Rolling Rains Report:

Universal Design Article in Architectural Record

David Sokol's article Boomers Teeter at Edge of Vision Crisis quotes Danise Lavine of the IDEA Center and Eunice Noell-Waggoner, president of the Center of Design for an Aging Society:

Danise Levine, assistant director of the IDEA Center at University at Buffalo, says that while Universal Design principles take low vision into account, existing standards are prejudiced against low-vision building occupants. “Most accessibility codes are geared toward people with mobility issues, which is not what most low-vision people grapple with,” she explains. In cities such as Atlanta, residential “visitability” regulations, which guarantee entry and bathroom access for disabled visitors in new homes, also emphasize physical impairment. Even the best intentions, including mandatory curb cuts for wheelchair access, put low-vision pedestrians at a disadvantage, since these people are unable to discern the dip in a sidewalk’s surface.

Architects are slowly waking up to the low-vision epidemic. According to Eunice Noell-Waggoner, president of the Center of Design for an Aging Society, they are “becoming more curious” about accommodating low-vision users. The American Institute of Architects now includes information about lighting techniques in its guidelines for healthcare facilities.

The full article:
http://archrecord.construction.com/news/daily/archives/070529boomers.asp

Upcoming Announcements on the ADA

From the Justice for All Network:

The U.S. Department of Justice will propose new rules related to the act sometime in the next few months, spokeswoman Cynthia Magnuson said.

Proposed requirements being considered include:

* Visible workplace alarms, which would allow deaf and
hard-of-hearing employees to be made aware of an emergency
situation.

* Additional wheelchair-accessible seating at stadiums, theaters
and other entertainment venues, spread out at varying distances
from the stage or screen.

* One in every six accessible parking spaces to be van accessible,
up from one of eight.

* TTY, or text telephone, equipment in all buildings with four or
more public telephones.

* Wider doorways and entrances to galley kitchens, public
restrooms, hotel rooms and public housing.

To read the entire article, go to:
http://www.aapd.com/News/adainthe/070529pe.htm

India Leading the Way on Accessibility to World Heritage Sites?

It would certainly be a precedent-setting development if India were to successfully follow through on the proposal of the Archeological Survey of India (ASI) proposal below brought to our attention today by C. Mahesh. Success will be defined as third-party verification that they have designed solutions retaining the historical integrity of the sites through application of the seven principles of Universal Design - not a minimalist commitment to simply not violating building accessibility codes.

We look forward to photos from Mahesh:

ASI plans more ramps at monuments
27 May, 2007 ISTlTIMES NEWS NETWORK

NEW DELHI: In a bid to make Capital's heritage more disabled-friendly, the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) has started implementation of a plan to build more ramps and wheelchair space for visitors with disabilities.

The plan - which has already started off at the Qutab Minar complex and nearing completion - will soon follow at other monuments too.

Archaeological Survey of India director-general C Babu Rajeev said: "We have already started working on implementing our plan to make the Qutab complex more accessible for disabled visitors. After this, we will follow up on other ticketed monuments also."

The planks used at the Qutab complex are based on a list of recommendations made by Non Government Organisation, Svayam.

These planks will be made of wood and not steel as was considered earlier.

"We decided not to go with planks made of steel as those would get very hot in the summer and would also prove slippery for visitors on a wheelchair,"said an Archaeological Survey of India official.

NGO Svayam - an initiative of Sminu Jindal Charitable Trust - has also made recommendations like making more space between metallic rails to maintain queues, construct instructional signages to international standards and in Braille, chisel the uneven edges of the stone flooring to increase mobility of visitors on a wheelchair etc.

Some monuments like Purana Qila already have facilities to help disabled visitors. Humayun's Tomb, which is also partially friendly for the disabled, is also on the ASI's list to be upgraded in the coming weeks.

Source:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/ASI_plans_more_ramps_at_monuments/rssarticleshow/2076959.cms

Readings on Indian heritage preservation legislation:
http://asi.nic.in/asi_legislations.asp

Sydney Film Festival Models Inclusion

Universal Design includes places and products but it also encompasses policies and services. Sandra Vassallo, editor of e-bility.com highlights this example of inclusion in the latest News Udate:

Sydney Film Festival in partnership with Accessible Arts have revealed an enticing and moving Accessible Cinema program as part of the upcoming festival next month.

The Accessible Cinema festival program has two goals. The first is providing access and making films more accessible for people with a disability. This includes initiatives such as hearing loops, Auslan interpretations, wheelchair access, audio descriptions and closed captioning. In addition, the Festival wanted to take it one step further and offer a strand in the program that screened films made by or about people with disability.

Working with Accessible Arts, Sydney Film Festival is thrilled to be screening a powerful program of films about people with disability, for all film-goers.

