Rolling Rains Report:

Disability Body Blasts EU Anti-Discrimination Draft

A draft anti-discrimination directive from the European Commission has been criticised by a major disability lobby group for failing to cover technology accessibility standards.

The commission’s proposal, ‘Non-discrimination and equal opportunities: a renewed commitment’, deals with discrimination against people on the basis of disability, race, religion, gender or sexual orientation and covers non-employment areas such as education, social security and health care (see http://fastlink.headstar.com/eur8).

In a statement European disability Forum (EDF) President Yannis Vardakastanis said the draft directive omits “important issues for persons with disabilities as the concept of universal design, the necessity of European and national accessibility standards and the right to services ensuring inclusion.”

In addition the document “leaves room for interpretation and will create legal uncertainties”, Vardakastanis said (see http://fastlink.headstar.com/edf2).

The EDF was created in 1996 to give a voice in the European Union to Europe’s 50 million disabled people (http://www.edf-feph.org).

European Blind Union on Air Travel in the EU

As I prepare to fly to India to deliver a series of workshops on disability to the travel industry the following bulletin came in from the European Blind Union. With such common sense affirmations of the right to travel by people of all abilities it become all the more important that all tourist destination nations abandon discriminatory practices if they wish to participate in the profits of the growing seniors and disabled traveler market:

Over the past ten years the European Blind Union has been working to improve travel by air for blind and partially sighted, deaf blind and blind people with additional disabilities. As a result of our work, we are pleased to inform you that from 26 July 2008, the new Air Regulations come into operation at all airports throughout Europe.

To ensure these regulations work, we need your help in monitoring them at your local airport, to find out if they have in place, their staff with disability awareness training.

Comportamiento en sociedad: Personas con discapacidad (Spanish)

Una experta en protocolo y etiqueta escribió sobre el tema de personas con discapacidad y las normas de etiqueta para tener en cuentaen El Tiempo diario de Colombia.

Intergenerational Girls-Only Travel - Where's the Accessibility?

This article, "Women's getaways becoming bonding affairs across the generations," by Steve Stephens of the Coulmbus Dispatch takes a look at intergenerational travel He notes:

Annie Roegner, her two sisters and a friend recently took Roegner's mother, Evelyn Roegner, on a 15-day cruise of Hawaii. The trip was a present for Evelyn Roegner's 80th birthday.

The trip was a success, although the group had trouble finding accessible shore trips for Evelyn, who uses a walker, Annie Roegner said. That's an issue that anyone traveling with an older family member should investigate before a trip, she said.

"The ship is accessible, but who wants to stay on the ship all that time?" she said. "The excursions she could go on were very limited."

Day on the Beach 2008

Yesterday's Day on the Beach in Santa Cruz California was another demonstration of community support for making the beach town a destination of choice for people with disabilities.

Find more photos like this on Tour Watch

Inscrição aberta para curso de atendimento a turista com deficiência (Portguese)

As inscrições para o Curso de Atendimento a Turista com Deficiência, com disponibilidade de 30 vagas, a iniciar-se no dia 11, estão abertas até o dia 7 de agosto. Os interessados podem fazê-la pelo site www.rio.rj.gov.br/pessoascomdeficiencia

A iniciativa é das secretarias municipais da Pessoa com deficiência e Especial de Turismo. O objetivo é beneficiar profissionais dos setores público e privado que trabalham no atendimento a turistas.

Conforme comunicado no Diário Oficial desta sexta-feira, as aulas-gratuitas, com total de 50 horas, serão ministradas às segundas-feiras, entre 9h e 12h, no Ciad - Centro Integrado de Ateção à Pessoa com Deficiência - Mestre Candeira, que fica na Avenida Presidente Vargas, 1.997.

Fonte:
http://jbonline.terra.com.br/extra/2008/07/18/e180717430.html

Remodelling, Aging-in-Place, and Unversal Design

Chris Farrell of Business Week takes a look at the trend toward aging in place. Predictably the conversation turns to that contribution of the US Disability Rights Movement to global society: Universal Design:

Overall, remodeling activity is falling at an annual rate of 4.8% in 2008, according to the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University. But the fastest-growing segment of the remodeling industry is overhauling homes for the 50-plus crowd.

