A Survey and Report on The Barriers Confronted By People With Disabilities When They Travel on Holidays And Visit Tourist Venues

Transcription

1 A Survey and Report on The Barriers Confronted By People With Disabilities When They Travel on Holidays And Visit Tourist Venues I want to see spectacular scenery Iwanttoholdakoala I want to visit an art gallery I want to see a Darwin Sunset I want to hug a seal l! I want to get aboard a train I want to see a crocodile

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements. 3 Author s comments. 4 Introduction 6 Summary of Key Findings. 8 Recommendations.. 9 Recommendations From Organisations: Tourists with a Physical Disability. 11 Tourists with a Hearing Impairment. 11 Tourists with a Vision Impairment Summary of Participant s Experiences: All People with Disabilities. 14 People with a Physical Disability 16 People with a Vision Impairment 18 People with a Hearing Impairment 20 People with an Intellectual Impairment 22 People with Autism. 22 People with a Brain Injury People with Physical/Intellectual Impairment People with Physical/Hearing Impairment.. 23 People with Physical/Angelman s Syndrome. 23 People with Physical/Vision/Intellectual impairment 23 Issues Linked To Recommendations 24 Findings

3 Demographics.. 33 Tourist facts & Figures. 34 Travel.. 36 At the Airport 37 Accommodation.. 37 Tourist & Entertainment Venues. 38 Ramps & Kerb-ramps.. 38 Shared Information. 39 Economic Benefits of Accessible Tourism.. 39 Conclusions.. 40 APPENDICES A Methodology.. 44 B Legislation referred to: Australian Standards. 48 Disability Discrimination Act Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 51 C Triggers for requiring upgrading of access.. 53 D An Overview of how the BCA96 is Applied in Each State Jurisdiction 54 E Case Studies. 58 F Emergency Evacuation Plan. 63 G Summary of Participant s Experiences 64 References

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5 AUTHOR S COMMENTS In February I went to Sydney for a couple of meetings. I had two days to fill in-between these meetings and decided to become a tourist and take a ride on my mobility scooter along George Street. I wanted to access an internet café, I wanted to buy a book, I wanted to get a take-away meal from China Town. I completed none of these tasks. Why? because one of the major streets, in one of our major cities, and the destination of many hundreds of thousands of tourists, was lined with shops and facilities which all required my mobility scooter to climb steps into them. Eventually I had to swallow my pride and at the stepped door of a pharmacy shout for an assistant to come to serve me. No other people who wanted something from that pharmacy were served at the door so why is it that tourists with a disability, as I was in Sydney a few weeks ago, have to accept door-step service? This is just one example, and certainly not an isolated case, but a common experience faced by people with disabilities, whether tourists or not, throughout Australia and, of course, around the world. Because neither International or Australian tourists with disabilities are able to spend their money where they wish, the tourist industry is ignoring the purchasing power of this section of the community, to their own detriment. A running theme which is evident from the completed survey questionnaires is the frustration and feeling of helplessness when, despite being told prior to making a booking that the required accommodation was fully accessible, finding it inaccessible upon arrival. It is then very often impossible to find alternative accessible accommodation and for many people their holiday is ruined before it begins Robin Kettle, an access auditor in the United Kingdom undertook 4

6 200 audits of accessible accommodation and found a staggering 95% of the bathroom facilities designated for use by people with disabilities were not only illegal (in that that were not compliant with the legislative requirements), but could be deemed to be dangerous. Although our survey did not specifically target designated bathroom facilities, the results highlighted by participants would indicate that a similar situation is found in the majority of designated accessible accommodation in Australia. The tourist industry has a moral and legal duty to make their premises accessible, at the very minimum to the legislative requirements. Accessibility does not always have to be expensive for the tourist operator. Making facilities accessible for tourists with disabilities has an economic flow-on for business in that it also makes access easier and safer for the older members of the community, and for parents with children in prams therefore allowing all members of the community to utilise these facilities. In 2006 it is time that the tourist industry took stock and seriously addressed the barriers confronting tourists with disabilities as highlighted in this report. Sheila King Hon. Secretary Access For All Alliance Inc. Access With Safety, Equity & Dignity for All 5

