Disabled access is in major need of improvement in the hospitality sector and though many hotels and resorts are keen to label themselves as “accessible”, the reality is far from this.
When
considering accessibility in a hotel environment for those who are physically
disabled the baseline begins at ensuring easy mobility. This often comes with
widened door frames to allow a wheelchair or scooter to move through easily,
lowered beds, and significantly larger rooms. Whilst all these things come in
great use to allow disabled guests to fully enjoy their stay, many hotels often
consider this to be all that is necessary to facilitate a disabled person.
In many
cases accessibility stops once a guest leaves their room. I am a close friend of
a family who have recently had to make many changes to their lives due to a
sudden disability. Whilst I have witnessed this family having to adjust their
schedules, their home and their means of transport, it hadn’t occurred to me
that the simple process of booking a holiday abroad would now also need
adjusting.
From
speaking with them I have learned about the specific issue of pool access for
disabled people in hotels and resorts and how this can be developed.
Pool hoists
are a device that allow for safe and easy transfers to help disabled move into
and out of a swimming pool or jacuzzi. The hoist usually uses a hydraulic or
pressure system so that an individual can move easily between entering and
leaving the pool.
Though the
device is simple and efficient, many hotels that are awarded 5-7 stars and
claim to be fully accessible for disabled guests simply have no means for these
individuals to enjoy the pool that they too are paying for.
Ultimately there is
no point in advertising and marketing your hotel as having disabled access when
such a key part of a holiday resort is not accessible.
In most
cases, these top end hotels are able to afford and maintain more than one large
swimming pool yet seem unable to spend money on a simple device that can make
such a difference in the quality of a individuals stay and can also greatly
impact their independence.
Another issue often faced by those with limited mobility is the ability to access the showers
in their room. Showering is something that we all take for granted as it is
such a key part of our daily lives that we experience with little difficulty.
Yet for disabled guests, their independence can be significantly reduced when
the correct adjustments are not in place.
For example,
many hotel rooms that are labelled as having disabled access have no ramp to
the shower to accommodate for an easy and safe transfer for a wheelchair or
shower chair. These situations eventually result in the individual not being
able to have a shower independently which is unacceptable considering it is so simple
to include a small ramp or even have a flat surface shower that is levelled to
the bathroom floor.
For many of
us, these adjustments can seem so small and insignificant, but they really can
affect how a person is able to enjoy their holiday. Why should they pay the
extra prices that often come with requiring a disabled access room when things
like a shower are not accessible?
These
changes are so simple and can be made so easily with little extra cost but it is
the awareness of these issues that is essentially hindering the developments in
the hospitality world.
You can help
to raise awareness and hopefully improve the quality of disabled access
holidays by clicking on the link below and signing this petition.
Thank you
very much for reading and supporting this cause,
Aman
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