It’s an image that captured the imagination of millions of people around the world: Sam Sullivan, the then-mayor of Vancouver, spinning his wheelchair around and around as the Olympic flag, secured in a special holder on the side of his chair, fluttered overhead.

That flag twirl, part of the closing ceremonies of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Torino, Italy, symbolized so much. That Vancouver would host the next Olympic Winter Games. That a person with quadriplegia could lead a major city. That, with a few adjustments, people with disabilities could participate fully in Olympic pomp and circumstance – and, by extension, in life.

Thanks to a ground swell of interest and funding that followed Vancouver’s successful bid to host the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, the BC travel industry began making many positive adjustments to ensure Vancouver’s accommodations, restaurants and attractions are accessible to people with disabilities.

“The Games are a catalyst for change of the very best kind” says Bruce Dewar, CEO of 2010 legacies now , a not-for-profit society that partners with organizations, businesses and governments to develop sustainable legacies in sport and recreation, healthy living, arts, literacy, volunteerism and accessibility. “We are using the Games as a driver to get people thinking about how to make this one of the most accessible places in the world.”

This is more than simply a feel-good proposition. One in eight people worldwide live with a disability. In North America alone, travellers with disabilities spend more than $13 billion each year on travel. Together they are one of the fastest growing market opportunities in the world.

In the years leading up to the 2010 Winter Games, Vancouver’s tourism businesses began positioning themselves to tap in to that market with the help of 2010 Legacies Now and its partners. Through the accessible tourism strategy , accommodations, restaurants and attractions in BC are assessed on their capacity to serve people with disabilities. Businesses that fulfill certain criteria in the accessibility assessment earn the right to display icons that address their wheelchair accessibility, visual accessibility, and hearing accessibility. The information is also compiled with the goal of providing clear and consistent information to disabled travelers.

Visitors searching for accommodation on Tourism Vancouver’s website can now specify to search specifically for accessible accomodation listings. In addition, a growing number of attractions, such as Vancouver Aquarium and the Museum of Vancouver, feature their accessibility icons and information on their Tourism Vancouver listing. The intent is to have all businesses assessed and rated soon.

“The part of this project that excites me the most is how tourism has embraced it,” says 2010 Legacies Now’s Bruce Dewar. “The Games are the tipping point and things will carry on from here.” According to Tourism Vancouver’s Walt Judas, "Thinking about how we can meet the needs of locals and travellers with disabilities - that's now embedded in the way we do business."