Should we be talking about Universal Design in a broader context than built infrastructure?
In preparing our presentation for the SATH World Congress last January in Florida we were focused very much on the major disconnect that exists between the building of accessible infrastructure and the inclusion of travellers with disabilities. Many billions of dollars has been spent on the building of accessible facilities all over the world over the last 20 years in compliance with building codes and anti discrimination legislation yet we are still faced with an appalling lack of information on those facilities being made available to the very people that not only need the information, but the people who could yield an economic return on that investment. As long as we continue to build infrastructure because a set of rules say we have to and that same set of rules really don't explain what it is for, we will perpetuate the same culture of ignorance and the same culture of only doing what the rules say without thinking about what could be done to make the experience of the disabled traveller all the more enjoyable.
We talk a lot about Universal Design to make make our built infrastructure fully inclusive. In the main though those discussions are still about infrastructure and it itself will not necessarily change the underlying culture of the Tourism Industry. Do we need to expand the definition of Universal Design to the operational and marketing aspects of the Industry. Should all training courses be fully inclusive and designed to break down the cultural barriers just as physical Universal Design breaks down the physical barriers.
The same could equally apply to marketing, whether it is a web portal, brochure or a marketing campaign. If they were all designed according to the principles of Universal Design then the information would need to provide the level of detail required by travellers of all abilities. Accessible web sites are more than just variable contrast, variable fonts and alt text on pictures. All of that is useless if the information required by the disabled tourist isn't on the site in the first place.
Even imagery is a powerful tool and can instantly send a message of whether an organisation is truly inclusive or not. When was the last time you saw any mainstream travel brochure carrying a picture anywhere in it of a traveller with a disability??
As I said at the outset Universal Design has always been associated with built infrastructure, yet its principles are equally application to the cultural side of tourism businesses, the side of the tourism industry that is yet to make any real strides forward towards inclusion.
Related article: A Turning Point in the Future of Accessible Travel
For more information on this article or how your business may take advantage of this market segment contact Bill Forrester bill@travability.travel or Deborah Davis abildavis@aol.com