The UK's Top Ten Accessible Attractions

In my role as accessible travel expert for Tourism for All UK, Cool Places asked me to list my top 10 attractions around the country that go the extra mile to accommodate disabled visitors.

 

Click here to read the blog post.

 

 

Award winning access & Barrier Free update

My recent activites include working on exceptional accessibility projects focused in the UK and Europe.

 

Last week I attended a preview of the German National Tourist Office's forthcoming campaign (to be launched later this year), promoting ‘barrier free' travel in Germany.  The term ‘barrier free', is widely known in Germany and includes any form of restricted mobility, be it for families, elderly people, restricted sight or hearing problems, for example. The barrier-free campaign was outlined during a presentation and follow-up discussion and received a warm welcome from Deutsche Bahn, Lufthansa and DFDS, plus specialist UK travel organisations and advisory sites. Some of the main topics discussed included practicalities such as travelling on public transport in Germany, through to which regions offer the most choice to anyone with restricted mobility.

 

GNTO Barrier Free Travel Preview
 

I've also been working on a brand new brochure launched recently by VisitEngland, featuring 27 Access for All Tourism Award winners and finalists from the last five years.  A key category in the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence, The Access For All Tourism Award, recognises businesses that provide exceptional access for all visitors.  Produced with help from myself, this first edition aims to help people with access needs make the most of accessible England, featuring the very best accommodation, attractions and experiences across the country from Exeter to Newcastle. The brochure can be downloaded here.

OpenBritain: a one-stop-shop for accessible travel information

Read my piece for Disability Horizons about the new OpenBritain website

OpenBritain: a one-stop-shop for accessible travel information

The DNS influence index

I am so incredibly proud to be included on the Disability News Service list of the UK's most influential disabled people

 http://disabilitynewsservice.com/2013/04/influence-index-test-post/

Working with the Civil Aviation Authority on Access to Air Travel

On Friday 26th April I was lucky enough to attend the first ever meeting of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) Access to Air Travel Working Group.

In 2012 the CAA took over responsibility for handling air travel complaints from disabled people from the Equality and Human Rights Commission. They have now set up the Access to Air Travel Working Group which involves disability rights groups from around the UK, including Tourism for All UK (TFA), as a means of gaining knowledge on the needs and concerns of disabled passengers.

 

I was able to raise issues arising from my own experiences of air travel which you can read more about on the Trailblazers blog, as well as concerns from members of TFA. 

 

I feel one of the main aims should be to promote accessible air travel, as many of the enquirers I speak to still aren't aware of things like airport assistance, slings and specialist seating on board or that mobility aids are carried free of charge. 

 

If we can get the message out there and encourage more people with mobility problems to fly, standards of accessibility will naturally improve and above all more people with disabilities, their families, friends and carers will be able to enjoy holidays!

Photos and video: BoBI and OpenBritain

It's been a really exciting fortnight for the charity I work for, Tourism for All UK.

 

Firstly, I was in charge of the TFA stand at Best of Britain & Ireland 2013 (BoBI).  Our stand activities included a prize draw for free membership of TFA, and promotion of our new OpenBritain website, the search facility for accessible accommodation recommended by VisitEngland, which many businesses can join for free.

Our business advice clinic offered information about making facilities and services more accessible, the value of the accesible tourism market, and how to reach out to tourists with access requirements.

 

Darren & I stayed at the Travelodge hotel at Birmingham Airport, our first time in a Travelodge.  We were pleasantly surprised by the accessible facilities, and the staff were really helpful.  We'll be returning again next year, if only so we can once again eat at the yummy Indian restaurant we found in Sheldon - fab access and great value!

 

On the TFA stand at BoBI 2013




Last week we officially launched the new OpenBritain.net website, at the House of Lords as part of British Tourism Week.  Sadly I couldn't be there, but the links below show some fabulous photos of the guests enjoying themselves, and a video of Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson, the UK's much loved paralympian and broadcaster, talking of some of her stories of travel as a wheelchair user.

Open Britain Launch Reception photos

Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson Launching Open Britain

Barrier Free Travel, Tunisian Sunshine and OpenBritain

It's been a busy couple of weeks for accessible tourism, which is set to continue!

On 26th Feb I attended a workshop at the German National Tourist Office in London establish the requirements for promoting accessibility travel from the UK to Germany - a concept called Barrier Free Travel. We discussed methods of assisted travel, different levels of accommodation, inspiring activities for all ages and for a wide variety of needs; in short, how visitors to Germany could experience the fullest, most enjoyable and barrier-free holidays as possible. It was a fantastic day and really exciting to be involved right from the start of the campaign.

 



GNTO Barrier Free Travel Workshop
 



This weekend Darren and I booked our own holiday, to Tunisia in September. We'll be travelling with a mainstream tour operator, and staying in a hotel with adapted rooms. I'll update this blog with a post about our experiences once we've been.

The thing I'm most excited about at the moment is the relaunch of the OpenBritain website. OpenBritain.net is being relaunched on 19 March, at a reception event in the House of Lords. This revolutionary information service aims to help make Britain the most accessible destination in Europe, building on the remarkable impact made by last year’s Paralympic Games. In my role as Information Officer for Tourism for All UK I receive so many enquiries that this new site will help with - from a traveller who uses a wheelchair and requires accommodation with a wet room shower or maybe a hoist, or even an older person who has lost some mobility and can only manage a few steps. I myself struggled to find an accessible place to eat on a day out in Lancaster recently - once the OpenBritain app is released later in the year this information will be at my fingertips.



I hope that this new site will inspire people with access requirements to travel more, make some memories and have some fun!