Something I really love about making tourism accessible that many of us often forget, is that it also builds inclusion for local people who have had to deal with these challenges on a daily basis. Accessible tourism, to me, isn’t just about disabled people either: think multilingual and large print signs at metro stations to help holiday makers, wide gangways for parents with pushchairs, or step-free access that also aids older people - everybody wins!

Emily Rose Yates is a 25 year old accessibility consultant, travel writer and TV presenter currently living in Glasgow. She has lived and worked in Austrlaia, Brazil, China and the USA and was the first wheelchair user to cross the Sinai Desert by camel! Emily first visited Rio in 2013, and instantly fell in love with its vibrancy, stunning views and the love of life that the cariocas show so well. She then went to work for MetroRio, and advised on accessibility for one of Rio’s main transport systems until 2015 (whilst spending most weekends haggling at the Hippie Fair or adapted surfing in Leblon.) Her Lonely Planet Guide to Accessible Rio de Janeiro was published for the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, and can be downloaded for free here: http://shop.lonelyplanet.com/brazil/accessible-rio-1/