Highlights include:

* Autism Every Day: moving film about the life of eight families with children who have Autism
* Blindsight: the awe-inspiring journey of blind Tibetan teens who climb Mount Everest. Hear and Now: winner of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary, follows a couple's decision to undergo cochlear implant surgery after 65 years. Their journey is documented by their filmmaker daughter
* Braindamajd'd … Take II: follows filmmaker Paul Nadler's amazing take on Traumatic Brain Injury

For the entire article see http://www.e-bility.com/disability-news/accessible-cinema.php

RECREAÇÃO E TURISMO PARA TODOS

Um recurso por Silvia Morales publicado no sitio Lulu.com:

RECREAÇÃO E TURISMO PARA TODOS
http://www.lulu.com/content/849627

Veja os outros trablhos em turismo na loja dela aqui.

Therese Weel Picks Up on the 1999 Kyoto UD Conference

Over at her blog Data Design Canada author Therese Weel posts an entry "Digital Cities" that references the conference book from the 1999 Kyoto UD conference:

http://www.datadesigns.ca/DDW/2007/05/13/digital-city-projects/

Universal Studios Theme Park in South Korea: Universal Design?

Will Korea do justice to its citizens? Will it do justice to its tourists? Will the new Korean Universal Studios theme park incorporate state of the art inclusion by incorporating Universal Design -- starting today?

Universal to open theme park in South Korea

SEOUL: Universal Studios plans to open a theme park in South Korea, betting that rides and spectacles based on movies such as Spider Man and King Kong will draw in more and more affluent people in Asia's fourth largest economy.

Becoming the latest Hollywood film studio to expand in Asia's burgeoning entertainment resort market, Universal Studios said yesterday it would build the South Korean park by 2012, which could be larger than its parks in Hollywood and Japan.

The project, announced a day after another US film giant Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) unveiled a plan for a Shanghai park, highlights Hollywood's accelerating push to take the world's most popular entertainment to the world's most populous region.

Source: Malaysia Star
http://biz.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/5/23/business/17809328&sec=business

After the tremendous welcome that I was given throughout Korea two weeks ago as a representative of the international community of travelers with disabilities I can only hope that the answer to these questions is an unqualified, "Yes."

For those who may not have read my piece on theme parks from December 6, 2004 at Suite101.com I have reprinted it below.

Theme Parks, Imaginary Worlds, and Real Access

How many theme parks can you name? Disneyland, Six Flags, Marine World, and Great America are some better-known US theme parks. Tivoli in Denmark, Huis Ten Bosch in Japan, and GRS Fantasy Park in Mysore, India might turn up on your list if you are a theme park connoisseur. Cadbury World, Hershey Park and Hershey World might also come to mind if chocolate is your passion.

Now, turn the question around. How do those theme parks name you? That is, who are you allowed to be once you enter the magic of a theme park?

What is a theme park?

It is first a park. Extent and boundaries define a park. A park occupies space in a particular location. Unlike a nomadic circus or a traveling carnival it has permanence of place. We go to a park.

A park is a physical space that can be marked. Parks create frontiers -- the contrast between "inside" and "outside."

The frontier is also a psychological and social space, as anyone who lives near a national border, knows. Reality changes somehow when we cross a frontier or when we pass into a park.

The tension between inside and outside creates anticipation for the traveler - a spirit of pilgrimage that can only be satisfied by arrival at the goal. For the traveler with a disability arrival may not be easy - and it is most likely only the start of new kind of tension.

This fact is captured in the title of the very first study in English on the travel behavior of consumers with disabilities. The article, "From Anxiety to Access" by Simon Darcy of Australia, launched the field of inclusive travel as a topic for academic study in the English-speaking world.

Simon revealed to the travel industry what those of us with disabilities who travel want as consumers. We want exactly the same thing that other travelers want! That is not a difficult concept - "exactly the same thing." As visitors to a theme park we want to be "inside." We want the magic to work on us.

The psychological-social definition of "inside" changes depending on the type of park. So, let's consider the varieties of park - park typology.

Kinds of Parks

One type of park may be offer nothing more than the features of its location.

These parks exist to guarantee access to some location that is often entirely natural. The site may be only slightly modified for human use if at all. Once inside the park boundary we move in order to observe nature. Examples include:

# Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone National Parks in the US
# Ngongoro, Kilimanjaro, or Serengeti in Tanzania

Another type of park may exist to preserve a place that is entirely manmade because of its historical or cultural purpose. In this sort of park observation is secondary to preservation. In fact, entry into some buildings may be entirely prohibited - or the preserved architectural features, such as stairways for example, may make entry difficult or impossible for someone with a mobility disability.

A third type of park may obliterate the original local features that were either built or natural. This is often the strategy taken by theme parks. Theme parks create a coherent artificial space. By doing so theme parks acquire a degree of ethical responsibility not shared by the previous types of park.

Degrees of Responsibility

Theme parks have a responsibility to be 100% accessible.

Why? Because they can be 100% accessible in the way that the natural environment of a national park or the historically authentic environment of an enclave of the past cannot. Theme parks have a responsibility to be accessible because of the definitions of disability and of discrimination.

Some individuals carry a certain deficit in capacity. In English we call the lack of capacity a "disability." Some modifications change the environment making it useable only to those with that capacity. To build a system, building, product, or ideology that does not allow for the participation of persons with differing capacities is to discriminate, to isolate, to leave "outside."

