Accessible Toolkit

Travellers with a disability need more support in planning their experiences if they are to travel as much as they wish to, and for it to be an enjoyable experience, rather than a stressful one. ‘Not knowing what to expect’ can be a barrier to travel, highlighting the benefit of more detailed information being available for trip planning.

Overall, more detail in the information that is currently provided was the highest priority for travellers with a disability, particularly for those with limited mobility. While this primarily related to digital sources such as websites and review sites, it could also refer to information anywhere travellers look including in destination i.e. local tours.

The sort of information that disabled people look for is as follows:

• A comprehensive picture of the environment so that disabled travellers can feel safe in the knowledge that their specific needs will be met
• Information about what to see and do in the area, i.e. which local tourist attractions have wheelchair hire on site
• Accurate, reliable and up to date information on facilities. Measurements of door widths, for example, need to be exact
• Ensure your information is easy to find, available in various accessible formats, reliable, accurate and up to date

Staff customer service and product knowledge training is a key element to being prepared and professional when meeting the needs of disabled visitors.

Make your booking and enquiry process as easy as possible and provide as many different ways of booking as possible i.e. phone, online, email, third party websites.

Once booked, your disabled customers will welcome further reassurance that any specific requests have been acknowledged and will be delivered.

Follow up communications could include:

• Directions and instructions on arrival
• Specific facilities or services you might provide
• Information about the surrounding area, upcoming events and nearby attractions and facilities
• Travelling with an Assistance Dog, provide information on green parks/beaches and spots close to your establishment
• Let them know if your staff have been trained to welcome and support customers with a disability or affected by Autism

• Is there at least one wider parking space (at least 3200mm) on a firm and level surface, with good overhead height clearance (at least 2500mm), reserved for accessible parking identified with the international symbol for access (the blue wheelchair symbol)?
• Is your entrance clearly marked?
• Is there a clear and accessible path of travel from the car park to the front door, which is clear of bollards or uneven and loose surfaces (such as gravel)?
• If you have steps to the entrance, do you have hand rails to help those unsteady on their feet?
  Is your door bell and/or intercom at an accessible height for everyone (900mm – 1100mm). Provide a mobile number for people who can’t use the intercom
• Is the door easy to open? Ramps and automatic doors allow customers with mobility devices to enter easily
• Are the door mats flush with the floor surface?
• Can visitors call ahead for assistance and is someone always on hand to meet, greet and show around?

• Incorporate information on accessible facilities into basic information provided to all guests upon arrival
• Make sure your entrance and reception areas are clearly marked and well lit
• Provide a clipboard and large diameter pen for people checking in
• Provide seating close to the reception area/ticket office
• Consider fast-tracking for those who can’t stand for a period of time
• Be prepared to write down information for visitors with hearing impairments
• Be ready to complete forms on behalf of guests
• Provide accessible print materials, in addition to written text, large print formats or having Braille on signage, menus and business cards can help people who are blind or partially sighted
• Is there a hearing loop available for people who use hearing aids and is this clearly sign posted and always turned on? (Average cost £110 for a portable loop system for counters and desks)
• In accommodation where you can’t lower the reception desk/table, offer to check in guests in their car or bedroom for those who can’t use higher levels i.e. wheelchair users

• If your business provides table or bar seating, make sure you have accessible seating for wheelchair users
• Keep walkways and accessible parking access aisles clear and free from clutter
• Signage for permanent rooms, such as restrooms, should have Braille and raised lettering. The background and foreground must contrast
• If you do not have an accessible toilet make sure all staff know the location of the nearest accessible toilet, and if necessary, get approval for your customers to use it
• Doors that are heavy and hard to open can be very difficult to use for the elderly or people who use wheelchairs or mobility aids. Adjust closers so that the doors require less force to open
• In bathrooms, make sure waste baskets or other moveable objects do not obstruct clear spaces next to the doors
• Welcome Assistance Dogs into your establishment. Put up signs welcoming Assistance Dogs
• Consider how persons with disabilities will be evacuated from your facility in an emergency and include that procedure in your emergency evacuation plan. Make sure your employees know the procedure
• People with hearing, speech, or sight disabilities may require extra time or a quiet area to talk with staff
• Always ask first if a person with a disability needs assistance, never assume
• If possible provide a ‘Quiet Space’ or a ‘Sensory Room’ for visitors with Autism, in particular on arrival or departure, to help take the stress out of travel

Here are some important things to consider when assessing your buildings and facilities:

• Improving access to your buildings and facilities can have universal benefits. A step free entrance and automatic doors will benefit people with a disability, parents with prams, people with heavy bags and older people
• Improvements to your buildings and facilities are not always costly. Changing the layout of a room can create more circulation space for people who use wheelchairs
• Expert help is available to prioritise access improvements and to plan and budget for others over time

• Read menus aloud or download them onto a MP3 or iPhone. Consider providing menus in large print (18 point)
• Provide adequate space to move in between areas
• Have the flexibility to move tables around
• Provide well-lit tables for those with visual impairment
• Have the ability to reserve particular tables
• Use table blocks to increase height of tables
• Provide a selection of seats with and without arms
• Contrast colours i.e. avoid using white crockery, white linen and clear glasses all together on a table setting
• Provide areas away from music or noise for hearing-impaired guests

Accommodation

Look at your rooms as a visitor does. Is there space to manoeuvre? Is it easy to draw curtains or to open a window? Can taps in bathrooms be easily turned on and off? Is it obvious which is the hot tap?

• Provide room information in different formats
• Consider flexibility of furniture when purchasing or updating. Zip and link beds offer more combinations for disabled people, partners or carers. Freestanding furniture also offers the flexibility and is easily removed or moved around to provide more circulation space in rooms
• Use contrasting colours for door frames, skirting boards and edges of steps
• When upgrading facilities i.e. a shower, the area needs to be on a level floor surface free of any step or sliding door track
• Place coloured towels within a white bathroom to provide a visual contrast
• Make additional equipment available such as phones with large buttons, vibrating alarm clocks, talking alarm clocks and portable hearing loops
• Have a magnifying glass/magnifying sheet handy and provide clear signage with large text and high contrast
• Do your research when replacing old fixtures and fittings and dated technology. For example, televisions which use closed captions or subtitles are a major draw card for people who are deaf or have a hearing impairment
• Provide bowls of water for Assistance Dogs
• Make chair and floor throws available for service dogs to assist with housekeeping
• Provide quieter areas with no background noise for those with hearing impairments
• Have lever taps in bathrooms and kitchens
• Controls and switches are at an accessible height for everyone (900mm – 1100mm)
• Ensure all facilities are at table height i.e. water coolers, kettle, phones, remotes and computers

Attractions

• Provide good signage throughout. Consider large print, contrasting and tactile signs and interpretation
• Make sure interpretation can be viewed by all i.e. children and wheelchair users
• Provide interpretation in different formats, i.e. British sign language (BSC) and braille
• Fast track those unable to stand in a queue
• Install seating, especially on steep inclines, long routes or near to children’s play areas so that parents or grandparents can supervise easily
• Create social narrative, a visual checklist and a sensory friendly map for visitors on the autism spectrum i.e. The Met Museum, London www.metmuseum.org