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Here's the pitch from Parkat.com:
We are the leading airport parking specalist within the UK. Partkat compares thousands of airport car parking spaces to offer you the best car parking dealsavailable. Mega savings can be made when you pre-book you're car parking space online before you travel... It's not just the airport parking price we take into consideration, we include the finer details which make a difference such as car parking security, disabled facilties and much more.So don't throw away your money away on expensive airport parking when because you can save you up to 60% at any airport in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Take a look at some of the trusted airport parking suppliers and providers we compare car parking prices with below:
But let's cut to the important stuff. Have a look at the Parkat Disabled and Reduced Mobility Airport Guide:
What's included in the guide?
- What happens at security and customs?
- Airport travel Advice for deaf passengers or persons with reduced hearing.
- Disabled passengers carrying medication.
- What help is available at the airport?
- What to do before you arrive.
- Return journey help.
- Passengers with visual impairments.
- Help at the car park.
- Travelling with Autism.
- Guide Dogs & PETS.
Doesn't a site like this seem like the "missing users' manual" that we all knew had to be somewhere if we could only find it? Don't you wish every airport had one?
Más de 1,000 millones de personas sufren de algún tipo de discapacidad, lo que constituye aproximadamente el 15% de la población mundial, y de ellas una quinta parte se enfrenta a grandes dificultades en su vida diaria, según reveló hoy un informe conjunto de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS9 y el Banco Mundial (BM). Además el número de discapacitados va en aumento en el mundo, lo que se debe al envejecimiento de las poblaciones y al incremento de los problemas de salud crónicos asociados a una discapacidad, como es el caso de la diabetes, las enfermedades cardiovasculares o las mentales. En México existen 5 millones 739,720 personas con discapacidad. El 58.3% de ellos se encuentran inhabilitado para caminar o moverse; en segundo lugar, el 27.2% de ellos presenta alguna dificultad para ver y el 12.1% tiene problemas en su capacidad para escuchar, según el censo de población y vivienda 2010 realizado por el Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Geografía. Las causas de discapacidad de esta población están relacionadas con alguna enfermedad en el 39.4% de los casos, seguida por edad avanzada en el 23.1% y por enfermedades congénitas en tercer lugar con 16.3 por ciento. Entre 110 y 190 millones de los discapacitados se enfrentan abarreras que van desde el estigma y la discriminación hasta la ausencia de adecuados servicios de atención sanitaria y rehabilitación, así como sistemas de transporte o edificios inaccesibles.
El informe, que es el primero que se realiza de manera global sobre este problema en 40 años, destaca que muy pocos países cuentan con mecanismos adecuados para responder a las necesidades de las personas con discapacidad.
"Debemos hacer más para romper las barreras que segregan a las personas con discapacidad, en muchos casos forzándolas fuera de la sociedad", señaló la directora general de la OMS, Margaret Chan.
Debido a los problemas que encuentran, las personas con discapacidad gozan de peor salud, tienen menos éxito en los estudios y menores posibilidades de empleo, al tiempo que sufren mayores tasas de pobreza que las personas sin esta condición, indica el informe.
Por ello, la OMS y el BM instan a los gobiernos a acelerar sus esfuerzos para permitir a los discapacitados acceder a los servicios básicos, así como a invertir en programas especializados que permitan a estas personas desarrollar sus potenciales.
El estudio subraya que en los países de bajos ingresos los discapacitados tienen un 50% más de riesgos suplementarios de tener que enfrentarse a gastos sanitarios catastróficos.
Además, los niños con discapacidades son menos susceptibles de ir a la escuela y tienen menos posibilidades de mantenerse escolarizados que los niños sin este problema.
En los países de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económico (OCDE) la tasa de empleo de las personas discapacitadas es del 44%, lo que representa un poco más de la mitad del de las personas sin incapacidad, del 75 por ciento.
El estudio da cuenta de algunos ejemplos en el mundo que permiten a los discapacitados acceder a servicios, información o trabajo.
Uno de ellos, es Curitiba Brasil que cuenta con un sistema público de transporte integrado que facilita el acceso de los discapacitados adoptando un diseño universal y sensibilizando a los conductores y otro personal.
En Mozambique y Tanzania, talleres con información en el lenguaje Braille y de signos garantizan que los mensajes de prevención contra el sida lleguen a los jóvenes con discapacidades.