We call the lack of access through design "a handicap." A handicap is a socially constructed reality that prevents social participation on the basis of difference in capacity.

Medicine may have something to say about improving capacity. Universal Design is the solution to the lack of access.

Universal Design

Universal Design starts with the fundamental assertion that people with disabilities are consumers. Universal Design is about engineering the full inclusion of the widest range of consumers - offering them appropriate choices in the marketplace and the dignity of participation.

In the end, the meaning of inclusion is social participation. Social participation is the second psychological meaning of "inside."

A theme park that "names" a visitor as anything but a full participant in every activity that it offers names the visitor an "outsider." It breaks the magic.

Magic by Design

Theme parks tell a story. Their magic comes from allowing visitors to participate in their story.

The measure of theme park accessibility is not simply physical accommodation for those with ambulatory disabilities; Braille signage for the blind; or auditory amplification for the deaf. The park must arrange all those things toward the goal of full participation by carriers of those differences in capacity; those disabilities. The architecture, the paths, the music, the signs, the staff and the returning visitors all work together to teach the visitor how to be an actor "inside" the theme park.

The key question is, do all those elements work together to allow visitors of every degree of capacity to play every available role in the theme park story?

Can a child with a developmental disability be the protagonist? The princess? The clown? Can the visitor with a mobility impairment be he adventurer conquering ride after ride? Facing wild animals like a hero? Can the person who does not take in information visually or auditorially find their stage cues as they play out the park's fantasy?

The next time you visit a theme park - or build one - think beyond the minimum requirements set out by the Americans with Disabilities Act in the US or the relevant building and safety codes in your country. Imagineer an environment where the differences in capacity between children and seniors are bridged. Stage a world where those with disabilities and those enjoying those temporary phases of life where they are not experiencing one can recreate side by side. Name yourself as hero.

Bring home a memento of a place that still might only exist in fantasy - but can still come true by design if the story escapes.

URLs for Further Reading:

From Anxiety to Access by Simon Darcy

http://tinyurl.com/27ap6

Text of the Hotels.com Inaccessibility Complaint

You can read the lawsuit against Hotels.com by Bonnie Lewkowicz and Judith Smith
here (.pdf) Download file

UD @ Home (& Abroad)

This is the reporting that we like to read in the US. Let's hope that hotel designers, cruise ship builders, and esttination development specialists have c urrent subscriptions to San Diego Source:

Universal design may actually be getting universal.

Homebuilders have long given lip service to designing houses that accommodate people of all ages and physical abilities, but few companies actually built them. Now, though, the idea is gaining traction.

Read For Boomers the House of the Future

The irony of the fact that it is now the US imitating Japan's leadership in the field of Universal Design in homes ought not be lost on Boomers. See SmartSilver Alliance's "Click to the Loo My Darling!"

Support for Transparency in Online Hotel Booking

Catherine Marsden over at Accessible Chicago and the Kudos & Tomoatoes blog is one of several readers to register their support for the wakeup call to Bonnie and Judith's to Hotels.com.

Take a look at her April 8, 2007 blog entry, "Kudos for Orbitz Travel Website."

I had a positive experience with Orbitz travel website recently that I thought I would share with my users. I wanted to test the notion that firms in the entertainment and service industries do not currently offer the term wheelchair accessible as a selection criteria. For example, Metromix in Chicago can offer entertainment selections based on what types of bands you want to see, what neigborhood you want to go out in, but they do not offer a selection that would bring back an answer based on whether the user wanted wheelchair accessible seating, parking, or a wheelchair ramped entrance.

For the whole story:

http://www.accessiblechicago.org/kudos_for_orbitz_travel_website

Setting Precedents for Inclusive Travel: Booking Hotel.com for Discrimination

OK, time to scratch our heads and ask, "Why didn't I think of this?"

Read about the commonsense lawsuit against Hotels.com by Bonnie Lewkowicz and Judith Smith here:

Kevin Knestrick, attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, a law firm based in Berkeley that specializes in high-impact lawsuits on behalf of people with disabilities, said, "The failure to guarantee accessible hotel rooms means that a person in a wheelchair who pays for a room through Hotels.com literally might not be able to enter the room after they arrive at the hotel."

Knestrick alleged, "Hotels.com is excluding people with mobility disabilities from its services. This is hostility to disabled and elderly people, not hospitality."

Knestrick said Hotels.com won't guarantee that a wheelchair-accessible room will in fact be available but instead treats accessibility as an optional "amenity" like a king-sized bed.

Even CNN Starts to Get Universal Design

Although the article title makes disability or aging the villain ( Don't Let Disability or Old Age Rob You of a Stylish Home) rather than generations of architecturally encoded socal exclusion, it is encouraging to see further mainstreaming of UD:

•Universal design helps homeowners live in their houses for longer periods of time

• CDC: More than 12,000 people died of injuries related to falls in the home in '02

• Design can make living spaces more livable for those with, without disabilities

Source:
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/05/21/universal.design/index.html

Thanks to Harry Wolfe for this news item.

