. And hopefully one day, you know, I'll be able to just roll on a plane like I can, you know, an accessible taxi or a city bus

that's accessible and stay in my wheelchair and have a comfortable experience like everyone else. But until then, I'll just keep, you know, doing what I got to do. But I know that, you know, it's worth it once I get to the destination. And so if I could just suffer through the flight, it's worth it once i get to the destination and um so if i can just suffer through the flight it's worth it when i get there so and i and i would imagine that your

wheelchair you know costs several thousands of dollars so any damage can be extremely costly yeah my wheelchair is like thirty two thousand dollars, I think. So when they damage it, I mean, it's a big deal. One time they damaged the joystick and just replacing that, like they paid for it. But I mean, it was well over $1,000, you know, just for the joystick. So which is not a big part of the wheelchair. I mean, it does enable me to drive, but it's a rather small part, I should say. And how do you deal with when you're traveling to some, you know, place that's extremely old, like, you know, parts of Europe or Israel,

and the streets are really not, you know, with the cobblestones and the stone streets. I mean, that must just be a further obstacle in order to getting around. Yeah, some places are pretty brutal. I'm not going to lie. So probably the worst cobblestone that I've experienced was in Tallinn, Estonia. And their cobblestone is massive. And I mean, it's pretty rough. I mean, I needed a chiropractor when I got back home I felt like but we usually try to travel with like a tour company that specializes in accessible travel whenever I'm visiting a destination and by doing that they usually know more of like the accessible routes so when I I was in Israel, I toured with a company called Israel for All,

and they knew all of the accessible routes through the old city. And we were able to, you know, tour Jerusalem. And it really wasn't very bumpy because they did know the right places to go to and the correct route. So, you know, always touring with a tour company that specializes in accessibility, you're going to have a better experience overall. And these tour companies, can people find out about them on your website? Yeah, definitely.

They're all on my website with the different destinations. And I mean, even Lonely Planet, I think they published an accessible travel resources book a couple of years ago. And it lists out every tour company in the world that specializes in accessibility. So it is a phenomenal resource. And no matter where you want to go, you can find out, you know, if there is a tour company there for you. So I noticed that you travel a lot from the pictures that i've seen of your travels you travel a lot with your mother um that must be a great experience but can you just talk a little bit about you know how that came about and did she

travel with you at you know on all your uh trips yeah so my mom uh does go with me a good bit uh we if i'm traveling internationally she usually does go with me a good bit. If I'm traveling internationally, she usually always goes with me, and she definitely has the travel bug, just like I do. So when I was younger, she was a school teacher, and we would really use the summer months to kind of explore domestically here in the U.S., and we would go to places like, you know, Disney World or D.C. or New York City and places like that. And then when I turned 15, we started going on more international trips. And we would go to the Bahamas and then eventually to Germany and Austria and England and places like that. And so we've definitely traveled a lot together over the years.

And we really know, you you know what each other likes when we're traveling what kind of experiences we want what kind of attractions we want to go to together and so it's a really cool experience and we've actually visited all seven continents together so um yeah it's been a pretty remarkable journey but if it is more of just you know a trip here in the states or an easier one, then I'll get like a friend or a care attendant to go with me on some of those. So, and my mom does work a full-time job. So it really depends a lot also on if she can, you know, get off work for those trips and, you know. You have a really special relationship with her which is you know super nice and is this your

is this your profession now i mean your your your website your um your blog is this what is this what you're doing you know for your contribution to the world yeah it is my full-time job so yeah i mean it's probably way more than 40 hours a week, actually. But yeah, it's the full time gig. You're listening to all inclusive with Jay Ruderman. You can learn more, view the show notes and transcripts at rudermanfoundation.org slash all inclusive. Please remember to subscribe, rate, and review us wherever you are listening. So I'm going to ask you a tough question.

