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Holiday taking for the physically disabled: The barriers within the accommodation sector

Holiday taking for the physically disabled: The barriers within the accommodation sector
Author: Rosie Grimwood
2 Commentries
Abstract

Key Words – Disabilities, Accommodation, Universal Design, Tourism Barriers

People with a disability face many barriers within the tourism industry; one area in particular is the UK accommodation sector. This paper will identify and analyse the barriers within the accommodation sector for people with a physical disability looking at how they affect holidays for the disabled and how they can be resolved by using ideas such as Universal Design.

The tourism industry has a range of barriers that can make it hard for different types of people to take holidays. One specific group that is greatly affected is people with physical disabilities, extensive planning and research is needed when looking for accommodation that provides all facilities for a physically disabled person. Darcy (2010, 1) stated that in order for physically disabled people to stay a night away from their home that provides the suitable facilities, they need a bedroom and bathroom, which is easily accessible and meets their needs.

The accommodation sector does not provide enough facilities and people with a physical disability are often faced with limited choice of accommodation and expensive options. There are three main barriers within the accommodation sector, firstly the prices of the accommodation with the suitable facilities, which come at an extra cost so when travelling with a family or group this can become a financial strain for them. This affects the behavior of the tourists as it can reduce the demand for UK holidays due to it being too costly.

Secondly, disabled tourists are faced with a limited amount of options to choose from, accommodation with suitable facilities are very limited and extensive research is needed. This can also put off the disabled tourist as they may not have the time to spend searching for the right facilities, as it can be very time consuming. It can also be off putting when they feel isolated and have to spend extra time searching for the correct facilities and accommodation in order to find something suitable.

The third barrier is the facilities are not suitable, there are many levels of physical disabilities and these vary significantly, wheelchair ramps do not suit everyone’s needs and more facilities need to be put into place to ensure that everyone is catered for. As Yau et al (2004, 956) stated that tourists who have a disability are usually faced with limited options as well as access problems to the accommodation, which can often be upsetting for the people who have the disability and are forced to accept these over priced and inconvenient arrangements.

A concept that was developed to meet the needs of all types of people is known as Universal Design (UD). This concept stops discrimination and a feeling of exclusion. It is designed to meet the needs of every stage of life, including physical disabilities, the design means that anything that can be designed such as buildings, technology and services will be made so everyone can use them and no one will be excluded. Universal Design could be integrated within the UK accommodation sector and encourage more people with a physical disability to take part in trips away and domestic holidays. Kadir et al (2013, 188) stated that it is very important to ensure that people with disabilities are included in all aspects of life in order to be successfully developed within their family, as an individual and part of the community, therefore Universal Design could ensure social sustainability. This paper takes a look at this concept and was discussed in the interviews to gather opinions of UD with people who are involved in holiday taking with physical disabilities and their perceptions of the idea.

This paper also includes two interviews that were conducted with carers who work closely with people who have physical disabilities. Both of the participants were asked a range of questions that included the three main barriers and both of the participants felt that the three barriers were the main issues when they looked at taking the people they cared for on domestic holidays. The literature and the interviews were closely linked as there were common themes, the barriers in the literature were discussed with the participants and it was found these were the most common access issues within the accommodation sector.

Even though there are rules and regulations in place to ensure that people with disabilities are catered for within the service industry, it is still restricted and limited. More needs to be done in order to ensure everyone’s needs are catered for and idea’s such as Universal Design needs to be considered for the accommodation sector.


References

Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation information preferences. Tourism Management. Vol 31 (816-826), P. 1.

Kadir. S & Jamaludin. M. (2013). Universal Design as a Significant Component for Sustainable Life and Social Development. Social and Behavioral Sciences. Vol 85 (179 – 190), P. 188.

