Disabled Guests
...opening your doors to a £40bn market...
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) makes it illegal for you to operate without having made reasonable adjustments, where it is necessary, in order for you to welcome disabled guests. The law has been in place since 1995 and affects all tourism businesses regardless of size or whether the guest is charged.
It is not only a legal matter. The disabled market is worth an estimated £40bn p/a and research has shown that over 2.5m disabled people travel regularly. When you add their families and carers, you see that the opportunity to increase occupancy or visitor numbers is immense.
- Accentuate: Using the inspiration provided by the International Paralympic Movement, with its origins in South East England, to tackle disadvantage, raise aspirations and celebrate excellence
- Accessibility Facts and Figures: Read interesting accessibility facts and figures in reports by Eurostat Statistical Books and Tai Poutini Polytechnic.
- How We Can Help: We offer guidance and training in addition to subsidies for access audits and NAS membership
- The DDA: First introduced in 1995, the DAA sets the legal framework for welcoming disabled guests
- Ade Adepitan: Hear what the Paralympic Bronze medallist has to say about the importance of accessible tourism
- Peter Norfolk: Watch a video clip of Peter Norfolk, the Paralympic Gold medallist, presenting at an access seminar at Legoland
- Video Case Studies: Watch four video case studies of accessible tourism businesses in action.
- Legal Cases: A number of past cases offer some indication of the where and how the DDA has been applied to tourism businesses
- National Accessible Scheme (NAS) and 'One Step Ahead': The NAS offers accommodation providers an award based on the accessibility of their property.
- Access Statements: Access the VE template here
- Accessibility Online Learning Burst: Try our 15 minute 'Respecting Differences and Disabilities' online training session
- Easy Does It: Visit Britain has produced a guidance document to help accommodation providers to make their properties as accessible as possible
- Destination Access Audits: Tourism South East offer a 50% subsidy on Access Audits for destinations
- The Public Transport Network: Read a report on 'Removing barriers to accessibility for disabled and reduced mobility people to the South East England's transport networks'.
- Accessibility Podcast: Click here to listen to the TSE accessibility podcast and hear about the benefits of becoming more accessible.
