Today marks the start of Disability Rights Awareness Month. The global campaign is celebrated annually from 3 November to 3 December and aims to promote an understanding and raise awareness of disability inclusion while empowering people with disabilities.
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The International theme for 2022 is “Not all disabilities are visible” – “with emphasis on the importance of resolving existing barriers towards disability inclusion by ensuring resourceful, sustainable and safe environments for and with persons with Disabilities and also specially recognizing that not all disabilities are visible.”
While many Cape Town establishments are fully inclusive and accessible, there is still much to be done to close the gap and achieve full social and economic inclusion for people living with disabilities.
According to Tarryn Tomlinson, an activist and person living with a disability, roughly 15 % of the world’s population experiences some form of disability, whether that be limited physical mobility, hearing and visual impairments, or cognitive disabilities. This does not take into account people who need accessible services and facilities, such as the elderly, temporarily disabled, and parents with prams.
“Companies will reap the benefits of putting accessibility in place. Designing inclusive experiences reduces the need for personalised services and accommodates the widest range of potential visitors. Embrace a greater diversity of clients for economic sustainability.”
Tomlinson added that overlooking the needs of those with disabilities was bad for a company’s image and could also affect the bottom line.
Living in Cape Town with a disability, Tomlinson has had to navigate her way around the city and has become quite familiar with which places and activities are available to her.
Here are three types of accessible places Tomlinson goes to when looking for entertainment and leisure in the city:
Cape Town markets
Over the past couple of years, Cape Town has developed into a “market” type city, with food and craft markets popping up just about everywhere. With a variety of fresh produce and culinary options available, these markets are a popular attraction for locals and tourists alike.
Markets are great in that they usually have open spaces in which one with a physical disability can easily circulate, although a word of caution: not all markets are made equal. Be sure to call ahead to see whether they are accessible.
Cape Town hotel restaurants and bars
Why hotel restaurants and bars? Because hotels are built with accessibility for guests in mind and have a stronger emphasis on service, most hotels have accessible bathrooms and parking. The attention to service also means that staff are more willing to lend a hand.
Cape wine farms
When living in or visiting Cape Town, you simply cannot miss out on a trip to one or ten wine farms. Many wine farms are fully accessible, as are the restaurants on them. Some older farms can be a bit trickier to navigate with a step here and there, but those are few and far between.
Tomlinson offers a few suggestions on how establishments can become more inclusive:
- As with everything, it starts with education. Gather data on accessible tourism that reveals the profile behaviour and spending patterns of travellers with disabilities, their needs, as well as those of their families and essential staff.
- Once you have an understanding of how to change, you need to adjust or create accessibility policies and strategies. A large part of the problem is that these policies are designed without the active participation of persons with disabilities, so include them in the process.
- Work on a short-, medium-, and long-term strategy. Start with a small ramp and an accessible parking bay. Offer more information on your website and install a plug-in. Make it doable, and you will be amazed at what a difference it can make.
- Apply international standards to ensure the same level of accessibility and service quality. It also supports a common understanding of tourism products and services.
- Improve customer service. Usually, tourism service personnel lack training and, therefore, confidence with respect to catering for customers with disabilities. Many activities not considered accessible – such as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro – can be adapted for access. Trained staff can alleviate 80% of the barriers faced by people with disabilities.
- Use innovations and technologies as a lever in marketing travel. Alternative formats like sign language, audio description and braille should be incorporated.
- Target customers through mainstream media channels and not as a niche market. Simply include people with disabilities in your marketing and advertising. Do it in ways that make them part of society, in group settings, and enjoying life.
- Terms like “accessible” can be vague and misleading in your information. What is considered accessible for someone in a wheelchair is different for a blind visitor. Information about rooms and specs should be clearly stated. Factors such as bed height are often overlooked by designers and hoteliers, even in universally accessible rooms. High beds make it impossible for someone with a disability to access the bed on their own and, in most cases, even with the help of someone else.
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