Is Korea Accessible to Toursists?: Part 2

A bit of press in Korea on Inclusive Travel, DPI's World Assembly, and the Active Aging Conference I addressed in Namhae:

Joonang Ilbo
http://news.joins.com/article/2728723.html?ctg=12

Ablenews
http://www.abledata.co.kr/NewsContent.asp?NewsCode=13152&C_code=JA

Openwel ( disability newspaper)
http://www.openwel.com/category/read.html?bcode=16296

Donga Ilbo
http://www.donga.com/view_t.news?f=i_s&n=200705160155&l=0

Hankyoreh
http://www.hani.co.kr/arti/society/handicapped/209465.html

Chosun Ilbo:
http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/05/16/2007051600030.html

Getting to Know Seoul

This photo shoot in the park near the Korean National Assembly was fun. Access from the DPI office several blocks away was easy in a wheelchair. Navigating the park was also. In the the process I met a group from a Seoul Independent Living Center.

Not reading Hangul or understanding Korean I'll take it on faith the what is in this article is a close approximation to what I said:

http://news.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2007/05/16/2007051600030.html

Diabetes & Travel

From a press release by dLife:

When leaving home for an extended period, people with diabetes need to take some special precautions and be sure to have the right supplies on hand. As part of dLife’s ongoing efforts to keep the diabetes community informed, the company has released dLife Travel (www.dLife.com/travel ) to help the over 80 million people who will be traveling with diabetes (or prediabetes) or with a loved one with diabetes in the upcoming months.

dLife is the first and only multi-media platform for diabetes information. dLife.com/travel is an incredible resource with helpful hints, tidbits, and valuable insights for staying healthy while away from home. So useful is the site, Rail Europe, one of the world’s leading information sites about railroad travel abroad, links to dLife’s new travel section.

dLifeTV is the first and only national, weekly, lifestyle series about diabetes devoted to living with diabetes, and www.dLife.com is the largest, independent website with diabetes information. dLife.com’s viewing room of video clips makes it unique and enjoyable for people with diabetes, prediabetes or who have a family member with diabetes. It is the first and only multimedia platform for diabetes information, inspiration, and connection. dLifeTV is produced by LifeMed Media. It airs every Sunday evening on CNBC at 7:00PM ET, 6:00PM CT, and 4:00PM PT. dLifeRadio is heard around the country on XM satellite radio.

Press Contact:

Tom Karlya
dLife
203.221.3453
karlya@dlife.com

Tom Karlya
Email: tomkarlya@dlife.com
Telephone: 203-635-1007

Source:

http://www.forimmediaterelease.net/pm/146.html

Gobsmacked on the Way to the Algarve!

I am not quite sure if being "gobsmacked" is painful or leaves a bruise afterward but that is how Anne Leece described what happened to her when she learned that she and her husband Bill were beiing given a trip to the Algarve in Portugal. The couple are enjoying "the exclusive resort of Amacao De Pera to stay in the £1,500- a-week Vila Vita Parc Hotel on The Algarve in Portugal where they can enjoy first-class service in surroundings which include a private beach."

"There must have been plenty of behind-the-scenes work to find the right place because this is ideal for me in my wheelchair, and it looks amazing!" Anne said.

Amatlan, Monterey Tech, and Two Exchange Students

This story involves hippies and donkeys as transportation for a young man with CP. It follows a budding athlete. It also involves a chance for someone to swap houses in Mexico for a year (perhaps with a donkey thrown in for good measure?).

Read about one gadabout family's unique journey at the Lexington Minuteman.

http://www.townonline.com/lexington/homepage/x1328026672

The Long Trek: Man on a Mission in India

I don't think this is the way I want to tour India and Pakistan but this story by Saadia Khalid recounts the grit of one man willing to go the extra mile.

ISLAMABAD: Mohammad Nadeem Lohar, a folk singer, poet and composer has come all the way from Gujrat to Islamabad* in his wheelchair with a ray of hope to meet president and seek grant for forming a musical group.

Offended though that no transporter showed readiness to accommodate him along with his wheelchair, Lohar continuously travelled in the scorching heat in his wheelchair to reach Islamabad, but his sweating suntanned face was still full of determination.

More:
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C05%5C07%5Cstory_7-5-2007_pg11_10

* For those of us who are geographically challenged, Gujarat is the most northerly coastal state in the west of India while Islamabad is at the far eastern end of Pakistan above Punjab and bordering Jammu and Kashmir. I other words, it ain't no stroll in the park!

Mainstream African Travel Conference Promotes Accessible Travel

Inclusive Destination development is one of the topic in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia at the 32nd congress of the African Travel Association.

The five-day program addresses topics such as "Emerging Growth Markets for Africa Tourism Entrepreneurs," which explores new travel marketing opportunities for education, volunteer and student travel, the Asia market, cultural and faith-based tourism, African Diaspora travel, and accessible travel.

