20 years on from the ADA we still only have Accessibility
Four years ago I was a newcomer to accessible tourism, compared to may on this forum I still am. I formed Travability as an information portal to provide accessible information where the industry had failed to do so. I am not alone and many have been developing their own excellent sites.
Dr Simon Darcy has been at the forefront of developing research as to the information needs for travellers with disabilities and the Sydney for all portal is yet another great example of how that information could and should be presented.
The real issue going forward is how do we as a group change the perception of the mainstream tourism industry. A plethora of good information sites is one thing but unless the general traveller with disabilities knows where to look the information remains as illusive as it always was. Governments are no better and many around the world continue to fund small and ineffective groups to compile and maintain a database of accessible venus, attractions and accommodation. The result is the same as our own web sites namely the information is hard to find unless you know about it and often out of date due to the length of time between reviews.
At the risk of getting controversial what did the ADA, and the various other Acts around that it spawned, actually achieve. There is no denying that it forced built infrastructure to become more accessible by setting standards for minimum compliance. For the first time rights of access were enshrined into the building code. We must remember, however, that those standards were based on the principles of Universal design, which at their heart were conceived to be innovative. They were principles to encourage future generations of designers and operators to think about access not in terms of the physical infrastructure but to think of design in terms of making those environments inclusive. As I have said before true inclusion should just blend in not be a piece of infrastructure with blue and white disabled signs plastered all over it. 20 years on there is now a lot of very good examples of accessible infrastructure but there is still a dearth of information, and where that information exists is devoid of useful detail to allow people with disabilities to make an informed travel decision.
The very nature of compliance tends to lead to a real disconnect between those who are designing and building something to those who are finally operating and marketing it. Compliance with building regulations etc are all done in the design and building phase. By the time the operators come in to run any establishment everything is already there. Often the reason for the accessible facilities are not fully understood and even less understood are the needs of the disabled traveler. Further these facilities are often regarded as dead money as no one ever uses them. Marketing is limited to, if at all, to a throw away line to the effect that we have accessible rooms or facilities. This seems to be based on the fact that operators regard all disabled travellers as being the "same" There is no comprehension that the needs are different for every disability. The same operators and marketers, however, are perfectly capable of describing the subtle differences between 20 or more different room types to create an "upsell" opportunity.
What is the real issue going forward? Information is not being presented because operators do not understand what level of detail is needed because they have no real understanding for the needs of the disabled traveller. If we are honest with ourselves our own presentations and level of detail vary greatly but we are developing various approaches that give a combination of technical descriptions, measurements and digital imagery. These three core elements were confirmed to be the real needs of people with disabilities by the research of Simon Darcy. The issue now is how to we get that information into the mainstream travel information. Does it need a next generation of ADA that now concentrates on making minimum information standards mandatory and if so can we as a group decide on what that minimum is? Or can the industry itself be taught to do it because it can the economic benefits of full utilisation of the facilities built to comply with the ADA and other Acts around the world. We have built some great examples in our various information sites but it is time now to push that knowledge into the mainstream.