Sheila King from ‘Access For All Alliance Inc’ has written making these points:
1)The Alliance is told that a new and growing tourism market segment is people with disabilities, yet tourist operators do not appear to be investigating the needs, working out the requirements, and providing ‘access for all’.
2)One Council in Queensland advertises that it is the most accessible destination on the Eastern seaboard for people with disabilities yet there is not one wheelchair access to the 16 kms of beach. Alliance members have been inundated with telephone calls from visitors who complain that they went there because of this claim but could not ‘put their toes in the water’.
WHAT IS THE ACCESS FOR ALL ALLIANCE?
The Alliance is a volunteer community group based at River Heads, Queensland. It is undertaking a national survey into barriers confronted by disabled people when they travel, visit venues and return from holidays. The survey results will be published in time for Queensland’s Disability Action Week 16-22 July 2006.
The Alliance invites any disabled person whether they have been on holiday or not (they do in fact want to know why they have not taken a holiday), to complete the survey and ask other disabled people who do not have access to the internet but would like to do the survey, to telephone 0429024346 for a copy of the survey questionnaire.
FOR MORE INFO & TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY, PLEASE VISIT: http://accessforall.org.au/holiday.htm
access For All survey
1 Comment
I am mildly disabled – mobility challenged. I don’t need a wheelchair but I walk slowly and can’t handle difficult stairs or rough tracks etc. I’ve long wanted to go on a Middle east holiday but I have never been able to get a straight answer about my ability to manage a tour from an operator. They say things like if you can’t carry your own luggage you will be left behind, but don’t define the amount of carrying or walking involved or seek a reasonable assessment of my abilities. I get the impression that disabled travel is in the too hard basket