Source:
http://allafrica.com/stories/200705090246.html

IKEA Models Universal Design in Singapore

IKEA thinks that Universal Design reflects family values - and drives sales. The Building & Construction Authority, Singapore Institute of Architects, and the Handicaps Welfare Association agree.

Going beyond barrier-free access to be more inclusive and pro-family – that is what Swedish furniture giant IKEA has done at its Tampines outlet.

And this has helped it clinch top honours at the first-ever Building & Construction Authority (BCA) Universal Design Awards for the Built Environment in Singapore.

The authorities say going beyond barrier-free access to be more inclusive benefits not only the consumer.

"The wider cross section of the population would be able to visit the buildings. That, in turn, would bring about higher turnover, in terms of sales and services ... provided by the building owner and the tenants within the building," says Wong Wai Ching, Director, BCA.

Congratulations to a forward-thinking retailer for winning this first annual award. Bring this design with you arond the world!

Source:

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/274993/1/.html

[with]TV

How I wish we had [with]TV up and on the air already! What a program today would have made.

Accessible South Korea

What happens when you put together an anthropologist (Christian Park), a journalist (Hyunjung Park), the owner of South Korea's only specialized Inclusive Outbound Tourism agency (Ho Sug Park), and the editor of the Rolling Rains Report "fresh" from a 12 hour flight SFO-ICN (San Francisco - Incheon Airport Seoul, South Korea)?

Well, since the flight included the outstanding attention to detail supplied by Singapore Airlines - and the entourage in Seoul was gracious enough not to be irked by a delayed arrival - the result was an interview full of smiles, laughs, and interesting questions.

Watch for Ms. Hyunjung Park's piece in the travel section of The Hankyoreh.

South Korea's Accessible Travel Pioneer, Ho Sug Park.

Press Release: DPI World Assembly on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

News and Media Division
KOC0703-E1

May 4, 2007

Is South Korean society, specifically, tourism, ready for the era of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities that was adopted by the UN in December 2006? Signed by 89 countries including the Korean government on March 30, the Convention reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities have the right to enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

To answer this question, Dr. Scott Rains is coming to Seoul on May 14 to tour key cultural sites and evaluate their accessibility. Dr. Rains, whose lower body became paralyzed due to a biopsy on spinal cancer, is an independent travel professional who manages a website on accessible travel (www.RollingRains.com) and a disabled rights activist. He will be visiting Imjingak and Odu Unification Observatory, sites symbolizing the division of Korea, and Gyeongbok Palace and Insa-dong, popular tourist sites. He will also be accompanied by the Korean Organizing Committee of the 2007 7th Disabled Peoples’ International World Assembly, an international gathering of persons with disabilities in September 5-8, 2007 at KINTEX.

With Our Rights, Our Convention, But For All as the slogan, the DPI World Assembly is a celebration of the convention’s adoption and an opportunity for serious reflection on the approaches for effective implementation of the Convention. With an expectation of 3,500 participants (1,500 abroad) for the Assembly consisting of 42 workshops in a 2 day conference, the Korean Organizing Committee is also planning various side events such as a music performance by persons with disabilities, a disability film screening, a parade downtown, and sightseeing.

Dr. Scott Rains (D.Min.) is the Director of Programs and Services at SeniorNet and Vacation & Disability Specialist at Ticket to Travel.

Following his visit to Seoul, Dr. Rains will speak at the May 16 - 18 Active Aging Conference in Namhae on gerontechnology as well as address a group of disabled and non-disabled youth of the region.

For information, please visit www.dpiwa.net; or contact Christian Park, tel. +82-2-761-0427, mobile. +82-11-9007-6270, email: contactchrispark@dpiwal.net.

Random Acts of Kindness on the Road: Embracing the Korean "Peace Zone"

Technically, so they tell me, peace has never been declared with North Korea. So, as I struggle with Asiana Airlines to provide me with even a modicum of service, images of conflict and war come easily to mind. Add to that the fact that after a brief rest in Seoul tomorrow I will be off to Imjingak with a reporter from Chosun Ilbo and the chair of DPI's sub-committee on Imjingak accessibility.

Reading the independent, pro-unification newspaper Hankyoreh set my thinking down a more peaceful path.

There is Free Hugs campaign in Korea. Virally transmitted by an online video of some Australians doing the same these random acts of human contact seem to be just the cure for disability aversion. As the Hankyoreh article reports on the video of this April 20, National Disabled Persons' Day event:

In many cases, it seemed like it was people’s first experience to hug a person in a wheelchair, as they tried to figure out how to bend their knees and lower their heads in the right way so that they could look their hugging partner in the eyes. After the hugs, both parties always wear bright smiles.

Doing the Math on the Market

Marvin Smith and Bonnie and Wayne Woodworth have spent a collective 1,050 days at sea... Bonnie, who needs assistance walking, said cruise ship staff has always accommodated her needs — even going so far as to carry her up a gang-plank, wheelchair and all.

