Meet Sylvia Longmire

We were lucky to catch up with Sylvia Longmire recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sylvia, thank you so much for joining us today. Let’s jump right into something we’re really interested in hearing about from you – being the only one in the room. So many of us find ourselves as the only woman in the room, the only immigrant or the only artist in the room, etc. Can you talk to us about how you have learned to be effective and successful in situations where you are the only one in the room like you?

I’m often in an environment where I’m the only wheelchair user in the room. The best way I overcome any issues that stem from this is to just know what I’m talking about. It’s amazing how many people don’t take wheelchair users seriously for whatever preconceived notions they might have. But once I start talking and people realize the level of expertise and experience I have on a given subject, those notions tend to disappear pretty quickly.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

I’m one of the world’s top accessible travel experts, a published author, entrepreneur, and service disabled Air Force veteran. I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis 20 years ago and I’ve been using a wheelchair full-time for nine years. I started my Spin the Globe accessible travel brand and blog eight years ago, and since then I traveled to 48 countries as a wheelchair user, and 35 of those solo. In addition to exploring amazing places around the world, the best part of my job is the people I get to meet, and the ability to change perceptions of wheelchair users and people with disabilities, specifically destroying any myths about our limitations. This fall I will be appearing in my first network television show, and my mission is to continue to increase the representation of people with disabilities in the media.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

When you are a wheelchair user who travels frequently, perseverance is definitely a necessary skill because you will run into obstacles that require creativity every single day. You also need a lot of patience, not just for logistical challenges, but for people who don’t understand what our needs are. Finally, you really need to know how to conduct research. We need to know where and how to find all the information available about accessibility, and that information is spread out all over the place and can be challenging to find. The best way to develop the skills is just to take the time, work hard, and be willing to learn from your mistakes.

One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?

I am always looking to collaborate with destinations, attractions, hotels, businesses, anyone in the travel or corporate sector that is looking to showcase or improve their level of wheelchair accessibility.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Sylvia Longmire, Nicole O’Brien

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