Miami is making a concerted effort to become one of the most accessible travel destinations in the country, with local businesses, attractions, and venues expanding their services to welcome visitors of all abilities.
The Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau is leading the charge, partnering with organizations such as Wheel the World and the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards to equip South Florida businesses to serve travelers with physical disabilities and neurodivergent needs.
Richard Gibbs, Director of Corporate Communications and External Affairs for the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau, said the motivation is straightforward.
"It's all part of the effort to make our destination as welcoming as possible," Gibbs said.
The bureau's efforts focus on ensuring marketing is inclusive and accessible to travelers from everywhere, with particular attention to visitors with physical or neurodivergent needs.
"It's the right thing to do," Gibbs said.
The Miami Children's Museum is one local attraction leading the way. The museum has earned certification as an autism-certified center, with staff trained through a variety of resources to assist any visitor who is having a difficult time.
CEO of Miami Children’s Museum, Deborah Spiegelman, explained the commitment.
"There's a greater diagnosis of children who are on the spectrum or who are diagnosed with neurodiversity, and the Miami Children's Museum is committed to serving all children from all segments of our community with all learning styles. So it's been very important for us, from the beginning, to provide accessible and environments that children are comfortable in," Spiegelman said.
The museum features a snoozle-in room — a quiet space with multi-sensory accommodations designed to encourage cooperative play and provide a calming environment. Families can dim the lights to their preference, and children can explore sensory objects to help regulate their experience.
"There's an opportunity for children to roll a ball between one another, and there's a cause and effect; it's a wonderful experience for them to connect," Spiegelman said.
Every second Saturday of each month, the museum hosts Sensory Saturday, a dedicated event for families of children with different abilities.
"It allows families to reach one another, to realize, hey, I'm not alone in this. There are other families. There are other children, just like mine. And we also bring in different experts and different modalities for families to learn about and try and experience together," Spiegelman said.
The Miami Beach Convention Center has also made significant upgrades to welcome visitors of all abilities, including Braille signs, an app for the blind, ABA features, and a sensory guide available on its website. Ariane Hiltebrand from the convention center described the changes.
"So the sensory guides are on our website now, and people who are a little bit anxious about going into the Miami Beach Convention Center because it's a big building, obviously they can out of time look at our website and see what kind of issues they might encounter in which areas of the convention center might be good for them to just take a breather, relax a little bit, and where the quiet spots are. And we want to make sure that every single person, every single business person in the world, can really enjoy conventions, conferences and trade shows here at the Miami Beach Convention Center, and they don't need to be afraid of anything," Ariane Hiltebrand said.
Miami now has more than 25 resorts and attractions that are Wheel the World certified, and Miami International Airport continues to expand its accessibility tools as well.
For more information, visit miamiandbeaches.com.
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