ANALYSIS – Accessible business travel – What you can do to support disabled colleagues

Taking a business trip can be difficult for any traveller. But if you use a wheelchair, or are blind, or in some other way among the estimated one in six of the world population with a significant disability according to the World Health Organization, those challenges multiply exponentially.

Facing the same problems as other people, like delays and missed connections, is hard enough. But disabled travellers often encounter additional hazards. To take just one example, the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority says more than 100 wheelchairs are damaged every month in the UK alone – and it believes the true number is higher owing to under-reporting.

Surveys of disabled travellers have revealed that other significant challenges they face include long waits for assistance, untrained staff and difficulties identifying and booking “accessible” rooms, which sometimes prove not to be fully accessible anyway.

Perhaps partly because of bad publicity in recent years, airlines, hotels and other travel suppliers are starting to pay more attention. One carrier leading the way is Emirates. A detailed announcement in October 2025 featured the launch of an “Accessible and inclusive travel hub” that aims “to reduce anxiety before travelling.” Anxiety and uncertainty are exactly how people with accessibliity issues repeatedly say they feel about travel – often to the point that they avoid it, including not applying for jobs that require business trips.

The Emirates hub is a portal with comprehensive information on travel assistance and medical services, options to request support and a list of local contact numbers. Information is divided into each stage of an air journey: booking, pre-travel, in-flight, and on arrival. Details include an airport map and autism-friendly (Emirates has trained 35,000 staff to deal with autism) sensory guide to advise passengers what they can expect at Dubai airport.

Other innovations featured in Emirates’ announcement were calming sensory products and fidget toys for neurodivergent passengers, films with closed captions and audio descriptions, and barrier-free access within Dubai airport. The carrier has also introduced wheelchair-accessible city transfer vehicles for premium travellers.

While suppliers slowly start to improve, there are also big steps travel managers can take to make travel better for disabled colleagues. Here are five tips to start creating your own accessibility strategy:

Never about us without us

Don’t give disabled people what you think they might need. Instead, ask them! Create a focus group or send out surveys. But act sensitively. Instead of quizzing employees on whether they are disabled, give them options for travel support and ask which are appropriate for them. Also create a process for travellers to disclose disabilities without having to inform direct supervisors.

Work with your travel management company

TMCs are paying more attention to accessible travel too and some have even set up dedicated support desks to perform tasks like reconfirming special assistance with airlines. Ask your TMC what it is doing and sign up to its accessibility services.

Make information available

Create a portal with links to relevant services like the Emirates hub. Create a forum also for colleagues to advise, for example, on hotels they have found wheelchair-friendly.

Think about hidden disabilities

Your company may well have more travelling employees who are neurodivergent than more obvious challenges like visual impairment or using a wheelchair. But autistic and other neurodiverse people can struggle with unexpected itinerary changes or sensory overload. Think about what you can do to help, such as providing full written trip briefings, or creating quiet rooms at conferences.

Push suppliers to improve

Things may be getting better but they remain far from perfect. Let suppliers know this topic is important to you, and what improvements you want them to make.