Making your home a place where you can grow old comfortably doesn't mean littering it with sterile-looking devices reminiscent of nursing homes. The trend is to "universal design," which calls for safe, easy-to-use appliances that blend in with their environment. Doorknobs are replaced with handles (easier to open), lights made brighter (for aging eyes), door frames widened (for wheelchair access), and grab bars installed in the shower. "It's no one thing," says George Cundy, architect with the firm Cundy, Santine & Associates in Shoreview, Minn. "It's a combination of things that makes the difference so you can stay there."

China: personas con discapacidad como voluntarios en Beijing (Spanish)

Personas con discapacidad actuarán como voluntarios durante los Juegos Olimpicos y Paralimpicos de Beijing 2008. Puestos como centros de llamadas para atención a usuarios y kioskos de información serán ocupados por voluntarios con discapacidad seleccionados en el proceso de formación del cuerpo de voluntarios integrado por 87 mil personas, la mayor de todos de 87 años, que representan la diversidad de culturas en la cumbre del alto rendimiento deportivo mundial. Concursaron 600 mil aspirantes al cuerpo de voluntariado, muchos de ellos con discapacidad.

Advances at Avis

Although originally nudged along by litigation Avis Rent A Car continues to show commitment to the disability community as travelers with further improvements in service announced yesteerday.

Rolling Rains and ENAT

Scott Rains, publisher of RollingRains.com, was recently honored as Lifetime Honorary Associate member of the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT). Download file

The ENAT site is a rich source of current information and quality literature on inclusion in tourism. See the site at:

http://www.accessibletourism.org/

Manual de Convivência (Portuguese)

Está disponível para download em PDF o Manual de Convivência, um guia prático de como se relacionar com as pessoas com deficiência.

Manual de Convivência: Pessoas com deficiência e mobilidade reduzida
http://www.vereadoramaragabrilli.com.br/manualc/manual_web.pdf

Hacer accesible el turismo beneficiaría al 35% de los ciudadanos europeos (Spanish)

Desde El Cisne:

El coordinador de Investigación y Desarrollo de la Oficina de Accesibilidad de Bélgica, Steven Vos, afirmó durante su intervención en el 'II Congreso de Turismo para Todos ENAT' que, teniendo en cuenta a las personas con discapacidad, a los mayores, a las mujeres embarazadas, a las familias con niños pequeños y a quienes tienen otras limitaciones, 'alrededor del 35% de todos los europeos pueden beneficiarse de las mejoras de la accesibilidad en el turismo', como las instalaciones y los servicios accesibles.

"No obstante, sólo un porcentaje muy pequeño del mercado se ocupa de las necesidades en materia de turismo accesible", agregó Vos. Este experto belga comentó que hay una gran cantidad de hoteles, servicios de transporte y lugares turísticos que "no son físicamente accesibles" para muchas personas con discapacidad y personas mayores. "Falta información precisa y accesible, los empleados no están capacitados para proporcionar servicios adaptados a las personas con discapacidad, y el personal de los servicios de turismo a menudo carece de formación sobre los medios para satisfacer las necesidades de accesibilidad de los turistas con discapacidad", agregó Vos.

Marriott Courtyard in Columbia, SC

Watchdog ( Tony Bartelme ) at the Charleston Post and Carrier reports on abuse of disabled parking spaces and ignorance of the law by staff at a local hotel. While this abuse is common the Post and carrier is to be commended for taking notice of such a "small" infraction and protecting the safety of the disability community as we travel for work and pleasure -- and probably stay at a competitor's hotel:

Last April, Laura Kirkham was a guest at Marriott Courtyard in Columbia and noticed these materials stored on a disabled parking space. [photo in original article here ]

Kirkham said she uses crutches and that this was the only covered handicap parking spot at the hotel. She it would have been helpful to have this space available because it rained several inches during her stay. "Rain and crutches are a treacherous combination," she noted...

Michael Wells, a manager, told Watchdog that the hotel has 189 spaces total, five of which are for disabled motorists, including the one covered up. He said the hotel was only required to have four. He declined additional comment.

