Olivia Shivas Helps Those with Disabilities Travel

In a Washington Post story, three travellers with disabilities, including New Zealand journalist Olivia Shivas, relate how they cope with an added layer of worry and logistics.

In the podcast “What’s Wrong With You?”, Shivas and her friends discuss their experience navigating the world as wheelchair users.

“Just because the world is badly designed doesn’t mean we don’t want to see more of it,” said Auckland-born Rebecca Dubber, Shivas’ co-host and a retired Paralympian swimmer, on a recent episode.

To meet these challenges, Shivas thoroughly researches and plans each leg of her journey. She reads blogs and reviews by other disabled people, checks out the exterior of buildings on Google Maps (with a keen eye for staircases), and makes sure to request accessible accommodations.

“​​I am basically my own travel agent,” she said.

Shivas is the recipient of the supreme prize at New Zealand’s 2021 Attitude Awards and was also the Attitude Enterprise winner.

Shivas is a digital producer at Stuff.

Original article by Emily Fagan, The Washington Post, January 10, 2022.