there’s only so much support in a building. They generally need 48 hours notice.” De Lacey recommends that travel plan- ners disaggregate the main trip segments to identify where special support might be needed. For example,
the TMC
should look at the whole hotel experience rather than just the check-in and room. He cites rail as another example: “What if the traveller has requested a destina- tion that doesn’t have support services? How does the TMC identify which have those services?” According to O’Sullivan, “the more
you tell an airline, the smoother the journey will be”. In fact, cabin staff receive training for supporting disabled people, and airport staff are trained to be sensitive to these issues.
CASE STUDIES The Dutch Paralympic team, ATPI
MICHIEL AULBERS IS GROUP SPORTS STRATEGIST FOR ATPI. The TMC has worked with both the Dutch Olympic and Paralympic teams for more than 20 years. Aulbers says that planning the travel for disabled Paralympian travellers and their supporters requires careful attention to three areas:
• Accommodation Special needs require getting involved as early as possible. Although athletes stay in a purpose-built village during the Games themselves, they need hotel accommodation during preparation phases, and the Paralympics also attract many disabled supporters. Aulbers says they source hotels with suitable features such as wide entrances, ground floor rooms and so on.
• Air travel The further in advance requirements are known, the better able the TMC will be to assess how much support a traveller might need from the airport or carrier. For example, there is a limit to how many wheelchairs can go in the hold, and how many disabled travellers are permitted on any scheduled flight because not all seats are suitable.
• Ground transportation Access to an adequate supply of minibuses that can accommodate wheelchairs can be challenging. Aulbers says: “In Brazil, big coaches are easy to find but minibuses are a challenge. It’s important to have a local contact who can ensure that a proportion of the small number of minibuses available are reserved for our clients.”
BUYINGBUSINESSTRAVEL.COM RNIB, CSPG, Click Travel
CHRIS DAY IS SENIOR SUPPLIER MANAGER FOR RNIB (THE ROYAL NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF BLIND PEOPLE). That organisation, along with Age UK, Arthritis Research UK and Leonard Cheshire Disability, came together to form the Charities Sector Procurement Group (CSPG) consortium in the belief that joint action would yield greater savings. This resulted in a travel request for proposal (RFP) that saw
Click Travel appointed the CSPG’s TMC. The programme has also produced several benefits for RNIB’s partially-abled and disabled business travellers:
• An online booking system which the visually disabled can use Click Travel worked with an RNIB IT specialist to install Zoom Text – screen-reading software which can magnify what’s on the screen or read it aloud. RNIB’s travellers with visual disabilities also use Voice Over, an iPhone accessibility feature which enables the iPhone to speak what’s on the screen, whether from a travel app or the Click booking site.
• An online booking system which allows travellers to control their own passenger name records (PNRs) Individual travellers’ details are always in the system so travellers can update their own profiles and ensure that their special needs are flagged.
• In-house rail ticketing machines Machines on station concourses are unusable by those with impaired sight. Rail ticket printers have been installed in RNIB’s main offices in Peterborough and London’s King Cross, so that visually impaired travellers can leave the office with a rail ticket in hand.
BBT SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2015 97
The requests may be special but the procedure should be standard
Disability is a big issue for meeting plan- ners because there is a strong likelihood that at least one of the delegates at any event will have a special requirement. A suitable venue must have disabled access not only for the meeting room but also for break-out areas, the restaurant and bar, and be able to support the needs of those whose hearing or sight is impaired.
THE FUTURE O’Sullivan says: “The message to our teams is that disability shouldn’t restrict people’s travel. Communication is key. Whoever is doing the booking needs to know the disability and the level of that disability.” De Lacey also stresses the importance of communication. “Take a step back and think how we can improve and make it better for travellers before they go out of their front door,” he says. “Once the trip has taken place and the traveller has come back, they should be encouraged to give feedback.” He adds: “The organisation should
promote their experiences to encourage other travellers. It’s a case of raising the whole profile. Travellers’ needs – like where they travel – will always evolve.”
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