In fact, the hotel is required to have 6 spots available at all times.

Route 66 -- and Accessibility -- the Jason Angel Story

Route 66 once had a mythical attraction to Americans as the ultimate "road Trip." Jason Angel relives the magic as a traveler with a disability.

Promoting Inclusive Tourism in India

On July 28 I will begin a four city workshop tour for travel professionals in India with Jani Nayar of SATH and Craig Grimes of Accessible Everything.

The first workshop will be in New Delhi, followed by Mumbai, Kochi, and finally Chennai. As Internet connectivity permits I will post travelogue entries along this tour sponsored by ASTA India.

India Rising in Popularity with American Tourists

This article appeared in the San Jose Mercury News. Timely as we prepare to do a nationwide tour for the Indian tour industry on Inclusive Tourism:

NEW DELHI—Keith Lotman went to New Delhi on a two-week business trip. But a quick day of sightseeing in India's capital city left him enthralled and ready to see more of the country. "I have about a hundred different places that I'd like to visit," said Lotman, 31, a business executive from Philadelphia, as he checked out the world's largest Bahai temple in New Delhi. "A hundred different kinds of experiences." He added: "It's very different from any place I've traveled to before. Culturally very different. I'd definitely like to go to Agra to see the Taj Mahal next...."

New tourists like Lotman have helped feed a boom in travel to India, and the country is now nearly as popular a destination for Americans as Spain. Travel to India from the United States increased 10 percent between 2006 and 2007, on top of an 8 percent rise the year before. More Americans visited India last year than went to Ireland or Thailand, according to the most recent data from U.S. Department of Commerce.

The upsurge in Americans visiting India is part of broader boom in India's tourism industry. In 2007, some 5 million travelers headed to India, nearly double from 2000, according to the Tourism Ministry. Visitors from the U.S. accounted for 15.7 percent of the total.

These include a large number of business travelers, wealthy retirees out to explore India from the comfortable confines of an air-conditioned luxury bus or train, and people of Indian origin eager to see their parents'—or grandparents'—homeland.

For the full article: Americans are part of boom in tourism to India

Even better, watch Rolling Rains for a travelogue as we go.

"NicAbility": A New Column on Accessibility for Expats in Nicaragua

Craig Grimes writes a column on accessibility for the Nicaraguan English language paper the NicaTimes

He paints a memorable picture with lines like:

I" have four wheel on my wheelchair but I seem to spend most of my tme on just two, popping wheelies overt the cracks and crevices in the street."

For the full article:

http://www.craiggrimes.com/2008/07/01/nicability/z

Turismo Multi-Sensorial: “Lisboa Sensorial”

Em Lisboa o grupo Cabracega aumenta a cidade como destino predelito para turista com deficiencias:

Imagine o que é redescobrir o bairro de Alfama de olhos vendados: são as ruas apertadas, o cheiro das sardinhas a assar, o som de um fado que se ouve ao longe e tantas outras aventuras sensoriais…

São passeios a pé, no bairro de Alfama, em que os participantes têm os olhos vendados e são conduzidos por um guia invisual da ACAPO que partilha as suas referências sensoriais. Estão também presentes um guia Lisbon Walker, que faz a contextualização histórica do percurso, e 4 elementos da Associação do Património e da População de Alfama (APPA), que ajudam os participantes a percorrer o espaço.

O projecto tem dois grandes objectivos:

- proporcionar uma experiência sensorial, que visa a construção de um novo conhecimento do espaço através do estímulo dos sentidos do cheiro, tacto, gosto e audição pela ausência da visão.

- sensibilizar para o universo invisual, não num sentido incapacitante, mas num sentido positivo e estimulante, em que o próprio invisual nos convida a entrar no seu mundo de códigos e referências.

US National Parks Web Site on Disability Access

From the web site:

The National Park Service has developed and made available a web site to aid visitors with disabilities and special needs to find accessible trails, programs, activities, and other features at national park units nationwide. It is hoped that we can assist visitors and their families and friends in travel planning to the NPS site of their choice. Visit the “National Parks: Accessible to Everyone” website at http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/access/index.htm to learn about what opportunities are available in parks for visitors with disabilities and special needs.

