On Sunday night, millions tuned in to watch Super Bowl LIX, featuring a mashup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, and a halftime performance by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.
The high-stakes game also spotlighted a resident from LaFayette, Georgia, in a Google commercial during one of its prominent commercial breaks.
Cory Lee, 34, is an accessible travel blogger and influencer and has written his blog, Curb Free with Cory Lee, since 2013. Lee has spinal muscular atrophy, which is a form of muscular dystrophy and causes worsening muscle weakness.
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Nearing college graduation, Lee said he was planning a trip to Australia in 2013 and got online before quickly realizing there was a lack of accessible travel information on the internet.
That inspired him to start his blog, he said in a phone interview.
“I decided to launch the blog, just really because I wanted to create a resource where other wheelchair users could get online and, hopefully, you know, find out what’s accessible around the world and make their traveling experiences a little bit easier,” he said. “It’s been a whirlwind ever since.”
Lee said there’s often not a lot of information available about accessibility.
“It’s so hard for me when I’m traveling to find information that I can actually trust and that was written by another wheelchair user,” he said.
Lee plans trips six to 12 months in advance, or longer, because of how much time and effort it takes, he said. Given this, he wants to help shorten the planning process for other individuals with disabilities.
Lee has traveled to 50 countries and all seven contents, he said. His blog is complete with travel tips and guides.
“I really love places that are, like, unique and maybe places that, you know, I first assume they aren’t wheelchair accessible, and then when I get there, like, they kind of blow my mind,” he said.
Lee said two of his favorite visits were India and Morocco, which were both better than he could have expected and surprisingly wheelchair accessible in providing hotels and transportation.
“It was just so much better than I ever expected because I honestly never thought that I would be able to go to, like, India or Morocco as a wheelchair user,” he said. “Just to be able to actually go to those destinations and have a really incredible time as a wheelchair user was just such a special experience.”
Curb Free with Cory Lee has over 50,000 readers each month, and Lee has over 150,000 followers across his social media channels.
GOOGLE COMMERCIAL
Around September, Lee said he received an email from a Google employee with limited details about an upcoming project.
He said he had to go through a few auditions and interviews but did not know what the project was until the end of October, when he learned he’d been cast in a 30-second Super Bowl commercial highlighting his blog.
“I was immediately so excited,” he said. “I couldn’t believe that, you know, it was for a Super Bowl commercial, so it was a really exciting time.”
The commercial features Lee, his mom and his friend, Lee said. It was filmed in December before airing during Sunday night’s game.
Lee said he was honored Google chose to highlight his company.
“My favorite part of the entire experience is just to really, like, have that representation of people with disabilities and on such a huge platform like the Super Bowl,” he said. “I think our stories as people with disabilities are so often overlooked and not really showcased in such a large way.”
Upon learning he’d be featured in a Super Bowl ad, Lee received supportive messages both before and after it aired, he said.
“The disabled community is really supportive and excited that we’re getting this recognition,” he said. “I hope that it is, like, kind of a step for us in the right direction for inclusivity and accessibility when it comes to travel.”
Lee said it’s been incredible to have so much support in the LaFayette community.
“They’re so excited just to see, like, our little hometown represented during the big game,” he said.
‘A WHIRLWIND’
Sandy Gilbreath is Lee’s mother and works as his travel photographer, taking photos and videos of him on his trips to destinations like Oklahoma City and Miami.
In a phone interview, Gilbreath said his journey has been a crazy ride, starting out from the time Lee was small.
“I raised him as a single parent and struggled my whole life just to work and try to care for him, put him through college,” she said.
When Lee started his blog, Gilbreath said she and her son figured it would be nice for him to write about trips and let others see what’s accessible and possible.
Ultimately, the blog increased in followers, before destinations began reaching out to Lee and offering to pay for his trips if he’d show what accessible things they had for people with disabilities to do, Gilbreath said.
“It just grew into a business that we never even dreamed of or thought about when it first began,” she said. “It’s been a whirlwind and super exciting.”
When Lee graduated college, Gilbreath said, he struggled to find a career, despite having a degree in marketing.
“People were seeing the wheelchair and not him when he would go to job interviews,” she said.
She said she felt interviewers weren’t giving Lee a fair chance at hiring him, so Lee finding a career where he’s helping others around the world amazes her.
“Yeah, the travel is great. Seeing places I would have never been able to see before is great,” she said, “but just seeing my son to be able to fulfill all that he’s done, even with all the challenges that he faces, that is what’s been more rewarding for me.”
When she first found out her son would be featured in a Super Bowl commercial, Lee said she fell to the floor, dropping to her knees.
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“It’s huge,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I think he’s great, but, I mean, for a company the size of Google to pick his business out of all the businesses in Georgia, I was impressed. I was overwhelmed.”
It all amazes Gilbreath, she said, considering the struggles she and her son have been through. He’s flourished, and she gets to do it with him.
TRAVEL AND DISABILITY
For people who are wheelchair users and may be nervous about traveling, Lee said he thinks the travel industry is constantly improving for people with disabilities.
“Even though something may not be accessible right now, that doesn’t mean that it’s not going to be accessible in the near future, hopefully,” he said.
Both people with and without disabilities need to speak up about accessibility, he said, because it will take everyone to make the world a more accessibile place.
“The world is just a place that’s totally worth exploring, no matter what your abilities are,” Lee said. “I hope that, you know, with this commercial and this representation that we can, you know, push people to get out there and break out of their comfort zones and hopefully start seeing the world.”
Contact Leah Hunter at lhunter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6673.