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Jani ’ s professors encouraged her to get a graduate degree , but she did not pursue this . Jani commented on how this is one of her biggest regrets in life .
After college , Jani had an arranged marriage to her first husband , and they had a son and a daughter . Her generation of women were accustomed to arranged marriages . In 1979 , she moved to Brazil . She could not speak the language , so she decided to learn it . Jani and her husband moved to the Amazon jungle for his work at a mining company . While Jani lived in the mining town , she was asked to teach English for adults . In time , she met a friend who ran a travel agency . The man was traveling and he needed someone he could trust to run his business . It was at this point in her life that she fell in love with tourism . This was the first time she was a paid employee . Later she started her own travel agency with a friend . Jani was recognized as one of the top agents who sold tickets on British Airways to India . During the interview Jani said that she did not have any formal business training and she ran it with her heart and not her head which was the demise of her business .
The next chapter of Jani ’ s life included finding a niche market related to travel . She visited New York and met with the organization Big Apple Greeters which is a non-profit where real New Yorkers provide tours in different areas of the city . Jani met with Alexander Wood who ran this organization and he encouraged her to meet with Murray Vidockler , the founder of the Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicap ( SATH ). Jani met with Murray and she was sold on disability travel within 10 minutes of speaking . It was this moment in time that Jani found her niche . In 1993 , Jani designed her business to provide travel opportunities for individuals with disabilities . She has completed many
Jani at SATH conference
presentations for SATH on how to travel . She later devoted her time to this organization on a volunteer basis as they do not have paid staff . Today , SATH is known as Society for Accessible Travel & Hospitality as handicap is no longer a politically correct word .
Jani is a major contributor to SATH , a membership organization where the public is encouraged to participate . SATH does not rely on grants as they do not want to be regulated by laws . They participate in trade shows and promote travel for individuals with disabilities .
The organization also educates the public on travel resources SATH promotes disability friendly hospitality sites .