Well, if you're not going to build in accessibility then a little custom service is not much to ask when "prices for the cruise range from $4,000 for a basic double-occupancy package up to $20,000 for a penthouse experience. "

Source:
http://www.dailynews-sun.com/news/day_223___article.html/cruises_cruise.html

GOJO - Get on the Bus!

Get out and use public transit!

That's the message of the GOJO Campaign run by the UK's Disability Rights Commission (DRC),

At the centre of the campaign is the GOJO website - at www.mygojo.co.uk - which will provide practical tips to increase young people's confidence travelling on public transport and information on special leisure deals and how to travel there. The site will also include information on rights and how to make a complaint if young disabled people feel they may have been discriminated against under the DDA.

To drive young people to the site, comedians from Abnormally Funny People are performing 'stand up' comedy gigs on buses in five cities across the country with clips from the films posted on the internet.

In an effort to reach young people, the DRC is promoting the campaign online including postings on social networking websites and the production of downloadable website content including viral video clips.

Young people, their friends and families are being encouraged to take trips on public transport from now until the longest weekend in June - from the Summer Solstice on Thursday June 21, to Sunday June 24. Figures show that in the 5 cities where the campaign is being launched (Newcastle, Sheffield, Nottingham, Manchester and Exeter) there are over 32,000 young disabled people aged 16-25 years old. They are being encouraged to consider the benefits of public transport and feed back their experiences on the GOJO website.

Sir Bert Massie Chairman of the DRC said:

"GOJO is all about supporting young people who may think public transport isn't for them.

"The improvements which have made it easier to use buses and trains, should make it easier for young people to be independent and in control.

Designing with Universal Design at Home

"My husband and I are building a new national model universal design home in metropolitan Columbus, Ohio. The Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.UDLL.com) will have 3½ baths," writes Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D.

See her plans here.

To learn more about the Universal Design Living Laboratory go to: www.UDLL.com.

Gratitude and Inclusive Travel

Stacy Ellingen, writing in the Fond du Lac Reporter manages to touch on both Visitability and Inclusive Tourism in one short commentary:

Traveling when you have a physical disability can present different challenges. From simple things, such as finding an accessible restroom to dealing with places where there are only flights of stairs, traveling anywhere when you're in a wheelchair can prove interesting.

I have both a power wheelchair and a manual wheelchair. I use my manual chair when we go to relatives' houses (because they're not accessible) and when we fly places. When I was a lot younger, we used my manual chair more than we do now because it was a lot easier for my parents to move me around — I was smaller, and I was young enough that freedom wasn't an issue.

You can find the entire article here.

Martin Gaballa & Egypt for All

Martin Gaballa has a unique travel service -- Egypt for All. Now he also has a spiffy new web site to display the selection of tours and actvities he and his team have developed over the years.

Contact information:

Tel: 0020123118975

email:sales@egyptforall.com

www.egyptforall.net

www.egyptforall.com

Global Access Travel E-zine: Accessible Paris Database Updated

The April 2007 issue of Global Access Travel E-zine is out with announcement of updates to the already impressive work of travelers Howard and Michele Chabner on Paris. From this issue:

Howard and Michele Chabner, who have made several visits to the “City of Lights” over the years, have thoughtfully (and generously) taken the time to organize their extensive accommodation research into a clear, concise Paris Hotel Survey. Their efforts provide readers with the type of hotel access data that is so often challenging to find.. Whether you’re planning your first trip to Paris or tenth, you’re sure to find that their research will help pave a smoother path for you in Paris. Discover a hotel that suits your needs at http://www.globalaccessnews.com/parishotelsurvey07.htm

http://www.globalaccessnews.com/parishotelsurvey07.htm

For more see:

http://www.globalaccessnews.com/

Global Access News welcomes travel reports, tips and comments at clearpath@cox.net

Navin Guila: "Death Zone" Tour Guide?

Marsimik-La

In January 2006 I wrote about the high altitude adventures of Navin Guila. Here are two slideshows offering a glimpse of his trip through the "death zone" at Marsimik-La.

Marsimik-la-2

Disability in Film: A Brazilian Analysis

This extension course event by ANIS in Brasilia tantalized me with the possibility of participating until I discovered that the films to be discussed will not be streamed but must be viewed on site. For those fortunate enough to be in town for the event on the 14th (text in Portuguese):

http://www.anis.org.br/texto.cfm?Texto=26

About ANIS (Institute of Bioethics, Human Rights, and Gender):
http://www.anis.org.br/idiomas/ingles.cfm

Meanwhile, I am assisting the Brazilian government committee that is formulating their federal maritime accessibility code as part of three-nation Inclusive Tourism (Turismo para Todos)project, alas, from up here in the US.

Releasing Pent Up Demand for Travel Products

Those who followed my travelogue through Italy last Spring and have a sense of where Ravenna sits (high on a precipice above Furore, Positano, and the Amalfi Coast) will scratch their heads over this one at first - purely for the geographic puzzle.