From the Family Center on Technology and Disability

I have enjoyed my correspondence with the Family Center on Technology and Disability recently as they interviewed me for their current newsletter. The article begins:

For families of children with disabilities going away for a summer trip is easier said then done. There may or may not always be traveling music involved, but there is hard planning and thorough preparation. Fortunately, families engaged in travel planning are not doing so in an information vacuum. Thanks to pioneers such as this month’s interviewee Dr. Scott Rains, inclusive tourism is a field of interest that is fast emerging from the shadows into the daylight of the information age.

As defined by Dr. Rains, who invented the term, inclusive tourism is “the comprehensive application of Universal Design by the travel and hospitality industry at all stages of product lifecycle.” A related term, inclusive destination development, “similarly starts with Universal Design in looking at the creation, management and marketing of tourism destinations, Dr. Rains notes.

Will You Be Traveling to Ohio?

The following video was produced by Day al-Mohammed to support discussion of disability issues by the US presidential candidates.

Are the Olympics Bad for Tourism?

ETurboNews reports on a finding that hosting the Olympics seems to damage future tourism statistics.

This is a fact worth pondering within our community since the construction of accessible infrastructure for the Olympics and Paralympics is one of the arguments we have used to support the games as contributors to Inclusive Destination Development.

Perhaps there would be less of a falloff in tourism if a city's Olympic Planning Committee was truly committed to Universal Design (Inclusive Destination Development) and began a campaign presenting their post-Olympic messaging before and during the games. The message would highlight accessible "easy travel" by people of all abilities.

Tom Jenkins, executive director of the ETOA [European Tour Operators Association] , argued that the tourism benefit of staging the Olympics was something of a myth, saying that the effect of staging a large sports event is to scare regular visitors away from host cities, not just during the events themselves but in the months leading up to them.

“The principal problem is the impression that everything will be overcrowded and overpriced and this blights a region,” Mr Jenkins said.

As visitors become deterred, the effect on subsequent demand becomes detrimental, losing the momentum of sales and suppressing marketing, he added.

Dubuque Aims to be 'Proudly Accessible'

Katrina Wilberding is executive director of Proudly Accessible Dubuque. If you have time to look at only one page on their site take a look at this survey and description for at your businesses on how to identify and remove accessibility barriers: http://www.proudlyaccessibledubuque.com/tools/survey.cfm

In an interview with TH Online she makes the inclusion argument using the Open Doors Organization survey results on the travel behavior of people with disabilities - another sign that Inclusive Tourism is simply becoming the 'common sense' approach in heartland America.

Besides needing to abide by the law [ADA], accessibility is good business, Wilberding said.

A travel industry survey shows that four out of 10 travelers are either disabled or traveling with a disabled companion. And according to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than seven out of every 10 Americans will acquire some sort of disability by the time they reach the age of 75.

"Most don't realize the business they are losing because they're not accessible," Wilberding said.

For the full article:
http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=207388

Transforming / Re-Forming Tourism. Perspectives on Justice and Humanity in Tourism’: Perspectives from 25 years of civil society

The Ecumenical Council on Tourism has published, "Transforming / Re-Forming Tourism. Perspectives on Justice and Humanity in Tourism," edited by Ceasar D'Mello

A review by Dr. T T Sreekumar entitled, "Practicing the Rage: Perspectives from 25 years of civil society engagement in Tourism", begins:

Tourism has eclipsed traditional industries and livelihood options in many parts of the world and has emerged as the single most important industry in several countries. However, studies that seek to understand its impacts on economy, environment, and culture are constrained by methodological and theoretical limitations. One of the reasons for the ambiguities and inadequacies in the area of tourism research has been its inability to properly appreciate the importance of the ethical dimensions of human development.

The review continues:

DisabilityPhoto.com Launches!

Received from the new site DisabilityPhoto.com

A new stock photo agency‚ Disabilityphoto.com, is aggressively seeking photos and illustrations of‚ by‚ and for the disability community.
The site’s goal is to offer a unique place for royalty–free and rights–managed photography and illustrations.

