Life will soon be made easier for disabled travellers. New access standards for tourism accommodation, announced last Wednesday by the tourist boards of…
Life will soon be made easier for disabled travellers. New access standards for tourism accommodation, announced last Wednesday by the tourist boards of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, will give them clear information about what facilities are available when they make their holiday plans.
The new National Accessible Scheme for hotels, guest houses and self-catering accommodation, aims to encourage the tourism industry to provide a more accessible environment for the UK`s estimated nine million people with disabilities.
The new accessibility rating system is to be implemented uniformly in all four countries in the UK and has been developed following extensive research, consultation and piloting.
The new standards cover three types of impairment: mobility, visual and hearing. Each is represented by a symbol that can be displayed on signs outside the accommodation and used in promotional literature and marketing materials. An assessor who will rate the property against four different levels for mobility and two each for visual and hearing impairments, will visit accommodation owners wishing to join the scheme.
Announcing the new standards to the trade at the Britain Visitor Centre in London, Tourism Minister Kim Howells said: Customer opinions and expectations have changed radically since the creation of the old accessibility standards. The new National Accessible Scheme is a big step forward in providing disabled tourists with the best possible service.
Welcoming the initiative, ETC Chairman Alan Britten said: Improving access to tourism accommodation is good for tourists and good for business. In England alone, 2.7 million disabled people regularly travel. Many more are deterred by uncertainty about what they can expect. These new standards will improve the quality of accommodation, make holidays for disabled people more enjoyable and open up a market worth many millions of pounds to tourism businesses.
In order to help accommodation owners wishing to achieve the new access standards, ETC has developed an accompanying information pack. The pack includes tips and guidance on simple, common sense changes that can be taken to improve accessibility. It also includes a self-survey to identify improvements, information on preparing an action plan and guidance on producing an access statement for guests.
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) requires tourism providers to take reasonable steps to make their facilities and services accessible to disabled people, whether as guests, visitors or employees. The Act comes fully into force by 2004. Meeting the standards of the new National Accessible Scheme will not guarantee compliance with the DDA, as this would be a matter for legal interpretation. However, achieving the standards will embrace the spirit of the Act as well as going a long way to help businesses to provide a more accessible environment and offer customers an informed choice.
The new National Accessible Scheme will be launched to consumers later in the year.
The new system replaces the existing National Accessible Scheme, which covered mobility only. The new standards for mobility have four categories where Level one is the most basic and Level four the most comprehensive. Level two mobility, for example, would be typically suitable for a person with restricted walking ability and for those who may need to use a wheelchair some of the time. The standards for visually and hearing-impaired people each have two levels. Level one covers the minimum entry requirements, while Level two includes best practice.
National Accessible Scheme: the Benefits of Participation is a leaflet for accommodation owners which explains the scheme.
The Scheme`s implementation will begin in England with a roll out to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland later in the year.
Facts and figures
- Around 14% of Europeans have some form of disability.
- More than a quarter of all tourism trips are taken by people over 55, the age group most likely to benefit from increased accessibility.
- People with visual impairment make up approximately 5% of disabled people.
- A survey revealed that an estimated 66% of disabled people had taken a holiday in the last year.
- Those who had taken a holiday in the previous 12 months went away an average 2.3 times.
Some examples of easy ways to improve access and quality, drawn from the National Accessible Scheme information pack.
- Have a portable vibrating alarm available on request for guests who may have difficulty responding to an audible fire alarm.
- Ensure that there is at leas one copy of the menu in large print and offer to read the menu if appropriate.
- Accept working or service dogs in bedrooms and public areas.
- Use coloured glassware and jugs to make it easier for visually impaired people to see what they are using.
- Ensure that blocks are available for raising the height of beds.
- Trim any overhanging plants or hedges along pathways.
- When talking to a wheelchair user, don`t lean on the wheelchair as this is part of the user`s personal space.
- At a reception / entrance desk, keep a paper and pen handy for guests with hearing difficulties.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