I don't know if you're going to be able to narrow it down, but what are some of the favorite destinations that you visited in your travel? I should have a good answer to this by now, but I mean, it changes almost every week, I feel like I mean, there's so many amazing destinations. But if I had to pick three, I would say, number one, that just like immediately comes to mind is Morocco. two years ago for the first time. And I really wasn't expecting a whole lot. Like I didn't really know anything about Morocco before I went there. And then I went and we went to like Fez and Casablanca and Marrakesh and went out into the Sahara desert and I rode a camel. And it was just like experience after experience that I never imagined that I would have in Morocco.

And it was probably my favorite trip of all time. I mean, it's so incredible and vastly underrated, I think. And then I would also say probably India. I went to India in 2018, December of 2018. And it was wild. I mean, India is a wild country to visit. It's definitely sensory overload. It's loud. It's smelly. It's just a wild environment to be in. But I mean, it really blew my mind and it's unlike any other travel experience I've ever had. I mean, it is remarkable. We were able to go to the Taj Mahal and then to Jaipur and to Delhi. And it's just an amazing country with some of the nicest people that

you'll ever meet. And then if you're going to make me pick one more, a third, I would say probably like Finland. I really love like Finland, Sweden, the whole Scandinavian region of Europe. I mean, it's one of the most accessible places in the world, I think. So in Finland, they actually have over 300 wheelchair accessible taxis. And I was super surprised about that when I was in Helsinki. And I mean, most American cities don't even have that many. So the fact that, you know, Helsinki could get it together and get that many, it just is really an amazing place to visit. Well, I've been to Helsinki and it's an amazing city. Morocco and India are on my list of places that I'd really like to visit.

Let's talk about your book. You wrote a children's book. Let's explore with Corcor. How did this come about? Why did you decide to write a children's book and what was the experience like and how's the book done? Yeah, I'm super excited about the book. And about three years ago is when we started on the book. So it's been a long process of, you know, finding the right illustrator to do it and, you know, getting the words down and making it come to reality. But growing up, you know, I never really saw another character in a book or in television that used a

powered wheelchair like I did. And I wanted to create, you know, just something for today's children with disabilities so that they can hopefully see themselves, you know, represented and feel included. And so I hope that, you know, when they see Let's Explore with CORE CORE, that, you know, they see themselves and know that, you know,

if CORE CORE can go to all these destinations, then they can go too. And every destination in the book is one that I've actually been to myself. So they are all accessible places to visit. It's totally possible for anyone in a wheelchair to go there. And I can't wait for everyone to check it out. Yeah, I mean, I think authentic representation is so, so important. You know, we've been involved as a foundation for the past six years in, in authentic representation entertainment. There's been some

progress, but it is such an empowering tool. And again, you talk about money, there's so much money for the entertainment industry to be made because we've conducted white papers and studies that show that people really want to see authentic representation in entertainment. So I think you're tapped into something there. Yeah, the response so far, I mean, the book actually comes out on July 26th, which is the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act. And the response so far has just been incredible.

And I hoped that, you know, we would sell some copies, but I never expected for it to, you know, be this many. So it's really been awesome so far. And I can't wait to see how much more it grows over the next month or so. Great. Congratulations on that. So you've been to seven continents, which is, which is completely amazing. Antarctica is a place that most people have not visited. So can you talk a little bit about traveling?

I assume you left from Argentina, which is usually the jump off point. But what was that like? Were the seas really rough? Did you actually get to go on to the continent? Yeah, so I went to Antarctica this past February. It was right before the pandemic, and I really went at the perfect time. So luckily, I got in one last trip, a big trip, and we cruised with Holland America. And so since our ship was a bigger cruise ship,

we were not able to actually go on to land. But I contacted like before that, like several years ago, all of the other like smaller cruise lines like Cork Expeditions and, you know, National Geographic, their smaller cruise ships and none of their cruise ships were accessible. So really Holland America was the only accessible option with an elevator on the ship and accessible rooms. And so I knew that, you know, if I wanted to visit Antarctica, and that was really my big goal before I hit 30 years old was to visit all seven continents, then, you know, I just had to do what I had to do and go with Holland America, even though it meant that I couldn't, you know, get off the ship and go explore on land. But it really, you know, was so much more than I ever expected it to be. We saw