7 REPORT BASED ON THE HAVE A GOOD HOLIDAY SURVEY There are risks and costs for a programme of action.. but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction. John F. Kennedy President USA. The President did not have the tourist industry in mind when making this statement in Congress, but it certainly does apply to a large section of the Australian Tourist Industry. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 has been in force for nearly 14 years, but, it is obvious from the results of this National Survey that the majority of businesses in the tourist industry in Australia are content with comfortable inaction. Introduction The Goal of this Survey To highlight to the Government and the Tourist Industry the need to enable people with disabilities to find appropriate and reliable information on accessible tourism easily and effectively so that they can then choose destinations that really suit their needs and preferences. Access For All Alliance Inc is a non-funded, not-for-profit volunteer community group, established to ensure equitable and dignified access to all premises and facilities, whether public or private, to which they are allowed to enter, to all members of the community. Access For All Alliance Inc has undertaken this survey into barriers encountered by people with disabilities when making plans to travel on holiday, visit venues whilst on holiday and then return to their home base because these barriers are constantly being brought to our notice by both the members of our community and tourists with a disability who visit our fair city. The legislation cited in Appendix B should provide the basis on which the tourism industry builds it s service to tourists with disabilities. The Australian Standards set out the level of accessibility that must be incorporated when new buildings are planned. Older buildings are not 6

8 bound by these standards until they undergo major refurbishments. (See Appendix C ). Many large and small operators are unaware of their legal obligations, and as the Disability Discrimination Act is complaint based, they remain unaware of these responsibilities until a complaint is made against their facility. The legal ramifications can be far reaching if tourist operators fail to provide accessible information on fire exits, visual fire alarms or captioning on audible displays etc. It is only when the claim of unjustifiable hardship can be sustained, that any exemptions from the legislative requirements can be obtained. Information about accessible tourist accommodation and venues is fragmented and the information that is available is generally unreliable and inaccurate. The current standards of provision for tourists with a disability vary enormously from tourist operator to tourist operator. This survey has highlighted the fact that the present standard of service for people with disabilities is far from satisfactory and there is much to be done to address this situation. The tourist industry will have to start to take an active interest in the needs of disabled people and begin to work towards improvement. (Campbell, 2000:A115) 1 When we look at accessible tourism as a whole, it becomes apparent that many of the changes required to accommodate tourists with disabilities, the elderly, or the family, actually benefit everybody. Eventually the features that make for both accessible tourist accommodation and an accessible environment will be acknowledged as being of benefit to the whole community and hopefully will become more commonly provided. This will be a win-win situation for both accessible tourism and tourist operators. Australia has made many advances in breaking down the barriers in society, but there still appears to be an attitudinal resistance towards people with disabilities which excludes them from many tourism opportunities. Accessible tourism opportunities in Australia do not appear to be driven by a proactive business decision to incorporate accessible tourist practices, but rather by the adherence to the minimum legal requirements. The contents of this report are not intended to be an attack on the tourist industry, especially those members of the tourist industry who we know are trying very hard to accommodate the requirements of people with disabilities. It is intended to be a wake-up call to highlight the failings which the community of people with disabilities feel are ongoing in 7

9 relation to accessible tourism. It mirrors the anger and frustrations they feel that their expectations have not been met. Examples of this anger and frustration are seen in the comments made by the participants which are detailed in Appendix G. Summary of Key Findings: Many participants with a variety of disabilities (including those with crossdisabilities) stated that they did not go on holidays. A variety of reasons were given but the main reason was the cost factor. The majority of those surveyed who had taken a holiday, stated that they felt that neither the accommodation providers nor the tourist venue operators had a basic knowledge or understanding of the requirements of tourists with disabilities. Many felt that tourist operators and their staff should be trained to be aware of these requirements. Small town travel agents were felt to treat the requirements of people with disabilities as a nuisance, giving the impression that the time spent finding accessible accommodation would be better spent with a less demanding client. A very small percentage of tourist providers explicitly address the needs for accessible tourism. However these specialist tourist providers are only able to reach, and therefore, cater for, a small section of the tourist market. Some simple changes that make holidays more enjoyable and inclusive for people with disabilities do not always involve excessive cost. Providers of tourist accommodation and tourist venues need qualified advice and guidance to achieve compliant accessibility. This advice should not only cover accommodation, but also include the need for all information to be available in alternative formats. The message coming from this survey is clear information regarding accessibility is generally unreliable and inaccurate and as a result the overall holiday experience of people with disabilities in not as enjoyable as that which is enjoyed by other members of the tourism population. 8

