Meet stephen Kaufer,
founder of tripadvisor
by Erica de Klerk
stephen Kaufer was in elementary school when his mother was diagnosed with Ms. stephen
joined the Ms movement as a teen growing up in
Malibu, calif., reading the most books in a society
read-a-thon. over the years, he has aggressively
funded Ms research, and in 2011 the society
welcomed him to the circle of distinction, an
elite honor reserved for friends who give at the
highest levels.
“treatment options have come a long way since
my mom was diagnosed with Ms,” stephen says.
“My hope is to see medical treatments developed
to cure, repair or hold progression at bay.”
His sisters, Julie and fran, have also found their
own ways to contribute to the Ms movement
and honor their mother’s memory. currently Julie
serves on both the society’s national board of
directors and the southern california & nevada
board, while fran and her children are active with
Walk Ms in the san diego area.
in 2000, stephen founded the online travel
company, tripadvisor, one of the most popular
travel-related sites on the Web. We asked stephen
how
tripadvisor.com can support travelers with
accessibility needs:
“tripadvisor’s travel forums have become
one of our most popular features,” he explains.
“Questions posted to these forums are answered
by locals or travelers who know an area well.”
(there are even “destination experts,” flagged by
tripadvisor as members who are particularly
knowledgeable about specific destinations.)
“if you’ve got questions about accessibility, a
hotel’s proximity to a pharmacy and so on, there’s
usually someone in the forum who will have the
answer,” he says. “and if you click the ‘Watch this
topic’ button, you’ll receive an alert any time
someone responds.”
erica de Klerk is director of donor and Volunteer
relations for the society.
courtesy of stepHen Kaufer
honest about my MS is about the best favor I can
do for myself, especially because my MS is not
immediately apparent.”
The TSA has a toll-free helpline for travelers with
disabilities. Fliers concerned about screening
policies and procedures relative to their medical
condition can call TSA Cares at 855-787-2227
between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Eastern time, Monday
through Friday. The agency advises calling 72
hours before traveling so it can coordinate support
with a customer service manager at the airport’s
security checkpoint, if necessary. Also check
out the TSA’s “Travelers with Disabilities and
Medical Conditions” web page at
www.tsa.gov/
travelers/airtravel/disabilityandmedicalneeds for
helpful information about screening procedures,
medications, service animals and more.
Likewise, the Department of Transportation
(
airconsumer.dot.gov) maintains its own
hotline for people traveling by air at 800-778-
4838. Staffed from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern
time, Monday through Friday, the department
answers questions—either for future travel or in
real time at the airport—on issues ranging from
mobility assistance to service animals. And the
ACAA requires each airline to have a Complaints
Resolution Official available at every airport
during times of scheduled operations.
