My name is John Morris.

In the Fall of 2012, a car accident changed the course of my life. Severe burns laid claim to three of my limbs, making me a triple amputee. Shock, fear, anger, sadness, hopelessness. Yes, I grappled with all of those emotions. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about.

Before my disability, I was a traveler. I took flights for no other reason than to fly. I explored destinations all around the world, sometimes for only a day or two. Travel was, in effect, my first true love.

I refused to surrender that to disability.

And so, more than a year after my car accident, with bedsores, amputations and all, I took my first trip as a disabled person… to Los Angeles. It was a joyous occasion—my alma mater, Florida State University, won the college football national championship game. And I was there.  But planning that trip was difficult. The internet was filled with unreliable information about traveling with a disability. Nothing I read prepared me for what traveling with a wheelchair is actually like. As I began to take more trips—to Washington, D.C., then to Boston, Seattle and finally to Beijing, China—I asked myself, why hasn’t someone created a resource that tells me what I need to know?

I want to Open Your World (and mine).

I traveled for more than a year before launching WheelchairTravel.org. And what was initially envisioned as a place where I could share a few tips has grown to become a diverse community of readers and guest writers from every corner of the world.

The reality is, more than 1% of the world’s population uses a wheelchair. And nearly 20% have a disability that limits one or more activities of daily living. So there is certainly a market for accessible travel, and my readership is proof of the demand.

Just like me, wheelchair users know that the majority of online resources for wheelchair accessible travel are limited and unreliable. With my website, I aim to disrupt that unacceptable status quo. I write only about the places I have visited and the experiences I have had from the seat of my wheelchair. If I cannot be confident in the accuracy of information, I will not publish it. I am committed to providing my readers with the tools to access the world independently or with friends/family/caregivers.

In addition to writing about travel destinations, I also throw in a bit of my disability advocacy. I praise businesses that serve everyone equally, criticize those that do not, and defend them against unfair criticism. It is my hope that business leaders will act on my call to create accessibility for all. But my most important work is educating readers about what to expect when traveling with a mobility impairment.

Together, we can be partners in forging a path forward for our disabled peers and the people who join our community every day. Get out there and see the world with me!

If you’d like to join in on my accessible travel journey, follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for the latest updates! Have questions? E-mail me at john@wheelchairtravel.org  and I’ll do my best to respond with answers!