10 Recommendations: Universal Design Encourage universal design concepts when new tourist facilities are planned. This encouragement is necessary because some tourist operators are unfamiliar with the legislative requirements and the design of some of the newer facilities lack input from disability access consultants. Accessible tourism has many components, accessible accommodation, local attractions, shops and restaurants, all of whom would benefit economically by embracing the concept of visitability. OSSATA That consideration be given to the Decipher information service, adopting the European One Stop Shop For Accessible Tourists in Europe (OSSATE) 2 model, which could be known as One Stop Shop for Accessible Tourism in Australia (OSSATA). Accessibility Rating System We propose research should be undertaken in order to institute a rating system in respect of the accessibility of accommodation. This might be in addition to the present star system rating, possibly using the international symbols for the respective physical, hearing and vision impairments. Information & Signage All information relative to travel, time-tables, accommodation, tourist attractions, tourist venues, including menus in restaurants, should be available to all visitors with disabilities, in alternative formats at the relevant venues and facilities. Hotels/motels and tourist venues should be encouraged to install Braille/tactile signage in all venues and on all infrastructure relating to in-house facilities (air-conditioners, TV s etc). 9

11 Training and Awareness of Disability Requirements Staff in both hotels/motels and at tourist facilities should have appropriate training/awareness of the requirements of people with disabilities. Hearing Devices Hotels/motels and tourist venues should be encouraged to install assistive listening systems. All facilities should be encouraged to install hearing loops at their reception counters Hotels/motels and tourist venues should be encouraged to ensure that there is captioning on TV and audio screens. To aid a tourist with a hearing impairment we suggest that there be a button on the outside door or wall of a unit/room, which, when activated, would cause a lamp inside the room to light up, thus denoting to the occupant that there is somebody at the door. Lowered Counters All hotels/motels and tourist venues should be encouraged to have an area of their reception counter, where service is offered, lowered to accommodate people in wheelchairs. The Internet People with disabilities, whether physically, visionally or hearing impaired have difficulty on the internet whilst investigating or making on-line bookings for travel, entertainment or sporting fixture tickets etc, in that they require more time to complete the transaction. It is recommended that there should be a disability button on the entry page of any enquiry web site which, when activated, would automatically extend the time out function. Recommendations From Individual Organisations In addition to the above general recommendations we sought from peak bodies covering people with physical, vision and hearing impairments their recommendations in respect of the findings covering their specific membership. 10

12 Recommendations For Tourists with a Physical Disability: If all the legislative requirements in place at the present time, together with the requirements of the proposed new Access To Premises Standard, were fully complied with, and a new system of rating accommodation were adopted, this would go part way to satisfying the majority of the barriers that have been highlighted by the participants in this survey. Recommendations For Tourists with a Hearing Impairment: As a minimum, all hotels/motels should implement the Hotel Motel and Accommodation Association (HMAA) Code of Practice for the Provision of Facilities for the Deaf and Hearing Impaired All public venues, including airports, clubs, etc., should provide captioning facilities on all their TV sets. Governments should legislate to require the provision of visual alarms for emergency egress in all public premises. Government should legislate to require adequate volume control on all public payphones. (It already is available on all Telstra payphones.) Government should legislate to require all airports to provide all announcements visually as well as via a public address system. All levels of government, including local government, should provide Best Practice examples by providing assistive listening systems at all their counters The Disability Discrimination Act and the Building Code of Australia (BCA96 Amendment 4) 4 should require the provision of assistive listening systems at all counter situations in all classes of buildings, accessible to the public. Ideally, all hotels/motels should provide one TTY at their reception desk and one portable TTY to be taken to the room of a hearing impaired guest. All airlines should provide visual information as well as public address announcements, or provide assistive listening systems on all flights to 11

13 enable hearing impaired passengers to see or hear all public address announcements. If visual information is not provided, flight stewards should personally provide all critical information to any passenger who has identified themselves as Deaf and unable to hear announcements at all. On flights on small aircraft where announcements are made with a public address system, the person making the announcement should check that all passengers have heard. All museums should implement all the recommendations and guidelines relating to making museums accessible to people with hearing/deafness disabilities contained in Many Voices Making Choices, published jointly by the Australian Museum and the National Museum of Australia. Recommendations For Tourists with a Vision Impairment: All tourist venues incorporating electronic visual displays should consider installing adaptive technology, such as speech synthesisers for the vision impaired. It is recommended that in the outside environment, where applicable, Tactile Ground Surface Indicators with a luminance contrast in accordance with AS be installed. It is recommended that this installation be undertaken under the guidance of a person with relevant expertise. There is a lack of sighted guides at major tourist venues. It is not expected that there be sighted guides at every venue at all times. However it is recommended that a system of appropriately trained volunteer guides, attached to major information tourist centres, be considered and available to assist blind/deaf tourists. These guides would offer assistance to a tourist who has booked for an event and knows the date and times they will be attending. It is recommended that instructions in tactile and Braille signage be available in aircraft toilets indicating how the door and flush mechanisms are to be operated. It is recommended that all onboard safety materials/instructions be available in alternative formats, and that overhead call buttons incorporate tactile and Braille identification. 12

