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About Belinda

Belinda is a proud disabled woman with Cerebral Palsy, a former athlete and tourism researcher who created The Access Journey to share her lived experience and help make tourism more accessible and inclusive.

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A woman in a floral dress sits in a power wheelchair on a wooden path at a sandy beach, smiling. The ocean and tree-covered hills are visible in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
A woman in sunglasses and a blue beanie smiles at the camera while sitting in a power chair near a body of water, with rocky cliffs and a small waterfall in the background.

My Journey

Hi, I’m Belinda Harris, founder of The Access Journey. I’m a proud disabled woman who was born with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a lifelong neurological condition caused by damage to the brain before, during or shortly after birth. While everyone’s experience is different, for me, it means I have a speech impairment and use a power wheelchair most of the time. These present their own challenges, but they have also led to incredible opportunities and a path of advocacy, which has become a significant part of my work.

 

Disability has been part of my life from day one. I’ve never known anything different. But I never wanted my disability to define what I could achieve. My motto in life has always been “where there is a will, there is a way.” I believe the same applies to accessibility and inclusion. I know that accessibility and inclusion can sometimes feel like a challenge or even a fight, but I also know there is always a way to make them possible. This is why I founded The Access Journey (TAJ).

 

My passion for accessible tourism began while representing Australia in the sport of Boccia. Travelling the world showed me both the opportunities that good accessibility creates and the barriers that still exist. After retiring from sport, I decided to study tourism because I wanted to understand why these barriers existed and, more importantly, how they could be removed. I graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2019 with a Bachelor of Business, majoring in Tourism, Leisure and Event Management and Marketing.

 

But I wanted to dig deeper.

 

In 2023 I returned to university to complete an Honours degree researching accessible adventure tourism. My study explored the barriers, motivations, and opportunities involved in making adventure tourism accessible and inclusive, focusing on the perspectives of adventure tourism operators.

Athlete Mindset

Years as an athlete built resilience and creative problem solving.

Tourism Specialist

Tourism and marketing degrees plus honours research in accessible tourism.

Disability Advocate

I regularly speak and write about disability, accessibility and inclusion.

Bridge Builder

Connecting disabled travellers and tourism operators through practical, shared solutions.

A woman with shoulder length hair in a blue blazer sits in a power wheelchair, smiling at the camera. Behind her is a University of Queensland banner and a sign for the 35th Annual CAUTHE Conference in Brisbane 2025.

The Access Journey

I have always been passionate about travel and adventure. It gives me independence, connection, and a sense of possibility. Exploring new places, meeting new people, and experiencing new things has brought me so much joy. Living with disability means that everyday environments are not always designed with you in mind, and travel can amplify that reality. Through my own journeys, I’ve seen the great possibilities of accessible experiences. But I have also faced barriers that made travel frustrating, exhausting, or even impossible. After experiencing these barriers firsthand, I realised that I had the ability to do something about it for others whose daily lives are severely limited by problems that can be easily solved.

 

My experience and research inspired me to start The Access Journey. The Access Journey was created to bridge the gap between industry knowledge and lived experience. It’s an enterprise where I share my research and lived experience, highlight the enormous commercial potential of accessible tourism, and support business, industry and government looking to improve accessibility.

 

Accessibility does not happen all at once. It happens step by step, and The Access Journey is here to help.

Why Access Matters

The reason why access matters is not just about doing the right thing; it’s about people and our common humanity. I’m a consumer, just like everyone else, who wants to get out with my family and friends and live. So do 1 in 6 Australians lives with a disability, making this an enormous market with growing demand.

  • In 2024, travellers with accessibility needs, along with their companions, spent $29.2 billion on domestic tourism. That’s 17% of the total domestic tourism spend.
  • Globally, travellers with disabilities have a combined spending power exceeding $13 trillion.

Accessibility is an exciting opportunity. When tourism operators create accessible experiences, they’re not just meeting a requirement; they’re attracting a dedicated and loyal customer base.

The impact of accessible tourism goes beyond the tourists to the wider society such as Australia’s rapidly aging population, as well as the many benefits from new job opportunities, more tax revenue and an accessible environment that will make us all proud.

Just a friendly disclaimer, the stories and tips I share on my blog are based on my lived experience with Cerebral Palsy and using a wheelchair. I don’t speak for all disabled people, and everyone’s access needs and preferences vary. I hope my perspective helps, but please take what resonates for you.