International Air Transport Association (IATA) announces that Linda Ristagno, Assistant Director of External Affairs, is the eighth recipient of the Open Doors Organization’s Disability Access Professional Award in recognition of her contributions to accessibility and equity in aviation. The ceremony took place on October 26, 2022 at ODO’s Universal Access in Aviation event, co-hosted this year by American Airlines at their Skyview Headquarters in Fort Worth, Texas.
Linda joined IATA in 2010 and worked initially on various projects including Human Anti-Trafficking and various Cargo initiatives. Since 2018 Linda has devoted her energies to bringing accessibility to the forefront of all segments of IATA. Her tireless work led to the landmark 2019 IATA AGM Resolution on Passengers with Disabilities that committed IATA’s members to adopt policy and process principles to advance accessibility for passengers with disabilities.
This Resolution in turn enabled Linda to form the Accessibility Working Group (ACWG) that advocates for consistent application of regulations and the Mobility Aids Action Group (MAAG), designed to reduce damage and delay to assistive devices and mobility aids. She was also the driving force behind IATA’s Passenger Accessibility Operations Manual (IPAOM) which is a centralized reference point to guide airlines and the IATA Guidance Material for accessible air travel in time of pandemic together with other policy positions. During COVID she worked with the UN World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and other international stakeholders to deliver the UNWTO tracker tool and prepare the world for post-pandemic access in travel and tourism driven by data and information sharing.
This award was created by Open Doors Organization in 2008 to honor the work of those who have taken accessibility in aviation from an afterthought to an influential seat at the table. Awardees have the unique ability to bring people together, discuss difficult topics and build smart solutions. These individuals have all delivered on promises to the disability community and been catalysts of change. Open Doors Organization was founded in 2000 with a mission of making goods and services in travel tourism and transportation fully accessible to people with disabilities. Past recipients include: Georgene Ross, Lisa Anderson, Ray Prentice, Phil Burke, Vicki Strobel, Vicki Curtis and Rosalie Crabbe.