Art from prominent photographers in the disability community has already been lined up. For instance‚ buyers on the site will be able to obtain the works of Christopher Voelker, Chris Hamilton, Eric Stampfli and
and many others. However, Creative Director Jennifer Ruf wants to get the word out that there’s no limit to DisabilityPhoto’s quest for talent.

“We’re creating something that’s never been done before…a place where a
huge amount of disability artwork will be available at a buyer’s fingertips.
We’re calling on all artists‚ from amateurs to professionals‚ to contact us.
It’s a great opportunity.”

Disabilityphoto.com will be a well–organized site so that finding the right works for any project will be a snap. “This site is intended to offer high end photography and illustrations in an easy–to–use format‚” says Ruf, “The site
has a great layout to make it easy to find exactly what you’re looking for.

“With the goal of stocking the site with thousands of photos and art, Disabilityphoto.com promises to be the premier source for anyone seeking disability–related images.

To submit artwork or learn more about the site, please go to:

www.disabilityphoto.com

You can also find disability and travel photos at Travel with a Disability on Flickr

Peace through Tourism Course Launched

While I have not reviewed the final curriculum I did contribute in the research phase of this promising new course:

At the 4th IIPT African Conference, May 20th – 25th 2007, Kampala, Uganda, a course on Peace through Tourism was launched, discussed and enthusiastically received by the international community. WICE – World Leisure International Centre of Excellence at Wageningen University, The Netherlands – developed this course; course director is Drs Jan te Kloeze.

The course is an initiative aiming to consolidate the concept of Peace through Tourism. It is open to external participants, members of institutions interested in the subject, and tourism and peace policy makers.

The course – duration 4 weeks – is divided in four thematic units:

1. Sustainable tourism and the world today;
2. Theory of peace making and peace keeping in a national and international context;
3. The role of tourism in promoting international understanding; and
4. Tourism and community development: tourism as an agent for poverty reduction.

US: The Twenty-First Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act of 2008 [H.R. 6320]

Wireless RERC reports on proposed legislation affecting accessibility of communications and video technology in Technology and Disability Policy Highlights 8.06.

Deaf Tour Guides for Deaf People? - by Craig Grimes

[Editor's note: This week Craig Grimes and Seek Geo launch a unique program in Nicaragua to prepare the Central American tourism industry to serve tourists whose native language is American Sign language (ASL). Watch for daily reports at Grimes' and Geo's sites. They are available to give the training at other locations on request.]

Ever since I started working in inclusive tourism for people with disabilities I have always wanted to provide tours to deaf people in sign language. This is relatively easy if the tours that you are providing are to people from the country where the tours are based as the language is the same. The problems begin to arise when you are covering incoming tourism at the destination and the deaf people that want the tours are from various different countries. The problem being that the sign language in every country around the world is different, and even within the same country, there are wide regional dialects.

There is probably really only one real way around this issue for deaf people, bring your own translator from home. However, this solution is very expensive, the problem of deaf people isn’t seen as a disability by many, it’s a communication issue, they use a different language, one which isn’t spoken but is signed.

So where is the compromise?

One solution that I have thought about whilst being in Nicaragua is to supply tours in American Sign Language (ASL) as the Americans are a stones throw from Nicaragua and probably the most likely to use the service. But who exactly do you teach ASL to in order to be able to give the tours? Your average tour guide is going to struggle for years to learn ASL to a good enough standard, so what’s the alternative? In Nicaragua there are many unemployed or poorly paid deaf people that use Nicaraguan Sign Language (ISN), which is different to ASL, but close enough so that with basic training they would be able to use ASL easily. This is the theory anyway!

Therefore, thanks to the very generous funding of Mr. Jeremy Rowe a client and friend of AccessibleBarcelona, I am very proud to announce that on Monday 7th July the “First ASL - ISN Deaf Guide Training Course” begins here in Matagalpa, Nicaragua. I’ve been organising the course for the last couple of months with Seek Geo and Green Tours, Matagalpa. The end result is that Geo, and his hearing partner Jes, are flying down from the USA to help teach a total of 6 deaf people from Matagalpa, San Ramón and Jinotega basic ASL. We also have a local hearing translator attending the course to learn ASL with us and help out with ISN where required and Norlan Alberquerque of Green Tours has been helping us set up some basic routes to practise in Matagalpa.

