Sebastien is the founder of Handiscover – an online hub for booking accessible travel accommodations.
He’s passionate about travel and has lived all over the world. He was determined that he’d keep his travel habits once he had children. However, at four years-old, his son Teo was diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and Sebastien soon discovered how challenging it can be to travel and find accommodations that are adapted for his son’s special needs.
After a family trip to Paris, Sebastien was inspired to create Handiscover. He wanted to do something that would make a difference and give people with special needs the tools they needed to travel freely and safely.
Handiscover is the first community-based travel website dedicated to people with special needs. It is built on a bank of qualified data pertaining to the accessibility of accommodations in popular vacation destinations. Its information is tailored to an individual’s level of mobility and includes personal anecdotes and insights about the culture in different countries – all relevant and useful to people with physical disabilities or limited mobility. These insights help encourage disabled travelers to visit new places, and ensures that people with special needs can travel independently.
Handiscover’s mission is to democratize accessibility. The company has grown over the years – capitalizing on its data, knowledge and expertise, and is now helping other businesses in the industry with Accessibility Management Solutions. This includes assessing and improving accessibility communication as well as education on accessibility and disability for staff.
Thanks to a grant from the European Union, the Handiscover team CAN further build and expand their programs to help businesses cater to the many people who have some form of disability – whether it be mobility, visual, hearing or cognitive impairment.
We have seen that we can make a real impact on society when it comes to accessibility and improved conditions for people with a disability by helping companies to adapt. It’s about giving people the choice, freedom and opportunity to live independently.
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