About Us - Planet Abled

Welcome to Planet Abled, where we mainstream accessibility and inclusion in the global tourism industry.

Our Journey

At Planet Abled, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to explore the world and experience its wonders. Founded with a passion for inclusivity and a love for travel, our mission is to enable the tourism industry to build inclusion into their everyday practice.

Planet Abled was founded out of a belief that travel is a right, not a privilege, for everyone. Our founder, Neha Arora, inspired by her personal experiences, envisioned a world where people with disabilities could explore the globe with ease and dignity. She recognised that most companies in the inclusive tour

Disability is the string, the deciding factor about where we travel and with whom. Single-disability approaches to accessible tourism ignore the realities of people who live with more than one disability. For example, individuals who are both Deaf and autistic. We use an intersectional approach to cater to the needs of people with multiple disabilities, increasing their travel options and variety of experiences.

With a deep passion for inclusivity, Planet Abled was born to make it norm. We take an intersectional approach to breaking down barriers so that all individuals can embark on enriching and inclusive adventures, irrespective of disability/ies, gender, age, sexual orientation, ethnicity, and medical condition.

Since 2016, we have been tailoring travel experiences where everyone can participate fully and enjoy. To date, we are the only tourism company that designs inclusive tours for both disabled and non-disabled people to travel together. From serene getaways to thrilling escapades, our wide range of destinations and activities promise something special for everyone.

Consulting

We use intersectional approaches to build inclusion into the global tourism industry,

We noticed the gaps to inclusion we identified were not being filled, so we fill them. Through our consultancy, we work our existing approaches into frameworks that we apply in our partnerships, to continue to build capability in the tourism industry.

Our consultancy services are at the heart of this mission. From hotels and transportation services, to tourism boards and travel companies, we collaborate with a diverse array of organisations to design and implement inclusive solutions that meet the highest standards.

Beyond just travel, we are a community. Planet Abled is a space where like-minded travelers and businesses come together to share tips, support, challenges, and success stories. We are proud to foster an inclusive environment where everyone can feel confident to explore the world.

Our Mission

We are on a mission to integrate accessibility into the mainstream tourism industry, shifting the conversation from sympathy to aspiration.

Our goal is to overcome these challenges by working with businesses to adapt inclusivity, challenge perceptions about disabled communities.

OUR VISION

Planet Abled’s vision is a world where accessibility is the norm, not the exception. Why? Because disability is one community that we will all be a part of at some point in our lives. Either temporarily or permanently, disability touches all of us. When we design inclusively, we ensure that not a single person is excluded from society at any point in their lives.

We want all businesses, destinations, and establishments to have inclusion as part of their core values and practices. We want inclusion to be built into all travel companies, to the point where our travel services business is no longer needed.

Meet the Team

Neha Arora

Neha was born to parents with two different disabilities and has 39 years of lived experience in accessibility and inclusion. She is an Electronics and Communication Engineer by education and worked for 9 years with IT and Telecom corporations like HCL, Nokia, and Adobe in Software Delivery and Quality Management, Account Management, Presales and Enterprise Sales roles before bidding it goodbye forever.

Sinead Hewson

Sinéad works internationally with organizations and businesses in the middle of change, scaling up and seeking high performance. She works with leaders and technical experts from the public and private sector developing strategies that are relevant at local and international level. These programmes aim to utilize resources effectively, be SDG aligned and realize gender equity. She has a Ph.D in Communication adjunct faculty at Webster University. She has held a number of board positions including the European Institute of Women’s Health focusing on gender equity at the policy level in Europe and online mental health charity turn2me. She is also a mentor in the Dutch start-up community. She has a lived experience of disability with close family members.

Gopal Garg

Over the last 20 years, Gopal has led many social impact initiatives with a focus on Youth, Innovation, big thinking, and systems change. He co-founded Youth4Jobs, an organization mainstreaming persons with disabilities in the job market. His innovative programs on ecosystem building for the inclusion of people with disabilities in corporate have changed mindsets and influenced many policies in corporate which were recognized as global best practices. Gopal has worked on scaling programs across India, Mauritius and Kenya, and co-led the designing and implementation of the 1 million jobs mission of the Government and the World Bank.

Klaus Hockner

Klaus is the executive director of Hilfsgemeinschaft der Blinden und Sehschwachen/Access Austria. With over 7000 members and 100 employees it is the leading organization helping visually impaired persons in Austria. Klaus is a member of the board of the Austrian Disability Forum representing more than 80 organizations with 1.4 million members, International Association of Accessibility Professionals(IAAP), and Global Leadership Council member. He is also the Ambassador of Access Israel and Zero Project. He has over 20 years of experience in ICT and standardization at European and inter/national levels (CEN, CENELEC/ISO/ITU), a past member of the High-Level Expert Group on Artificial Intelligence at the European Commission, and expert on the Accessible EU platform. His mission is to make the world accessible for all.

Karina Bhasin

An intersectional feminist and social entrepreneur with 7+ years of experience, she is passionate about driving change for the socioeconomic inclusion of marginalized and underserved communities. Her interest lies in creating strategies that lead to growth in terms of scale, revenue, and size of the organization and frameworks that enable strict monitoring and evaluation of the sustainability of programs. Her major work has been in the mobility and care Industry. She has a lived experience of disability in close family.

Philippa Kaye

A specialist in travel for thirty years responsible for establishing various divisions for travel companies including Ampersand Travel, Real Holidays and Experience Travel Group. She lived in India for over ten years and is passionate about showcasing destinations’ beyond the mainstream and consults hotels, destination Management Companies and UK Tour Operators to enhance their experiential offerings, service levels, product development, content and social media. She also has a blog about India, www.memsahibinindia.com, authored Escape to India, and contributes articles to various national and international publications. She lives with an invisible disability herself and is the primary caregiver of her father in late 80s.

Sustainable Development Goals

We are committed to supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We work to include accessibility and inclusion into the sustainable tourism conversation. Through our programmes, initiatives, and partnerships, we contribute to addressing key global challenges outlined in the SDGs, working towards a more sustainable and equitable future for all.