Is Tourism Always Going to be a Struggle? - Disabilities and Barriers to Tourism
Author: Sadie Dickinson
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Abstract
This paper looks at some of the potential barriers to tourism that many individuals with disabilities face and gives information on ways in which these barriers can be reduced. Tourism is not always an easy activity to participate in regardless, without the added worry of whether facilities will be accessible and if the information provided is accurate and truthful. Individuals living with disabilities have the desire to travel just as much as an abled-body individual it is therefore important to ensure that tourism is accessible for all.
Keywords
Disability, access, accessibility, barriers, constraints, travel
According to Darcy et al (2010) there are approximately 650 million people worldwide living with some form of disability today. With this figure predicted to rise by 350 million by 2050 (Small & Darcy, 2010), the constraints that individuals with disabilities face are constantly up for discussion, especially with regards to accessible tourism.
In 1996 the Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA) became law in the UK, meaning that it is now illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities - when applied to tourism it means that service providers such as attractions, accommodation and transport must ensure accessibility (Shaw & Coles, 2004). In line with the DDA, the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 was also adopted recently with the main aim of empowering 'people with disabilities so as to enable them to enjoy their full rights and create a barrier-free Europe for all' (Pagan, 2012). However, despite the introduction of the DDA and the European Disability Strategy, access to tourism still tends to be an issue. Factors that contribute to both activity limitation and participation restriction can make the travel experience unpleasant for many, meaning that it may be something that is not sought after in the first place or something that may not want to be repeated in the future, preventing further travel experiences.
It is sometimes forgotten that the needs and desires to travel amongst individuals living with a disability are the same as those who live without a disability (Yau et al, 2004). Lee et al (2012) explains how the United Nations consider the right to travel to be as important as any other basic human right, however those with a disability tend to face many more challenges than those without. Many people living with a disability are cynical of the tourism industry; factors that contribute towards this negative perception may be related to the three categories of barriers that Eichhorn & Buhalis (2011) refer to - physical access barriers, attitudinal barriers and a lack of information.
These barriers are things that are slowly but surely becoming very noticeable especially with the need of travel increasing. Concepts such as 'universal design' are being introduced with the hope of 'simplifying life for everyone', by aiming to ensure that accessibility is maximised at no extra costs (Darcy et al, 2010). Charities are also being set up with the core aim of providing disabled people with as much information as possible regarding travel, places to visit and transport methods. Most of this information is provided on the internet and by gathering all information in one place the searching process is made easier. In regards to attitudes it has been found that attitudes of the public can be changed through education, whereas the attitudes of individuals with a disability are harder to change. Although, this may become easier in time when increased accessibility and access to information becomes is more widely available.
Despite the introduction of the Disability and Discrimination Act (1996) and the European Disability Strategy, disabled individuals can still find themselves with restricted access to facilities, often resulting in negative feelings towards the tourism industry as a whole. With the disabled population set to increase it is within the interests of the tourism industry to ensure that all needs are catered for to ensure discrimination is reduced.
Yau. M. K, McKercher. B, Packer. T.L (2004) Travelling with a Disability: More than an Access Issue Annuals of Tourism Research 31 (4) P946-960
Eichhorn. V, Buhalis. D (2011) 'Accessibility: A Key Objective for the Tourism Industry' In Buhalis. D, Darcy. S (eds.) Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues, Channel View Publications: Bristol P46-59
Lee. B. K, Agarwal. S, Kim. H. J (2012) Influences of Travel Constraints on the People with Disabilities' Intention to Travel: An Application of Seligman's Helplessness Theory Tourism Management 33 P569-579
This paper looks at some of the potential barriers to tourism that many individuals with disabilities face and gives information on ways in which these barriers can be reduced. Tourism is not always an easy activity to participate in regardless, without the added worry of whether facilities will be accessible and if the information provided is accurate and truthful. Individuals living with disabilities have the desire to travel just as much as an abled-body individual it is therefore important to ensure that tourism is accessible for all.
Keywords
Disability, access, accessibility, barriers, constraints, travel
According to Darcy et al (2010) there are approximately 650 million people worldwide living with some form of disability today. With this figure predicted to rise by 350 million by 2050 (Small & Darcy, 2010), the constraints that individuals with disabilities face are constantly up for discussion, especially with regards to accessible tourism.
In 1996 the Disability and Discrimination Act (DDA) became law in the UK, meaning that it is now illegal to discriminate against people with disabilities - when applied to tourism it means that service providers such as attractions, accommodation and transport must ensure accessibility (Shaw & Coles, 2004). In line with the DDA, the European Disability Strategy 2010-2020 was also adopted recently with the main aim of empowering 'people with disabilities so as to enable them to enjoy their full rights and create a barrier-free Europe for all' (Pagan, 2012). However, despite the introduction of the DDA and the European Disability Strategy, access to tourism still tends to be an issue. Factors that contribute to both activity limitation and participation restriction can make the travel experience unpleasant for many, meaning that it may be something that is not sought after in the first place or something that may not want to be repeated in the future, preventing further travel experiences.
It is sometimes forgotten that the needs and desires to travel amongst individuals living with a disability are the same as those who live without a disability (Yau et al, 2004). Lee et al (2012) explains how the United Nations consider the right to travel to be as important as any other basic human right, however those with a disability tend to face many more challenges than those without. Many people living with a disability are cynical of the tourism industry; factors that contribute towards this negative perception may be related to the three categories of barriers that Eichhorn & Buhalis (2011) refer to - physical access barriers, attitudinal barriers and a lack of information.
These barriers are things that are slowly but surely becoming very noticeable especially with the need of travel increasing. Concepts such as 'universal design' are being introduced with the hope of 'simplifying life for everyone', by aiming to ensure that accessibility is maximised at no extra costs (Darcy et al, 2010). Charities are also being set up with the core aim of providing disabled people with as much information as possible regarding travel, places to visit and transport methods. Most of this information is provided on the internet and by gathering all information in one place the searching process is made easier. In regards to attitudes it has been found that attitudes of the public can be changed through education, whereas the attitudes of individuals with a disability are harder to change. Although, this may become easier in time when increased accessibility and access to information becomes is more widely available.
Despite the introduction of the Disability and Discrimination Act (1996) and the European Disability Strategy, disabled individuals can still find themselves with restricted access to facilities, often resulting in negative feelings towards the tourism industry as a whole. With the disabled population set to increase it is within the interests of the tourism industry to ensure that all needs are catered for to ensure discrimination is reduced.
Yau. M. K, McKercher. B, Packer. T.L (2004) Travelling with a Disability: More than an Access Issue Annuals of Tourism Research 31 (4) P946-960
Eichhorn. V, Buhalis. D (2011) 'Accessibility: A Key Objective for the Tourism Industry' In Buhalis. D, Darcy. S (eds.) Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues, Channel View Publications: Bristol P46-59
Lee. B. K, Agarwal. S, Kim. H. J (2012) Influences of Travel Constraints on the People with Disabilities' Intention to Travel: An Application of Seligman's Helplessness Theory Tourism Management 33 P569-579