We assume that Neatech is not really claiming that their all-terrain wheelchair, Joy on the Beach (JOB), is the luge of choice for 1,200 people up in the plaza in Ravenna dropping a couple hundred meters to the Mediterranean below. Remember that whole towns in that region have summer and winter sites and then read on.

What I find extraordinary in the following press release are the numbers and what they demonstrate about pent up demand for Inclusive Tourism:

A similar response was experienced by the international tour operator Ventaglio, when it introduced 80 jobs--branded with the company name and logo on the back--into 15 of its resorts. According to Monica Corbellini, director of accessible travel programs for Ventalio, bookings of disabled vacationers increased by 13,000 in the resorts utilizing JOB.

Can we get this message to hoteliers in Beijing? There is a market out there for tourists with disabilities -- and we're coming for the Olympics!!

Wilmington, DE (PRWEB) May 3, 2007 -- Neatech, the Italian manufacturer of wheelchairs and vehicles for disabled travelers, announced today that it has introduced its top-selling beach-pool-snow chair, JOB (Joy On the Beach), into the American market.

"JOB, with its light-weight design and rugged, over-sized wheels, is the all-terrain vehicle for the disabled," says marketing director, Joseph Grosso. "It rolls across sand, can be used as a beach lounge chair, can be pushed into open the water for easy swimming access and can be used to easily lower and lift disabled individuals from pools. During the winter it becomes the perfect snow vehicle."

JOB, with its light-weight design and rugged, over-sized wheels, is the all-terrain vehicle for the disabled
In fact, because of the vehicle's ability to function in snow, water, and sand, the JOB is currently being adapted for the 2008 Sahara Marathon, where athletes will push a disabled team member along the sandy course.

During the past five years the JOB has been introduced throughout European beaches and resorts with incredible success. The Italian city of Ravenna, for example, provided 50 chairs to the beaches along their Mediterranean coast. City spokeswoman, Lisa Dradi, says that "during the first month of use, 1200 citizens and tourist used the beach chair to access the sea and relaxation on the beach."

A similar response was experienced by the international tour operator Ventaglio, when it introduced 80 jobs--branded with the company name and logo on the back--into 15 of its resorts. According to Monica Corbellini, director of accessible travel programs for Ventalio, bookings of disabled vacationers increased by 13,000 in the resorts utilizing JOB.

For more information, visit the Neatech website at www.neacare.com or email msedge @ thesedgegroup.com.

Viajes 2000: Turismo Para Todos (Spanish)

Desde 1977 Viajes 2000, un proyecto del ONCE (Organización Nacional de Ciegos Españoles), ofrece recursos para turismo accessible. Del sitio:

Nuestra empresa sigue queriendo profundizar en la especialización en este segmento de mercado para lo que es clave la formación continuada de nuestro personal y el poder acceder a una información precisa, práctica y segura sobre los distintos productos y servicios de nuestros proveedores turísticos (compañías aéreas, hoteles, parques de ocio...) que nos permita el asesoramiento y venta a clientes con necesidades especiales.

Nuestra empresa sigue queriendo profundizar en la especialización en este segmento de mercado para lo que es clave la formación continuada de nuestro personal y el poder acceder a una información precisa, práctica y segura sobre los distintos productos y servicios de nuestros proveedores turísticos (compañías aéreas, hoteles, parques de ocio...) que nos permita el asesoramiento y venta a clientes con necesidades especiales.

Brasil, Inclusão, e Turismo (Portuguese)

Do Ricardo Shimosakai:

A ECA Jr. tem o prazer de convidá-los para a próxima edição do Veredas, que pretende mostrar que o turismo é possível para todos, independentemente de suas limitações, principalmente quando essa limitação é uma deficiência.

O evento acontecerá no dia 07/05 no Auditório da Faculdade de Psicologia (Bloco G) - atrás do CRP -, a partir das 19h00. Contaremos com a presença dos seguintes convidados:
Elisabeth Renneberg, Agente de Apoio da Supervisão de Cultura da Sub-Prefeitura da Capela do Socorro, falando sobre o projeto "Passeando por Sampa Inclui";
Régis Massaroto, apresentando a Associação de Pais e Amigos de Portadores de Deficiência do Banco do Brasil;
Joedson Nunes, pesquisador e idealizador da Equipe Turismo Aventura Adaptado
Ricardo Shimosakai, portador de deficiência, estudante de turismo e praticante de turismo de aventura.

Algumas oportunidades não podem ser perdidas.

Compareçam!"

Ricardo Shimosakai
Consultor de Turismo
Turismo & Aventura Adaptado
Cel: (11)9854-1478
email: ricardo36@gmail.com

Download file

Complete This Survey

Note an important new study on tourism accessibility. I encourage all Rolling Rains readers to complete it, or if it does not apply to you, to bring it to the attention of someone to whom who does. (Full disclosure: I've completed it myself.):

You are invited to take part in a research study conducted by the University of Technology Sydney on the tourism accommodation needs of people with mobility disabilities. The research aims to identify the room requirements and preferred information format for presenting accessible accommodation so that a person is able to make an informed decision for their needs.