Here's the pitch:
The Access CustomerWho are we talking about?Access customers are the largest untapped market in the world.
They make up 20% of our population - nearly 1 billion people on the planet. Yet for this group, accessing your business can be challenging.
Did you know... 750,000 kiwis could benefit from better access right now. 44% of all Kiwis are over 45 years of age. 20% of Kiwis report a disability. In Australia, 25% of the population are 45 and older - that includes 5.3 million baby-boomers who own 50% of all net household wealth. In the USA, 70 million are over 45 and own 77% of all financial assets.
Access customers may be...
- Someone with a visual or hearing impairment
- A person in a wheelchair
- A person with a learning disability
- A parent pushing a stroller
- An older person (the baby-boomer)
Access customers are either born with a disability or they may acquire a disability (temporarily or permanent) at some point in their lifetime. It is also worth nothing that as we all age, our access needs increase. In order to capture the spending power of this growing group of customers, it's important that we make it easier for them to get into, enjoy and connect with our businesses.
New video from FabCab
Universal design has never been so attractive. Noting that so many Americans prefer aging in place rather than nursing-home living, manufacturers are beginning to make more appealing universal design products, The New York Times reports. Designer Rosemary Bakker told NYT,
"Even 10 years ago, products for bath and kitchen were very institutional-looking with a lot of stainless steel and the stigma of disability. Now, U.D. is getting cutting edge, even trendy."
Pullin, G. (2009). Design meets disability. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press.
A powerful, important book. Eyeglasses made the switch from shameful medical appliance, which is how the British National Health Service labeled them, to revered fashion item, so much so that people who didn't need glasses would wear them anyway. If eyeglasses can do it, why not hearing aids, wheelchairs, or walkers? Change stigmas into desirables. Moreover, as the proponents of universal design have long proclaimed, meaningful design aids everyone.
Source:
http://jnd.org/dn.mss/design_meets_disability.html
And once the threshold of stigma and social limitation is passed a new consumer market takes its place in the travel and hospitality economy -- in as far as tourism industry stakeholders adopt Universal Design. Those in the industry who have learned the economic disadvantage they have caused themselves through their collaboration with stigmatization learn to recognize the extraordinary power of providing service to the underserved. Who would not want this recent commentator to the NYT as a loyal and vocal repeat customer:
by Deborah Davis
I travel because I want my mind and my heart and my soul to overcome the boundaries that my body now feels. I travel in spite of the fact that it is "inconvenient" in that I am unable to walk onto the plane or to simply stand up and use the bathroom when needed, or that I have to spend innumerable hours planning and seeking out where I may be able to go in a wheelchair; what I will be able to see and where will accommodate me once I reach my chosen destination. I travel because to do so puts me in the realm of saying "HA! Look at me now!" I can do and be and see and experience this wonderful world. I CAN taste, smell, delight in the people and remarkable sights and win in the battle of my body over my spirit.
I was a dancer and I was 18 when I crashed my car in front of the Mormon Chapel on the Maryland beltway. I broke my neck and was told I will never move from the neck down again. Yet, I heard a voice as I lay alone in the night..-
"you will not be able to move your legs..but it will not be permanent and there is a purpose"
I accepted this, moved on and regained the use of my arms and hands...just like the voice said.
So I go--and I relish in the next trip--the next challenge that I WILL over come.
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The phrase "feel a bit imprisoned and at odds with the rest of the customers" applied here to the privileged class might be the straightforward response to the experience. There is a revealing irony that this experience of being "excluded by design," which is the daily experience of the disability community, is also the experience of those segregated through privilege. Still, no mention is made whether Universal Design permeates these enclaves or if the presumption is still that travelers with disabilities will be further segregated by limited access even when booking inside these ship-within-a-ship complexes:The Cunard Line has had at least two different classes on its ships for all of its 171 years. But President Peter Shanks says the industry's newest enclaves may provoke some backlash, particularly if they stick out as so much nicer than other parts of the vessel."When you create special luxury areas, it sort of doesn't gel with the rest of the ship," says Mr. Shanks. "If you're not careful, you can feel a bit imprisoned and at odds with the rest of the customers."