With the combination of basic ASL, the knowledge of how to establish a tour and the use of an English - Spanish dictionary the newly fledged Deaf Tour Guides will be able to begin ASL guiding in mid-July. Here is the program for the “First ASL - ISN Deaf Guide Training Course”

Usability Review: The SPOT Personal Safety Device

Ever find yourself asking, "Who designed this thing anyway?" I do. I also found someone who figured out what to do next. Her story might someday impact us all.

Julie Jones is founder and CEO of Engineered Travel. Engineered Travel, LLC (www.engineeredtravel.com ) works with manufacturers of existing products and shows them how to apply Universal Design thinking. The result can be anything from product improvements involving simple engineering changes to the development of entirely new products to meet the needs of the disability market. The company is busy at both.

Julie has teamed up with Bob Davis of the GEOS Travel Safety Group www.geosalliance.com. GEOS provides integrated security, safety and resilient communications services for corporations as well as domestic and international travelers. With former police, military, and government security professionals in-house and having extensive knowledge of search and rescue (SAR) practice GEOS partnered with the manufacturers of the SPOT Satellite Messenger to provide a new type of personal safety device.

I have been field testing it.

I like it!

O direito de ir e vir de todos (Portuguese)

Portadores de deficiências participam de debate no DF

A adaptação das calçadas, ruas, bares, hotéis, pontos turísticos, entre outros espaços, foi o principal tema debatido, esta semana, durante o I Seminário de Acessibilidade no Turismo do Distrito Federal, promovido pela BrasíliaTur com a finalidade de transformar Brasília na capital brasileira da acessibilidade. De acordo com a representante da Coordenadoria Nacional para a Integração da Pessoa Portadora de Deficiência (Corde), Isabel Maior, o fato de a cidade ser tombada é uma grande barreira que dificulta a realização dessas adaptações.

“Brasília é uma cidade cheia de meios-fios e calçadas. Isso dificulta a nossa circulação do deficientes, que não consegue sair do carro e circular pela cidade. Até cidades medievais que também são tombadas pelo patrimônio fizeram essas adaptações, já Brasília não, pois sempre esbarra neste problema” diz Isabel Maior.

Turismo Domestico para cegos em Belo Horizonte (Portuguese)

Belotur lançou nesta semana um guia turístico de Belo Horizonte em Braille. É a primeira cidade do Brasil a ter essa iniciativa. Ele vem sendo preparado há sete meses e custou R$ 11.800,00, um valor considerado muito baixo pelo órgão de turismo.

Apesar de ter recebido o nome de guia de turismo, a intenção principal do material não é atrair visitantes cegos. "O importante para nós é que os nossos deficientes visuais conheçam a cidade. É mais um processo de inclusão social do que de turismo propriamente dito", diz Fernando Lana, presidente da Belotur.

Raphael Torralba: My Story

My Story - by Raphael Torralba

I want to share my story to you. My life was indeed a struggle for me since I was a kid. I was not born deaf. That’s why I was raised in the hearing world, learned and adopted their culture. I consider myself a normal person. One day, I was 2 years old; an unexpected accident happened that changed my life forever. I accidentally fell from the stairs and the hard impact damaged my hearing. Since then, I didn’t notice it. I just continue my life. But, my parents discovered that I’m beginning to hear a little. For example they are calling me but I’m ignoring them. When they bought me to the EENT clinic that was the time they realize that I have a hearing impairment.

Air Access Code: Are You Ready?

The new disabled passenger rights coming into effect in the EU mean some changes. After explaining some of these changes -- and noting that the fine for violation could be up to £5,000 they note and ask:

ABTA is working with the Department for Transport on a revised voluntary Air Access Code, which is expected to be published this month. The code will outline steps agents, operators and airlines can take to help make their services more accessible to disabled passengers.

* Are you prepared for the new regulations? Email travel.weekly@rbi.co.uk

Full article:

http://www.travelweekly.co.uk/Articles/2008/07/03/28095/travel-agents-could-face-5k-fines-under-new-mobility.html