A flight taxis to a runway while another flight takes off at Vancouver International Airport, in March, 2020. Airline travel has improved for the disability community over the years, but too often the accommodations fail.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press

Max L. Brault is a disability advocate and author of The Race to the Starting Line: What You Need to Know About the Accessible Canada Act for Making a Barrier Free Society.

It’s no secret that many Canadians these days are choosing not to cross the border into the United States, especially for vacations. It’s a shame what’s happened between our two countries, but there is a massive opportunity for greater tourism within Canada. For many Canadian families, though, one key factor plays a role in where they decide to go: if they can safely and comfortably travel to their destination at all.

The 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability, the most recent such data from Statistics Canada, tells us that “27 per cent of Canadians aged 15 years and older had one or more disabilities that limited them in their daily activities.” That was roughly 8 million people. And the numbers are only growing. Mental-health related disabilities are on the rise and as the population ages many more disabilities become more prevalent. That means perhaps as many as one third of Canadians will make travel plans based on what is........

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