ACCESSIBLE TOURISM MYTH-BUSTING DESTINATIONS Open
Accessible travel isn’t nearly as tricky as you might think, finds Tom Jamison
A
nybody who watched this summer’s coverage
of the Paralympic Games will be familiar with the label ‘superhumans’, referring to the disabled people who put on such a successful performance in Rio. With those achievements
fresh in the memory, it begs the question why so many organisations in travel still regard disability as a difficult, perhaps impossible, area to deal with. It isn’t. In fact, disabled people (irrespective of how phenomenally talented some might be at sport) aren’t superhuman – that’s a media myth – they’re people with the same passion and desire for travel as anyone else. They might have specific needs
and require a bit of forward- planning to anticipate what they’ll want in-resort, but that’s where agents can add value – by lending their expertise so clients can relax, knowing their needs are taken care of.
More than 260 British Paralympians flew to Brazil in September, so it’s far from impossible
Here, we tackle a few out-
dated ideas that surround travel for disabled people, so you can make sure your clients get off to a flying start.
◗ IT’S DIFFICULT TO FLY… Firstly, 264 British Paralympians flew to Brazil in September, so it’s far from impossible. Any agent will have clients who require a bit of assistance – whether regular wheelchair users, someone who pushed their luck on the pistes and returned with a broken leg, or people who use mobility aids on occasion – so it’s worth knowing what to expect. Wheelchairs have never been
season
an unusual sight in airports, and plenty of airlines and airports provide excellent assistance to wheelchair users or elderly people unable to stand for extended periods in queues. Furthermore, many wheelchair users are completely independent and will most likely have driven themselves to the airport in an adapted car and so will require very little or no assistance at all. Within the EU, any passenger with a disability or reduced mobility is entitled to free ‘Special Assistance’, meaning the airline must provide help through the airport and on boarding or disembarking. Similar regulations exist outside the EU, but specifics vary. As a rule of thumb, passengers should make the airline aware of their needs at least 48 hours before travelling, and be prepared to switch to an airline wheelchair, as most personal wheelchairs are carried in the hold. And the situation is improving elsewhere. For example
24 November 2016
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