Open Doors Organization

02/21/2026

We just returned from facilitating a CRO training for Air Canada. The class had 24 participants total. We were privileged to have several pilots in our class for the first time.

Alt text photo description: All class participants are sitting around a brown conference table. On the wall in the distance of the photo there is the Air Canada logo.

02/18/2026

Love to see accessible bathrooms with larger changing tables! Accessibility is so valuable. Thanks for sharing from abroad! Have Wheelchair Will Travel

02/14/2026

Recently we were in Fort Lauderdale and Miami, Florida. We met with Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises. We also met with Avianca airlines as well as the access coordinator for the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and observed MGS (https://mgs.aero) wheelchair pushing operations for Spirit Airlines while we were there. It was a packed couple of days for sure!

Alt text photo description: An airport terminal hallway with gate signs overhead reading “Gates G9-G14” and “Gates E, F.” In the foreground, an airport assistance staff member wearing a light blue shirt and dark vest pushes two empty aisle wheelchairs side-by-side. Travelers sit and walk around in the background near a store called “InMotion,” which displays headphones and electronics. The floor is shiny and reflective, and the scene looks busy but orderly.

02/11/2026

ODO is very excited about their relationship with Japan Airlines! Last week we conducted a hands - on training to satisfy new DOT regulations. This was a train the trainer event. We had participants from Honolulu, Guam, Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, JFK, and several people from Tokyo, Japan.

Alt text photo description: This is a group photo with people who attended the training class. Eric and Craig are in the front sitting in their manual wheelchairs.

01/29/2026

This New York Times article is a very interesting read. We train thousands of people in travel and tourism every year and we’re not training the R word and no one we train likes it; no airline, train, mode of transportation, tourism. Most millennials still do not even know what it means. Read the full article here: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/us/r-word-slur-disability.html?unlocked_article_code=1.HlA.ueh9.k02FKplKetXv&smid=url-share

Alt text photo description: Jill Eglé is wearing all purple. She is sitting in a high chair. She is a disability advocate who was a driving force in having the “R- word” eliminated at the state level in Virginia.

The New York Times

01/26/2026

Thanks for sharing, Accessible Travel Press! We love when others appreciate the work we do. It takes a village!

Eric Lipp is the Executive Director of the Open Doors Organization - United States, which he founded in 2000. His work is grounded in his personal experience with the challenges people with disabilities face in everyday life.

01/15/2026

It’s hard to believe that we are already into 2026! Where have we been? Recently we were in Boston for a few days doing training for Smarte Carte who is getting into the wheelchair pushing business with Emirates. We trained them in Newark last January, now Boston this year. Some of them were trained as CRO’s and the rest were trained as airport assistance specialists.

Alt text description: A wide-angle photo of a hotel conference room set up classroom-style with long tables covered in white tablecloths. About two dozen attendees sit facing the front of the room, A projector and laptop sit on a table at the front, with cables running across the carpet. The room is bright with overhead lights and large windows along the left wall. Eric Lipp is talking during the training.

01/01/2026

On the first day of 2026 we want to say thank you to all our friends from airlines around the country. We couldn’t be successful on our endeavors without each of you. We are committed to making travel and leisure accessible to all! Let’s make this year great.

Alt text photo description: A group photo from our airline symposium back in August. It has all our ODO employees as well as a lot of our friends from Airlines around the country.

01/01/2026

Flashback to April 2024 when we visited Secret Bay in Portsmouth, Dominica. Not only is it a beautiful place to visit but it is super wheelchair accessible. It has a wheelchair accessible funicular. Maybe your next destination vacation for 2026?

Alt text photo description: Accessible funicular at Secret Bay Resort traveling uphill through lush tropical forest, supported by concrete pillars.

12/31/2025

A traveler with a disability just told us about a rideshare pilot program that their town has. Stamford Government
The program is based in Stamford, Connecticut and is called StamFORWARD. The program has been in existence for about a year. It is a rideshare app that individuals with and without disabilities can use to get around the area. They have wheelchair accessible vehicles for passengers who need that. The service is door-to-door for the people who use the wheelchair vehicles it cost anywhere from $.85 to $1.75 per ride. What a great program! A great example for other cities to follow suit! Learn more at this link: https://www.stamfordct.gov/Home/Components/News/News/2158/

Alt text photo description: A basic outline of a smart phone. On the smart phone screen, there is a white and gray outlined a map that shows the destination and arrival of a ride with a teal button at the bottom of the phone screen that says “Book This Ride”
To the right bottom corner of the phone there is a cartoon drawing of a black and teal minivan with the StamFORWARD logo on it.

12/25/2025

Merry Christmas from retired Service Dog, Edison. He hopes you have a jolly holiday.

Alt text photo description: Edison, a yellow lab stands in the middle of a doorway with a toy in his mouth. He has a Santa hat on his head.

12/22/2025

Flying into the holiday season and the new year with an action shot from a stowage training we did for Japan Airlines in El Segundo, California which is right near the airport. We trained about 25 people and most of them were below the wing managers or supervisors. We will be returning there in February to continue other training with them.

Alt text photo description: Eric Lipp (ODO) sits in his manual wheelchair next to a person in a power wheelchair during the training session.