14 It is recommended that at busy/major transportation arrival points (for example large airports and bus terminals) escorts be available to assist blind tourists to the to baggage collection points It is recommended that hotels/motels make available assistive listening devices such as speaker systems and/or vibrating personal alarms to deaf/blind guests. The vibrating alarms are placed by a deaf/blind tourist under their pillow to alert them to an emergency alarm when they are asleep. It is recommended that, when requested, all documentation found in hotel/motels rooms or units be provided in alternative formats. It is recommended that all in-room facilities (air conditioner, televisions and remote controls etc) should have instructions as to their operation in tactile and Braille. It is also recommended that on doors, room numbers in both Braille and tactile be placed in a standard position and height. It is recommended that in hotels/motels there should be placed on the back of the room/unit door an emergency evacuation map in both tactile and Braille (A sample of such a map is found at Appendix F ). Where such maps are not available staff should be appropriately trained to describe the layout of the facilities available, including courtesy toiletries and, where applicable, the bar facilities, etc. Staff should be appropriately trained to describe and show vision impaired guests where the emergency exits attached to their room can be found. Hotel operators are encouraged to identify blind/deaf guests who would need special attention in case of an emergency. Some thought should be given to installing assistive listening systems such as hearing loops, in conjunction with public announcement systems, in facilities such as theatres and museums. An alternative would be to have available portable listening devices for hire. It is recommended that on telephones the locator key (No.5) have a tactile indicator incorporated onto it. This should also apply to remote control devices. That, if practical, all lifts be fitted with audio output. As required under AS1428.4, there should be tactile/braille on the control buttons of all lifts. Failing any audio output, level identification in tactile/braille 13

15 should be located near the lift call mechanism in accordance with AS It is recommended that a location cue (such as a pot plant) be placed adjacent the lift to enable the lift to be located by a tourist or for that matter, any blind person with a white cane. This location cue must not interfere with the circulation space required by a mobility aid. Summary of Participant s experiences All People With Disabilities (Including Cross-Disabilities) 31.7% - Had difficulty finding suitable accessible accommodation 22.2% - Accommodation not accessible despite being told it was. 18.3% - Lack of captioning on all TV sets in hotels/motels 11.9% - Lack of captioning on TV sets in tourist venues 18.2% - Lack of assistive listening systems in hotels/motels 12.7% - Lack of assistive listening systems in tourist venues 17.5% - Lack of lowered counters in all hotels/motels and tourist venues 26.2% - Hotel/motel staff lacked basic disability training/awareness 21.4% - Tourist venue staff lacked basic disability training/awareness. 13.5% - The standard of adaptations undertaken in motels/hotels was poor 14.0% - Inadequate signage in hotels/motels and tourist venues 10.0% - Lack of compliant accessible toilets in tourist venues. 14

16 Barriers Experienced By People With All Disabilities (Incl. Cross-Disabilities) 15

17 People With A Physical Disability 42.7% - Had difficulty in finding accessible holiday accommodation 37.3% - Accommodation was not accessible despite being assured it was 33.2% - Hotels/motels displayed international symbol for access, but accommodation was not wheelchair accessible 25.3% - Lack of public transport at holiday destination 21.3% - Lack of lowered counters in all hotels/motels 24.0% - Lack of lowered counters in tourist venues 36.0% - Had difficulty in obtaining information on the accessibility of the area they wished to visit. 25.3% - Lack of public transport 14.7% - Lack of accessible taxis 16.0% - Lack of accessible bus stops 18.7% - Airline had difficulty with the carriage of mobility aids 14.7% - Aircraft toilet was not wheelchair accessible (even with airline s own narrow wheelchair) 29.3% - Hotel/motel operators lacked basic disability awareness training 14.0% - Tourist operators lacked basic disability awareness training 20.0% - Hotel/motel swimming pool had no lift, ramp or grab rails. 16

