Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
•
Mobility problems;
FOCUS ON INDUSTRY
•
Medical conditions;
•
People with young children.
ENGLISH HERITAGE
Research has shown that around 14 per cent of all
people living in Europe have some form of disability.
Added to this are the many millions who, through their
age or circumstances, have a particular special need.
The ageing population means that there are increasing
numbers of people with deteriorating eyesight and
hearing, who may fi nd it more diffi cult to move around
easily.
English Heritage, the body that advises government
on the conservation of the historic environment,
has made great strides in meeting the needs of
visitors with specifi c needs. It provides audio tours
at many of its sites and a number have tape tours for
visually impaired visitors. A number of publications,
including wheelchair routes, Braille guides and large
print visitor guides have been produced. In terms
of facilities, English Heritage provides wheelchairs
and special lavatories at many of its sites, and there
is an ongoing programme of introducing wider
entrances, special routes, ramps and handrails.
Guide dogs and hearing dogs for the deaf are
welcome at all of its properties and free admission
is offered to the companion of a wheelchair user or
visually impaired visitor. Recent developments in the
Disability Discrimination Act have acted as a focus
for its work in this area.
The important point for customer service staff to
remember is that visitors with specifi c needs don't want
to be made to feel a nuisance or different from other
customers, but do welcome a little extra appreciation
of, and respect for, their particular needs. Remember
too that disabled people's ability to carry out their
normal day-to-day activities is very often constrained
by the environment in which they fi nd themselves,
rather than the disability they live with, for example
problems with getting on and off buses, coaches, trains
and aircraft, and narrow doorways that do not allow
wheelchair access.
Weblink
Check out this website for more
information on the work of English
Heritage and its commitment to meeting
the needs of all visitors.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
Activity 4.7
Ask your tutor to arrange a visit to a local travel and
tourism facility, perhaps a hotel, tourist attraction or
tourist information centre. Make a list of any special
facilities provided for customers with specifi c needs.
After the visit, discuss with the rest of your group
whether the facility fully meets the needs of these
customers. Suggest any improvements that could be
made to accommodate visitors with specifi c needs.
employment and to increase access to goods, facilities
and services. The Act, which was updated under the
terms of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005, defi nes
'disability' as:
'A physical or mental impairment which has a substantial
and long term adverse effect on a person's ability to
carry out normal day-to-day activities.'
This activity is designed to provide evidence for P2, M1
and D1.
Since October 1999, service providers have had to
make 'reasonable adjustments' to accommodate
disabled people. From October 1st 2004, the Act
required all organisations to make alterations to the built
environment, e.g. access to buildings and the ability to
move freely inside buildings. Meeting the requirements
of the DDA is proving to be a big challenge for all travel
and tourism organisations such as hotels, restaurants,
Disability Discrimination Act
Meeting the needs of disabled people not only makes
good business sense, but it is also the law of the land. The
Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) was designed
to protect disabled people from discrimination in