A growing number of cruise lines have built lavish--and separate--cocoons for their biggest spenders. It is a departure from the egalitarianism that had reigned on most ships for the last several decades when everyone from the humblest inside stateroom to the most luxurious suite would rub elbows in the same bars, dining rooms and pool decks. In a way, the trend is a throwback to the heyday of trans-Atlantic crossings in the 1920s, when first-, second- and third-class passengers were assigned separate areas of vessels...Ship-within-a-ship complexes are usually tucked away, and cruise line executives insist that other guests don't mind the class distinctions."Generally people don't really know about it," says Kevin Sheehan, chief executive of Norwegian Cruise Line.
Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704608504576208662079704894.html
Signage in Braille, tactile exhibits and audio guides are among the few measures the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) plans to implement in order to make museums and monuments in the city more friendly towards the visually challenged.
The ASI is in talks with the National Institute for the Visually Handicapped, Dehradun, that works under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, to introduce several Braille devices and signages at the sites. Officials said following a request from the Ministry, the ASI has been coordinating with the NIVH to develop the system.
"Currently, some sites like Sanchi and Sarnath Museum have Braille signages. We are now planning to take the initiative forward to other prominent sites across the country. The idea is to make the monuments and museums disabled-friendly and to open them up to as many people as possible," BRR Mani, Joint Director General-ASI, told Newsline. "We are in talks with the Institute and have sought their expertise on developing the various Braille devices and signages that will help the visually impaired experience the heritage of our country."
Context Travel, the walking tour company for intellectually curious travelers, announces its new Mobility Program. The program combines a selection of a la carte accessible tours with customized trip planning and support services. This program was created through a careful consultation with accessible travel experts, docents and former clients with mobility concerns.
Since its inception, Context Travel has aimed to provide transformative experiences for intellectually curious travelers. However, due to the physical nature of some cities, this often excluded access for travelers with mobility concerns and physical disabilities. With the creation of this program, Context establishes itself as an innovator in the field of accessible travel, being the first urban tour company to offer personalized and informed services for travelers with disabilities.
The services and features of the program include:
- a collection of specifically designed itineraries, considering all
physical factors (walking surfaces, walking pace and distance,
accessibility of sites visited, availability of accessible bathrooms and
dining establishments nearby)
- a team of docents who have been trained in leading mobility-friendly itineraries
- a client resource document for each city, which include: wheelchair
rental information, accessible taxi and transfer options, accessible
travel resources and trip planning sites
- pre and post-booking assistance for creation of a personalized travel itinerary.
To guarantee the benefits and capabilities of this program, Context Travel will be conducting an annual roundtable discussion with its in-house staff and a panel of accessible travel experts.
"Our mobility program has always existed in a nebulous way - we worked with travelers with a variety of mobility concerns but did not have a formal set of systems and services in place," says program coordinator Megan McDonnell. "I see this program as setting a standard for other like-minded travel companies. This program is an ideological partner of our sustainable travel initiatives - this program supports inclusiveness and is a way to give back to a segment of the population that is not well served by the normal standards of the travel industry."
Founded by National Geographic writer Paul Bennett and graphic designer Lani Bevacqua, Context is a network of English-speaking scholars and professionals - including art historians, writers, architects and gastronomes - who organize and lead didactic walking seminars in several world cities, including: Florence, Rome, Venice, Naples, Paris, London, New York, Istanbul, Philadelphia, Madrid, Athens, and Boston. Travel + Leisure has named Context one of the top European tour companies for its innovative approach to travel and the depth of its programs.
The originally stigmatized concept of Universal Design is now the "Wow Factor" - as young moms and silver-haired grandfathers catch up with quadriplegic architect Ron Mace (after 30 years.)
Homes That Help You Take Aging in StrideFeb. 17, 2011More homes are being built with "universal design" features that will help boomers stay in their homes as they age. But these features no longer evoke a hospital room -- and they're appealing to a younger demographic, too. Amy Hoak reports.
As the birthday celebrations commence, University at Buffalo faculty experts are available to comment on tips and trends related to aging in America. Topic areas include elder law, geriatric medicine, hearing loss, mental health, television viewing and designs for living.
The thoughts of the UB faculty members are summarized below.
Will hearing aids become a fashion statement? Rock music takes its toll
Richard Salvi, PhD, UB professor of communicative disorder and sciences, otolaryngology and neurology and director of the UB Center for Hearing and Deafness, is an expert in deafness and hearing loss.
