2. Provision of Accessible Services and Experiences for All Tourists Awareness and Sensitivity Towards Accessible Tourism

Aim of the course:

An increasing number of travellers around the world have various disabilities or special needs, but want and have the right to travel safely, with dignity and to enjoy a full holiday experience. In order to ensure an inclusive tourism environment, it is important that professionals in the tourism, social and health sectors understand the different forms of disability and know how to communicate appropriately with each customer. In this lesson, we will look at the main types of disability – from mobility to sensory and cognitive impairments – and effective communication strategies to establish quality communication and provide the right support for each tourist.

The course aims to provide tourism professionals, social workers and medical professionals assisting people with disabilities in their travels with knowledge of the main types of disabilities and training in effective communication strategies to ensure respectful, clear and accessible communication with tourists with different needs, contributing to a more inclusive and accessible tourism service.

Communication

Many people feel uncomfortable when communicating with people with disabilities.  Lack of knowledge about people with disabilities arouses fear and prior belief that you will not be able to communicate. 

Basic tips on how to communicate with people with disabilities:

Before assisting a person with a disability, ask whether they need help. The fact that a person has a disability does not mean that he/she needs help. Do not hesitate to offer help, but do not give it automatically if the person does not need or requests it. If someone needs help, ask how it is to be given. Do not make the assumptions: people with disabilities can decide what they can or cannot do. Do not decide for them.

Be careful in case of physical contact: for some people with disability the hands help keeping their balance, which you can disrupt while attempting to grab the hand. Do not touch his/her wheelchair, crutches or other aids ‒ for people with disabilities aids are part of their own space.

Communicate as you are accustomed to: people with a disability want to be treated just like any other person. Contact directly the person with the disability, not his/her assistant, friends or family members. You will find that contacting someone with a disability is simple, it might only take a little more time – it depends on the nature of disability.

Be respectful: show respect for the person and respect his/her privacy. Be careful and patient, try to understand the human problems and needs.

There are general advice that are suitable for communicating with a person with any kind of disability. However different factors should be considered, which are influenced by the nature of the disability.

Main ideas:

• There are different types of disabilities (mobility, visual, hearing, cognitive and developmental disabilities).
•  Learning how to communicate with each client in a respectful, clear way and with appropriate strategies. 
• Everyone has the right to travel with dignity and safety, and tourism, social and health service providers need to be able to recognise and respond to individual needs. 
• Clear language, alternative means of communication (sign language, written information, assistive technologies), empathy and patience help to communicate with different tourists. 
• It is important to adapt to the environment and services for people with disabilities and special needs.
• Inclusive tourism benefits not only people with disabilities but also society as a whole.