wells every day, we saw hundreds of penguins every single day, and seals and I mean, icebergs that were like bigger than our cruise ship almost so Antarctica was absolutely amazing and I mean I don't know just it's such a different experience I mean it feels like you're on another planet when you're seeing icebergs that are that big and the whales breaching out of the water so everyone needs to do it you know and, and sometimes, I mean, that trip really taught me that, you know, travel isn't always going to be, you know, like you maybe want it to be or like you expect it to be. So even though I couldn't go on land, it still managed to blow me away. So I think if you're just, you know, open to the experience and willing to put yourself out there and try it out, then it can really surprise you. Sounds amazing. I had the opportunity to travel to Alaska a few summers ago, and that was amazing,

but it sounds like Antarctica is like Alaska on steroids. And there's no Drake Passage in Alaska, so if you want to really experience the Drake Passage, the Drake Shake, you've got to go to Antarctica. Right. So tell me, on your website, you have dedicated a page to some crazy experiences you've had with traveling. You mentioned being attacked by a hippo, your chair battery exploding, being pickpocketed. Can you tell us about some of these experiences? And, you know, I guess they're part of travel when you travel so much, but what were the experiences like for you? Yeah, I mean, the craziest travel experience was by far the hippo incident. So a few years ago, I was in South Africa. And we went to meet this hippo named Jessica. And she was actually abandoned by her hippo family, like at a young age. And some humans found her like in a riverbank. And they brought her in their house and raised her. And she has a bed in their house.

And they widened the doorways so that she can come inside the house now that she's fully grown. And so supposedly she was really friendly, they told us beforehand. But when I went to meet her, they handed me a potato to feed her. And I was kind of having some trouble actually reaching over far enough to get down to feed her because she was in the water and only her head was sticking up out of the water. And I was having trouble reaching over that far. And she got really agitated that it was taking so long for me to give her this potato. So she decided to lunge up out of the water and she grabbed the side of my wheelchair with her teeth and started pulling me into the water. And so as like right before I became her lunch for the day,

her human dad came over and like started yelling at her to stop and trying to, you know, pull me back. And luckily she stopped right before I went in the water and was eaten. And so I'm here today to tell the story. So it definitely made for a good blog post. But it was a terrifying experience. Yeah, well, I'm glad you're here and safe. That must have been terrifying because they say that in Africa, the most dangerous animal is the hippo.

That more people are killed by hippos than any other animal in Africa. Yeah, I read that before going and I was like, a hippo? They look so cute and cuddly. They couldn't hurt anyone. And then, of course, I experienced that. that. So I'm sure you've faced your fair share of diversity in traveling. And can you talk about, you know, I know you talked that most people are generally very welcoming and helpful, but does the view of disability change from country to country? you know have you faced blatant discrimination you know in places that you've gone yeah i mean it absolutely changes from country to country i

mean when i was in india for example we were talking about india a little while ago but when i was there every time that i would unload out of the wheelchair accessible van people would like flock over to watch me go down the ramp and get out of the vehicle because they had never even seen a powered wheelchair before and I mean at first it was like like just I don't know I guess a little annoying like I hate to use that word but I really just didn't know what to make of it because I'd never experienced that before. But then I got to talking to the people and, like, really understood, you know, they were only doing that because they didn't know what a power wheelchair was. They didn't even know that it existed. And they, some of them actually said that they had friends and family back home that needed a wheelchair and they had to make a

homemade wheelchair for them to use and so I mean something like a power wheelchair could change their life and enable them to finally go out of the house and you know have a normal almost normal life um and so just after you know I got to talking to them and really learned why um I mean it really became evident you know I guess but uh they were still at wanting to take selfies and everything but they were really just fascinated and cool with it but as far as like experiencing blatant discrimination I mean I luckily I don't think I've ever had like a bad experience in a country. I mean, aside from airlines, I mean, I guess the flying issue. Sometimes in the airports, they will, you know, like not want to help me transfer out of the plane, depending on the country.