According to Salvi, "baby boomers now have reached an age where hearing loss and tinnitus become major health problems. Many have already lost much of their hearing and developed tinnitus (ringing in the ear) due to many years of listening to loud rock music.
"Hearing aids, not yet considered a fashion statement, will by necessity become a necessary part of the boomers dress code as the prevalence of age-related hearing loss begins to accelerate beyond age 65. While hearing aid technology and miniaturization have steadily advanced, restoring the hearing of our youth remains a formidable challenge," he says.
"Hearing health care costs are skyrocketing due to noise exposure and aging. The Veterans Administration ranks hearing loss as one of its Top 5 major disabilities. In 2010, the Veterans Administration paid out more than $1 billion for tinnitus disability claims alone. The trends in the VA are a reflection of those in the general population."
Severe to profound hearing loss and tinnitus associated with aging and noise exposure are not just hearing problems; they can lead to social isolation, anxiety and depression contributing to an overall decline in one's general health, Salvi says.
Salvi can be reached by phone at 716-829-5310 or by e-mail at salvi@buffalo.edu.
Near-death continues to be a reality on TV
Today's television lineup includes many reality shows about ESP, "true-ghost" stories and the wonder of near-death experiences. Are they aimed at the elderly? Pop culture expert Elayne Rapping, PhD, professor emerita of American studies, says that whether they are aimed at the elderly or not, her hunch is that's who is watching them. "After all," she says, "TV supports wishful thinking and shows that entertain the connection between the here and the hereafter may be more enticing to an aging population than to those who don't plan on leaving the earthly plane anytime soon."
Rapping can be reached at erapping@gmail.com
Aging-in-place may replace nursing homes in the future
Anthony H. Szczygiel, a professor in the UB Law School, has extensive experience lecturing, studying and actively taking on cases of elder law and says the elderly and near elderly are demanding changes in how society, governments and the courts deal with aging-related chronic care.
"Traditional nursing home stays are being replaced with new ways of dealing with chronic needs, such as the Greenhouse Project for rethinking nursing home facilities and care and the aging-in-place Village movement," says Szczygiel. "A new example of this Village movement approach to elder care, Canopy of Neighbors, will open soon to serve the aging in one Buffalo neighborhood," he says.
Szczygiel notes that in the legal arena, two recent federal court decisions give support to nursing home residents and their families challenging the warehousing of chronically ill elders, where the resident may benefit from continued physical or occupational therapy. "Too often the nursing home staff gives up on the patient and stops providing such therapy," he says. "The cases provide a way to reverse the unintended negative consequences of Medicare's nursing home and home care coverage standards."
Szczygiel also is knowledgeable of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which provides significant support to research and demonstration projects aimed at better handling chronic health care problems.
Szczygiel can be reached at szczygie@buffalo.edu or by contacting Charles Anzalone in UB's Office of Communications at 716-645-4600.
Stress and the sandwich generation
Scott T. Meier, professor and chair of the UB Department Counseling, School and Educational Psychology in the Graduate School of Education, is an expert in counseling and psychotherapy.
"Traditionally, the elderly have been less interested in mental health services than younger people," states Meier. "However, that may partially be a generational effect in that people who came of age in the 1960s and later are more accustomed to the idea of using counseling and psychotherapy for personal, vocational and family problems. Consequently, we may see the average age of individuals in counseling and psychotherapy increase over the next two decades.
"One of the issues that may cause stress for boomers is that they are more likely to have to take care of elderly parents (who are living longer) as well as their own children (who may have more trouble getting employed and established in careers and families)."
Meier can be reached by e-mail at stmeier@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-645-1121.
Old doesn't have to mean sick
Robert S. Stall, MD, is a UB clinical assistant professor in medicine and a specialist in geriatrics.
Stall says boomers should avoid self-prejudice ("Doctor, I'm not getting any younger!") and ignore ageist comments from friends, family, even health professionals ("What do you expect at your age?"). Aging boomers have a lot to expect in terms of health and well-being, Stall says. "You should tend to both the diseases and the dis-eases (such as pain, depression, social isolation, functional problems) that are more common as you age but not due to age, in and of itself.
"Everyone knows a 95 year old who looks and acts 75, and the 65 year old who appears to be 80. And anyone who thinks the pain in their right knee is solely age-related needs to wonder how their same-aged left knee can be pain-free."