18 Barriers Experienced By People With a Physical Disability 17

19 People With A Vision Impairment. 80.0% - Lack of audio displays in tourist venues ie museums. 33.3% - Lack of, or wrongly placed, tactile ground surface indicators in the outside environment (ie pedestrian crossings) 86.7% - Lack of sighted guides at tourist venues 53.3% - Lack of Braille/tactile instructions for use of controls in aircraft toilets 20.0% - Lack of assistance at baggage collection carousels at airports 46.7% - Lack of Assistive listening systems in hotels/motels 40.0% - Lack of Assistive listening systems in tourist venues 86.7% - Lack of Braille/tactile signage in all hotels/motels 53.3% - Lack of Braille/tactile signage in tourist venues 80.0% - Lack of information in alternative formats in hotels/motels 66.7% - Lack of information in alternative formats in tourist venues 46.7% - Lack of information in large print such as timetables 46.7% - Lack of Braille/tactile on (No.5) key locator on telephone 60.0% - Lack of Braille/tactile on lift control panels 18

20 Barriers Experienced By People With a Vision Impairment 19

21 PEOPLE WITH A HEARING IMPAIRMENT 81.8% - Lack of assistive listening systems for the partially hearing impaired in hotels/motels 54.5% - Lack of assistive listening systems in tourist venues 100.0% - Lack of visual alarm systems for emergency egress in hotels 63.7% - Lack of visual alarm systems for egress in tourist venues 100.0% - Lack of counter hearing loops in tourist venues and hotels 90.9% - Lack of captioning on TV s in all accommodation 72.7% - Lack of captioning on TV screens in tourist venues 81.8% - Lack of TTYs in accommodation and tourist facilities 81.8% - Hotels/motels had touch audio information screens without captioning 100.0% - Airport did not provide visual information to compliment public address announcements at airports 18.0% - Said they went on bus tours but could not hear the commentary 20

22 Barriers Experienced By People With a Hearing Impairment 21

23 PEOPLE WITH AN INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT (5 Individual Participants) 4 Participants did not go on holidays because of the cost and because they were worried about difficulties of getting to and from their destination eg: accessible transport 1 Participant goes on holidays but only with a group and/or carers. PEOPLE WITH AUTISM (2 Participants) Neither participant had been on holiday because of cost and: Felt that the hotel/motel and/or tourist operator would lack basic understanding of Autism. Too complicated to organize personal care, transport etc. Difficulty in finding information on suitable accessible accommodation. PEOPLE WITH A BRAIN INJURY (1 Participant) Has not been on holidays because of the cost, and. Perceived difficulties in getting to and from destination. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL/INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT (5 Individual Participants) 3 Participants - None went on holidays for various reasons 1 Participant said: She went on holidays bi-annually with leisure groups with accompanying staff Whilst on holiday there was not enough information in picture form for those who cannot read 1 Participant No. 5 (Child) Accommodation was not accessible despite being told it was Lack of kerb ramps on street corners. NOTE: Motel had no lift and yet the child was given a room upstairs even though she was in a wheelchair and her mother had advised the motel this fact on booking the accommodation. 22

24 PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL/HEARING IMPAIRMENTS (2 Individual Participants) 1 Participant Did not go on holiday because of the cost, and lack of confidence about being away from home and familiar surroundings/support networks. 1 Participant- Went on a 14 day holiday Had difficulty in obtaining information on accessible accommodation Had difficulty in obtaining information on accessibility of surrounding area Said the tour operator lacked basic understanding of the requirements of a person with both a physical and hearing impairment Highlighted a lack of visual alarm systems for emergency egress Hotel did not cater for her diabetic requirements Found accommodation was not accessible despite being told it was. Found inadequate signage in both hotel and tourist facilities Lack of captioning facilities on TV s and entertainment systems in hotels or at tourist facilities. No TTY facilities in hotel or at tourist facilities PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL/ANGELMAN S SYNDROME (1 Participant) Has not been on holidays because she would have to pay for her carer s accommodation and transport costs. Irrespective of the above it would be too complicated to organize personal care, transfers and transport to destinations. PEOPLE WITH PHYSICAL/VISION/INTELLECTUAL IMPAIRMENT (1 Individual Participant) Has not been on holiday because of the cost. Perceived difficulty in finding suitable accessible accommodation Unsure about the accessibility of the local area she wished to holiday. Despite all the barriers confronted by the participants of this survey the majority who did make the effort to go on holiday, stated that overall their holiday experience had been a positive one. 23