Oregon
How Oregon became first state to earn ‘accessibility verified’ travel designation
Through a partnership between Travel Oregon and Wheel the World, Oregon has been named the first state to be “accessibility verified,” a Wheel the World designation that recognizes the state as an accessible travel destination.
Wheel the World, a travel platform for people with disabilities, was founded in 2018 by a wheelchair user to identify and promote accessible places to explore.
“So not a travel agency, but more an Expedia for people with disabilities,” said Joy Burns, communication and partnership manager for the company. “We wanted to offer verified information on accessibility, details of hotels, attractions and also transportation options.”
The company vets destinations by sending specialized mappers to verify accessibility details of hotels and other locations. They collect over 200 specific data points. At hotels, for instance, those data points include bed height, bathroom features and doorway measurements.
“They visited in Oregon in 43 communities across the state,” said Allie Gardner, industry communications manager at Travel Oregon. “They have assessed now over 750 tourism businesses, so hotels, restaurants, other types of businesses.”
The partnership with Travel Oregon began incrementally. Initially, Wheel the World started working with the Oregon Coast tourism agency. Recognizing the statewide potential, Travel Oregon formally launched the partnership with Wheel the World in 2024 with a $400,000 investment.
The Oregon verification process lasted over two and a half years. Using the results, Travel Oregon and Wheel the World then created accessible vacation itineraries for seven Oregon regions: the Willamette Valley, central Oregon, Portland, Mount Hood and the Columbia River Gorge, southern Oregon, eastern Oregon and the Oregon coast.
Each itinerary includes detailed accessibility information for hotels, restaurants and activities in each region, giving would-be-travelers a step-by-step plan to visit Oregon cities such as Bend, Ashland and Crater Lake and Cannon Beach.
In addition to the verification initiative, Travel Oregon has supported accessibility improvements through its statewide grants program over the past two years, which funds projects that make travel experiences more inclusive.
“We have, over the past few years, given out more than $8 million in grants towards projects and programs that either promote, maintain or improve accessibility across the state,” Gardner said, of Travel Oregon.
Through one such grant funded by Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge in partnership with Travel Oregon, Randy and Rebecca Kiyokawa, owners of Kiyokawa Family Orchards in Mount Hood, were able to install over 600 feet of Mobi-Mats, creating wheelchair-accessible pathways through the orchard.
Randy Kiyokawa said the mats benefit many of the orchard’s visitors.
“Not only people in wheelchairs, but people with baby strollers, it’s just improving the experience for everybody,” he said. “It’s almost like the yellow brick road. It shows people where to go and where we laid out the flow of traffic.”
The $27,000 project is the first in Oregon to feature Mobi-Mats in a u-pick farm setting, according to Experience Mt. Hood and the Gorge. Previously known for improving beach access for wheelchair users, the mats provide stable, nonslip pathways across soft or uneven ground and can be used in all weather conditions. Randy Kiyokawa expects the new Mobi-Mats will improve tourism in the Columbia Gorge.
“It’s going to be huge once word gets out that the gorge and Oregon are friendly for people that have accessibility issues,” he said.
He explained that the mats were placed to make navigation easier in key areas, including the parking lot, near the farm stand, throughout the u-pick blocks and around spaces used for entertainment and picnics. The Mobi-Mats will remain in place through the end of the u-pick season in late October, and Kiyokawa said he plans to expand the accessible pathways in future seasons.
According to Burns and Gardner, the accessibility improvements across the state have already yielded positive responses from travelers with disabilities.
“We invited travelers with disabilities to come experience these itineraries that we’re creating,” Gardner said. “They had really positive feedback. Some of them were doing activities that they never thought they would be able to do or be able to be part of.”
Both organizations say they plan to continue adding destinations and activities to their travel itineraries.
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BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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