Or they'll kind of put up a little, you know, fight about the transferring off the plane and getting on the plane and what to do with the wheelchair during the flight and stuff like that. So that's really where I've experienced the most discrimination, I guess. Do you find that experience humiliating, you know, to rely on others and for them maybe not at all times to treat you with the respect that you deserve? Yeah, I mean, sometimes it can be humiliating. I mean, especially when I was just starting out traveling. I mean, transferring on the plane, I mean, it is quite a sight. So it's like a three-person job to get me from my wheelchair to the plane seat.

And I'm usually loaded first. So, you know, none of the passengers have to see that process. But I mean, every now and then, like an airline will load the other passengers first, and then load me just like during the middle of it all. And so then people do have to see every step that goes into it. And so when that used to happen, I would get like really ashamed about it and like, just be nervous about it and, you know, hate it. But then I started thinking like, you know, this is really a good opportunity for them to see what it takes for someone in a wheelchair to travel. And so I started trying to change my mindset to, you know, And so I started trying to change my mindset to, you know, teach others and show them what all goes into the process.

Because maybe they've never seen that happen before and now they finally get the chance to. And so now I'll even like sometimes want to be last just so that everyone else on the plane can see what goes into it. And hopefully that'll inspire them to, you know, fight for change when the time comes and you know make flying more accessible hopefully right and once you're in these seats even on long haul flights you're you're you're there there's no moving around for you in the plane i'm done there's no going to the bathroom uh i flew 17 hours non-stop from Atlanta to Johannesburg South Africa a few years ago and I mean there was no going to the bathroom there was no getting up none of that so usually about two days before I fly I'll start like dehydrating myself and like stop eating like any foods that I think might would upset my stomach so I mean there's a whole process and I've luckily like mastered the art of it within the past few years and I know like what all can I do now before flying to you know not be able or not need to go

to the restroom on the flight or how can I handle it. But sometimes if it's a long flight, it's definitely rough, and I'm ready to, like, get there and just be done with it. But throughout the longer flights, I'm trying to just remind myself why I'm going to that destination and what all amazing things will be there. And, you know, I just keep telling myself that. there. And, uh, you know, I just keep telling myself that. So, you know, one of the, the, I think the, the equalizing factors is that people in America and perhaps around the world react to injustice. So everyone has a camera on a plane or in any situation. And I think that, um, you know, if you ever have, you know, a rough time, I think videotaping it and releasing that puts a lot of pressure on getting airlines and other industries to really improve their services.

Yeah, I've done that a couple times. And one of my videos from a few years ago got like 500,000 views. And the airline was not happy. It regarded one of their employees and they were not happy at all. So it was a debacle that, you know, it inspired people to be vocal and, you know, speak up. So I'm happy that it happened, I guess. Sure. You travel with many, I mean, I've seen you in different chairs. I've seen you in chairs that can float. I've seen you in chairs that have different configurations where you could be on the

sand or you're jet skiing. Are you carrying different wheelchairs with you when you travel or are you accessing them wherever you end up? I only travel with my everyday powered wheelchair. And then when I get to the destination, I'll frequently rent like a beach wheelchair or, you know, the sand chair, the water chair, any other, any of those like specialty chairs, I'll just rent when I actually get to the destination because it would be difficult to carry that much equipment with me through the airport. And I already travel with a lot. So I really couldn't add another bag. So you are now, on your website, you do a bunch of interviews with people who are also wheelchair users. How did that start? And what's the goal? What are you trying to accomplish

with those interviews? Yeah, I started doing my Willie inspiring interview series, like right after I started my blog, because I knew that I didn't want my blog to just be my voice, even though, you know, it is named after me, it is Curb Free with Greeley. And it is like, the main voice, but I want to, you know, more people to really share their stories, because I don't have the same experiences as someone in a manual wheelchair does, for example, or someone with cerebral palsy or, you know, whatever other disabilities there are out there that require someone to use a wheelchair. We all have different travel experiences. And I really want my readers and followers to, you know, get to know all of our experiences, not just mine.