Stall says it's important to remember that "gradual decline may not be Alzheimer's disease, ageist attitudes are harmful and there is always something that can be done to help" as we age.
Stall can be reached by at drstall@stallgeriatrics.com or by phone at 716-213-4345.
Design that ages with you
Edward Steinfeld, adjunct professor of architecture and director of UB's Center for Inclusive Design and Environmental Access (IDEA), is an expert on issues of accessibility. He believes that products and services that benefit elders do not have to be stigmatizing or isolating.
"If we don't take steps to plan our communities and homes for aging populations, older people will be isolated and their quality of life will suffer," Steinfeld says. "Communities that feel an obligation to respond to the needs of their elder residents will proceed with specialized services like expensive paratransit, more publicly assisted housing and services like Meals on Wheels. This will increase the tax burden."
The solution to this problem, according to Steinfeld, is universal design, design for improving usability and social engagement in response to the diversity of the population. "Universal design applies to services as well as products," he explains. "I like to describe the key benefits of universal design by the stages of the lifespan: safety and security for children, independence and social responsibility for young adults, reducing stress for working-age adults and maintaining independence and social engagement for elders.
"Together with our partners, we founded an organization called the Global Universal Design Commission, which I think will soon take a leadership role in changing current attitudes in the business world. The commission already has members like AARP, Disney and Proctor and Gamble, which see the value of this idea. In a few years, universal design will be as well known as sustainability is today."
"The smart sectors of the business community, including builders, developers, planners and manufacturers, are well aware that changing demographics will provide an opportunity as well as a challenge in the future. They have not addressed the aging population very well in the past because they often believe that environments, products and services targeted to older adults are stigmatized due to ageism, thus no one else will buy them," he said.
"This, of course, leads to a separate market for things like age-restricted communities, mature market products and age-targeted services like home monitoring. Even older people don't like to identify as old in our society because 'ageism' is so rampant."
Steinfeld can be reached by e-mail at arced@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5899.
Source:
If we could all fly like Aaron Fotheringham then it wouldn't matter so much how Delta or other airlines treated passengers with disabilities, would it? Congratulations to one airborne athlete who continues to make a name for himself!
Aaron 'Wheelz' Fotheringham - Wheelchair Action Sports from Unit Clothing on Vimeo.
Then there is flying for the rest of us:
The Vacation From Hell: Deboarding as an "Extreme Sport" for Tour Operator Thompson?
http://www.wtfnews.org/wtf-news/holiday-from-hell-over-plane-tumble-news-com-au/
For an interview giving insight into Universal Design:
Internationally known gerontologist and designer Pattie Moore says good design is like pornography: "You can't really define it, but you know it when you see it."
But one thing she knows for sure is that if someone can't use a product--whether it's a wounded soldier opening a door or your grandmother peeling a carrot--that's a design problem. Universal design, which is an approach to the design of products and environments that makes them usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, addresses this.
For three years in her 20s, Moore traveled North America disguised as women in their 80s to learn about the challenges facing older people. Since then, her design clients have included OXO, Herman Miller Healthcare, AT&T, Corning Glass and3M. Today, she is on the road about 240 days a year, lecturing, consulting and working on new projects around the world. Last fall, her community rehab unit (Independence Way) opened at Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Source:
I encourage Rolling Rains readers to respond to Liz's post on Travels with Pain below.
More:On Tuesday January 25, sometime in the late afternoon, I collapsed in a bathroom at Atlanta International Airport.
After a red-eye flight from California to Florida, an uncomfortable night spent not sleeping much inside a dirty motel room next door to a bunch of people having a drug party, a 4-day cruise on an enormous and confusing-to-navigate ship (ironically named theNavigator of the Seas), SATH World Congress activities including 6+ hours spent sitting bolt upright in uncomfortable chairs, the stress associated with giving two speeches, an active in-port day on Cozumel, another night in the bad motel after sunburning myself on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale, and a coach-class flight from Ft. Lauderdale to Atlanta, it seemed that my body had had enough. While in the bathroom stall, a severe pain spike started up. At the sink, I got nauseous. Then my legs weakened and down I went onto the white tile floor.
I had not lost consciousness and was thinking rationally between massive spikes of pain. But after a couple of minutes, when somebody found me, I couldn't speak coherently.
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