Yau. M, McKercher. B & Packer. T. (2004). Traveling with a disability: More than an Access Issue. Annals of Tourism Research. Vol 31 (946–960) P.956
Commentary of the paper "Holiday taking for the physically disabled: The barriers within the accommodation sector"
Author: Sarah-Jane Buttigieg
I chose this paper because I have personally experienced some of these issues with a family member who is disabled, having come across some of the barriers in terms of holidaying with them. I also find it interesting to see how accommodation deals with a disabled customer’s needs, which is something again I have witnessed. The author has addressed the key issues as well as pointing out the three main barriers within the accommodation sector. According to Darcy (2010) there is more to the tourism experience than issues with access, for someone with a disability to go away for more than a night they need an appropriate room that gives them easy access to the bed as well as the bathroom facilities. One of those barriers included by the author were the financial implications to the person or family in order to obtain a room that gives them access to the bedroom and bathroom, this comes with financial implications, something that I am all too familiar with from past experiences. This is something I think should be made fairer, after all why should those with access requirements for a disabled family member have to pay more. According to Chang et al (2007) families travelling with a disabled family member is become a niche market, as many tourism marketers are seeing the potential for a new market, in which their product is solely aimed at families or people with a disability. Within the US it is estimated that 50 million Americans are people with a disability, but even though this number is very large there has been a lack of research done on the matter. There are many issues to do with accessibility, as well as there being the financial implications, there is also the fact that there is a lack of suitable options for the disabled. The author discusses this well as they have broken down the three elements and discussed them individually. In addition, the author also mentions universal design; although this is a great concept for some accommodation this may not be plausible due to cost implication to the accommodation sector. But the same can be said for the customers, disabled people should not be disadvantaged from taking a holiday. The way in which the author has conducted primary research and asked carers their thoughts on the obstacles that affects them when making holiday plans, showing that there are still things that need to be done to help facilitate these people and help make it easier for people with disabilities to travel without suffering from the three main barriers. Although it will take time to cater for these people it is something that needs to be done, now more then ever as there are more people today with a disability than ever. As disability tourism is becoming more and more popular, the accommodation sectors would be wise to develop the sector, as it is fast becoming a niche market.


Chang, H. Singh, A (2007) Families travelling with a disabled member: Analysing the potential of an emerging niche market segment. Tourism and Hospitality Research. Vol: 7 (3/4) PP 212-229

Darcy, S (2010). Inherent complexity: Disability, accessible tourism and accommodation information preferences. Tourism Management. Vol 31 (6) PP 816-826
Commentary for 'Holiday taking for the physically disabled: The barriers within the accommodation sector'
Author: Harry Potter
This paper was chosen to conduct a commentary on as it is closely related to the paper that I submitted for the conference. Whereas my paper focussed on assistance for physically disabled passengers at airports, this paper focuses on the barriers for the physically disabled in the accommodation sector. As a result, I have some knowledge about the theory behind physically disabled tourists, the barriers they face and the assistance required.

This discussion paper begins with a clear introduction and states exactly what is expected to be explored in the paper. It also suggests three main barriers that physically disabled people face in the accommodation sector which include the price, limited options and facilities that are not suitable. Each of these are discussed in depth with the possible consequences of these barriers. Kim et al (2012) suggests other problems that disabled people can face in hotels including staff that are not fully trained to deal with disabled guests and communication between the guest and the hotel property. However, the second problem mentioned is the responsibility of the disabled guest to inform the hotel of the assistance they need. If they do not do this, then their hotel experience will be disadvantaged as they will not be provided the assistance they require.

The paper then explores the concept of universal design well by stating what it is and what it involves. However, the concept is only briefly linked to the accommodation sector by saying it will encourage physically disabled people to take part in tourism. It would have been useful if some examples of how universal design can be incorporated into the accommodation sector were included. Based on the findings from my paper, the example of universal design from Gatwick Airport of using signs that have a black text on a yellow background could be installed into different types of accommodation. This would make the signs clearer to read for partially sighted guests but can be used by able-bodied guests as well, meaning the partially sighted guests still feel included in society.

The fact that the discussion paper includes interviews with carers adds to the originality of the paper and gives the topic a different angle, which is a key component of a conference paper, rather than just exploring online sources. The conclusion clearly states that more needs to be done assist physically disabled guests within the accommodation sector in the UK which was also found from my paper in the context of the UK airport, Gatwick. The paper that I submitted found that Haneda Airport in Tokyo is significantly more advanced in terms of assistance for physically disabled passengers. As a result, to add to this paper, further research could be conducted to compare the UK accommodation sector to the accommodation sector of another country.

In conclusion, this discussion paper is well thought through, has a clear structure and reliable references. It also fits clearly into the strand as it considers physical disability (a social factor) and the barriers within the accommodation sector (access to tourism).

References
Kim, W, Stonesifer, H and Han, J (2012) Accommodating the Needs of Disabled Hotel Guests: Implications for Guests and Management, International Journal of Hospitality Management, 31(4), 1311-1317