Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau and “Wheel the World” Partnership Assessed Local Tourism Entities Through Accessibility Lens

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) is excited to announce that it has partnered with Wheel the World to complete more than 60 accessibility assessments for hospitality and tourism businesses and attractions throughout the Charlottesville area. The entities assessed included 25 restaurants, 18 accommodations, 11 attractions, 6 vineyards and the Charlottesville Albemarle Airport. The CACVB is only the second destination management organization in the country to complete these extensive assessments. This effort is part of the CACVB’s overarching “Tourism For All” initiative, which is aimed at creating a destination-wide inviting experience for all visitors.

Participating businesses and organizations received confidential assessments, a listing on the Wheel the World website, training for their staff members, and the opportunity to be marketed as accessible by the CACVB and Wheel the World. For the CACVB, training for its staff and a report on overall accessibility of the destination were included. In the coming months, a landing page will be developed for the CACVB website to feature these partners and to allow bookings through Wheel the World. A video featuring several of the assessment partners will debut later this year.

The destination report concludes that the accommodations assessed are ready to handle wheelchair users, but there is room to grow as a destination to address welcoming those with visual and hearing disabilities. Nearly all entities assessed used push/pull doors to enter/exit, which limits the capabilities of some individuals to access spaces independently. The CACVB will use the specific recommendations to inform its future planning for the destination.

“I want to thank our partners for trusting us and Wheel the World to enter their properties and offer opportunities to grow by welcoming more individuals with disabilities,” said Courtney Cacatian, Executive Director of the CACVB. “Our partners received this project with open arms, and I’m thrilled by the work that Wheel the World was able to accomplish in just three weeks onsite. Our destination flourishes when we collaborate to welcome everyone.”

“We at Chimm openly welcomed the opportunity to be have our restaurant evaluated for accessibility,” said Jay Pun, local restaurateur and owner of Chimm. “While we felt that we had already been accommodating to many, we found that after the assessment, there were even more small steps we could take to help make the experience more inclusive and comfortable.”

As part of its comprehensive American Rescue Plan Act funding, the Albemarle County Board of Supervisors provided the funding for this project. Charlottesville City matched the funding for additional projects focused on welcoming all people to Albemarle County and Charlottesville. This project happened due to their combined unwavering support and allowed the CACVB to offer these accessibility assessments to its tourism partners free of charge.

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About the Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau

The Charlottesville Albemarle Convention & Visitors Bureau (CACVB) welcomes thousands of visitors to the region each year from all over the world who are seeking a variety of unique experiences in history, food, wine, spirits and adventure. The CACVB serves as the global resource for marketing the tourism assets of the City of Charlottesville and County of Albemarle, and assists tour operators, meeting planners, and other groups in planning visits to the destination. The CACVB’s mission is to enhance the economic prosperity of the people of the City and County by promoting, selling and marketing the area as a destination, in pursuit of the meetings and tourism markets.


About Wheel the World

Wheel the World is a social enterprise with the goal of empowering people with disabilities to explore the world without limits. Wheel the World’s commitment is to provide detailed information about accessibility and specialized customer support throughout the entire travel experience.