Tourism Accommodation Requirements and Information Needs of People with Mobility Disabilities.

The questionnaire is designed for people with mobility disabilities to answer. However, we welcome carers/attendants, family or friends completing the survey based on the needs of those who require accessible accommodation that they travel with. For example, if you are a parent of a child with a disability you should answer the questionnaire based on the access needs of your child.

Your participation in this study is highly valued whether you travel frequently or not.

The questionnaire will take about 15 minutes to complete.

Please click on the link below to be directed to the questionnaire
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.asp?u=63033650891

The research focuses on accessible rooms (sometimes referred to as 'disabled rooms') that accommodate people with mobility disabilities as designated under the Building Codes of Australia and the referenced Australian Standards for Access and Mobility (AS1428). This research does not exclude people with hearing, vision or other disabilities from completing the survey. However, other research is currently being conducted on the tourist experiences of people who are blind or vision impaired. In addition, the Hotel Motel Accommodation Association and the Deafness Forum announced in 2005 an industry agreement regarding the provision of accessible facilities for people who are Deaf or hearing impaired. We would welcome people with any disability completing the survey if they regularly use designated accessible rooms.

Alternative formats
If you require an alternative format or would like to complete this questionnaire by phone, please contact:
Dr. Simon Darcy
Faculty of Business
University of Technology, Sydney
Ph: 02 9514-5100 Email: simon.darcy@uts.edu.au

Ethics
All responses are anonymous and confidential. The project has been approved by the UTS Human Research Ethics Committee (Ref No. 2006-24A) and any ethical issues arising from the research can be discussed with the UTS Research Ethics Manager Ms Susanna Gorman on Ph: 02 9514-1279

Dr Simon Darcy | Associate Professor | School of Leisure, Sport and Tourism | Faculty of Business |
University of Technology Sydney | Kuring-gai Campus | PO Box 222, Lindfield NSW 2070 |
Ph: 61 2 9514-5100 | Fax: 61 2 9514-5195 | Email: Simon.Darcy@uts.edu.au |
http://datasearch.uts.edu.au/business/lst/staff/StaffDetails.cfm?UnitStaffId=209

Why Stephen Kuusisto Will Let Stephen Hawking Blast into Space First

Stephen Hawking's recent experience of weightlessness provided news writers with plenty of opportunity to dredge up a slurry of imagery associated with the pitiable state of someone "confined" to his wheelchair. Stephen Kuusisto, over at Blind Planet, offers a brief analysis of this archetype-invoking event.

The Virgin Galactic is scheduled to take near space commercial flights starting in 2009. Watch for continued media enthusiasm and eventually marketing hype involving words like "crippled" and "handicapped" in close proximity to words like "liberation" and "freedom" to describe space travel as desireable for people with disabilities.

Of interest to me is the unintended irony of the BBC News' statement, "The flight, which took off and landed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, also was intended to test if Hawking has the "right stuff" for a suborbital spaceflight."

At stake here, for the temporarily able-bodied, is nothing less than the entire "right stuff" mythology of space and future. Who can predict the cultural fallout of someone as visibly and severely disabled as Hawking penetrating the sanctum of space travel machismo. Brokenback Space Cowboys on DVD?

More on Universal Design Going Mainstream in Homes

This is the reporting that we like to read in the US. Let's hope that hotel designers, cruise ship builders, and esttination development specialists have c urrent subscriptions to San Diego Source:

Universal design may actually be getting universal.

Homebuilders have long given lip service to designing houses that accommodate people of all ages and physical abilities, but few companies actually built them. Now, though, the idea is gaining traction.

Read For Boomers the House of the Future

The irony of the fact that it is now the US imitating Japan's leadership in the field of Universal Design in homes ought not be lost on Boomers. See SmartSilver Alliance's "Click to the Loo My Darling!"

Tourism is New Zealand’s Primary Export Earner

A new report by Sandra Rhodda was today posted on the Tai Poutini Polytechnic website:

“Tourism for Visitors to New Zealand with Mobility Problems: a West Coast Perspective”

You can access the report here: http://www.taipoutini.ac.nz/taipoutini/report.asp

Summary:

Tourism is New Zealand’s primary export earner, and the West Coast’s largest employer. There is a growing trend worldwide to cater to niche-tourism markets. People with disabilities represent a large and growing niche tourism market, one that New Zealand and the West Coast has not yet begun to fully exploit. This market has increasing discretionary funds and financial power, is articulate and web savvy, and very interested in travel. There is a significant opportunity for the West Coast to place itself as a region of excellence in tourism for people with disabilities. However, awareness of this market and the ability to cater for it is currently negligible. This report provides an overview of the access market, a preliminary examination of the provision of West Coast tourism services for people with disabilities, and suggests ways in which this large and growing market can be researched and developed.

For further information contact:

Sandra Rhodda
Research Manager
Tai Poutini Polytechnic
Private Bag 607
Greymouth
New Zealand
Ph: 02 769 9493
Freephone: 0-800-800-411
www.tpp.ac.nz