And so that's kind of where the idea for my interview series was born. And I have a couple more in the works right now. So hopefully we'll have some more up very soon. Great. Congratulations on that. You know, we're approaching very, very soon this week, the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which in America is the landmark civil rights legislation for people with disabilities. How has the ADA affected you, and what do you think needs improvement? Yeah, I was born in the year 1990, which is actually when the ADA was passed. So I was kind of born at the perfect time, I guess, only a few months before the ADA came into effect. And so I mean, it's had drastic improvements on my life. I mean, buildings being

accessible and me being able to, you know, go inside and then even traveling. I mean, buildings being accessible and me being able to, you know, go inside and then even traveling. I mean, even internationally, just airlines do have to, you know, have staff there to help me on the plane. I mean, some laws are in place, even though there could be more. But I mean, the ADA has helped me immensely and I'm forever thankful for it. But there are definitely some areas where it could improve. So I think, you know, and I don't know, I guess it just needs a bit of an update. Just, I mean, there's so many levels of accessibility and the word accessible means something different to every person.

And so how can we be more inclusive for everyone instead of just meeting the minimum accessibility threshold? And so there are some areas where it can improve, I guess. And even with school discrimination, I read about this yesterday on my Facebook and Instagram pages about some of the discrimination that I experienced in school with my teachers not wanting to get like the bus with the lift on it to take me on field trips and just little things like that. So there are definitely things to improve with it, but I mean, it has changed my life and I'm grateful for it. And around the world, I know most countries have signed on to the Convention for the Rights of People with Disabilities. Do you see things a little bit better in other countries or a little bit worse or does it depend on where you are?

In some countries, I think it is better. depend on where you are? In some countries, I think it is better. So in Australia and Sydney, I think it is probably the most accessible city in the world. Every ferry is accessible. There are accessible buses, accessible taxis. I mean, it was so easy for me to get around the city of Sydney and Melbourne also in Australia. So I've really never experienced such great accessibility and it allowed me to be, you know, more independent and have a better overall experience. But then I go to places, you know, like, I don't know, like Austria and it's like in Salzburg, Austria, it was difficult to get a wheelchair accessible taxi. So, and then a lot of places in Europe, it's really, really great and even better than some places in the U S. So I guess it really just overall depends on the destination or even the city

because some American cities are better than others for sure. So it really just depends on the destination. So Corey, after COVID-19 and there's a vaccine, what's the first place you want to travel to? That's a tough question. I would say New Zealand. I was supposed to visit New Zealand this past April, and it unfortunately got canceled, of course. And so I can't wait to finally actually get there. And then I'm supposed to be going to the Paralympics in Tokyo next month also, and that's been canceled.

So I would say New Zealand and Tokyo, Japan are my top two. Good choices. Yeah, I can't wait. Corey, it's been such a pleasure having you as a guest on All Inclusive. You lead a really interesting life. And I think you provide, you know, a service that helps so many millions of people around the world. So I want to wish you a lot of luck. I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about you in the future. And thank you so much for joining us today.

Yeah, thank you so much for having me. It was a lot of fun and I really appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Be well. All right. Yeah, you too.

Thanks. All Inclusive is a production of the Ruderman Family Foundation. Our key mission is the full inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society. You can find All Inclusive on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, and Stitcher. To view the show notes, transcripts, or to learn more, go to rudermanfoundation.org slash allinclusive. Have an idea for a podcast? Be sure to tweet at Jay Ruderman. Thank you.