(In Portuguese) Documentation of the emergence of a unique world-class adventure tourism destination following the principles of Inclusive Tourism.

Related articles:

• Disability-Defying Athletics - The Samarthanam Trust for the Disabled Ads Promote Inclusive Sports (TrendHunter.com) (trendhunter.com)

Recursos para turismo inlusivo no mudo Luso-fonico.

Bem Atender Turismo Inclusivo -
Turismo Inclusivo e Aventura -
Mapeamento no Turismo Inclusivo -

Recursos para turismo inlusivo no mudo Luso-fonico.

Bem Atender Turismo Inclusivo -
Turismo Inclusivo e Aventura -
Mapeamento no Turismo Inclusivo -

Recursos para turismo inlusivo no mudo Luso-fonico.

Bem Atender Turismo Inclusivo -
Turismo Inclusivo e Aventura -
Mapeamento no Turismo Inclusivo -

DAISY is an acronym for Digital Accessible Information SYstem. The original concept for DAISY was born from the need for accessible audio that could be used by individuals unable to read print, as easily and efficiently as a sighted person uses a printed book.

Source:
http://www.digitaltalkingbook.com/publications/docs/20070315155100/intro-article1.html

Managing DAISY is the DAISY Consortium:

The DAISY Consortium was formed in May, 1996 by talking-book libraries to lead the worldwide transition from analogue to Digital Talking Books. DAISY denotes the Digital Accessible Information System. Further information is available on the web site http://www.daisy.org.

Source:
http://dsidtb.sourceforge.net/

The Vision of the The DAISY Consortium

Our vision is that all published information is available to people with print disabilities, at the same time and at no greater cost, in an accessible, feature-rich, navigable format.

Mission

The DAISY Consortium's mission is to develop the International Standard and implementation strategies for the production, exchange, and use of Digital Talking Books in both developed and developing countries, with special attention to integration with mainstream technology, to ensure access to information for people with print disabilities.

Goals

We have identified five major goals which will guide the work of the DAISY Consortium over the next few years. These are:

• To create and promote the worldwide standard for the navigation and structure of Digital Talking Books;
• To encourage and foster the establishment and development of Digital Talking Book library services in both developed and developing countries;
• To maximize the accessibility and utility of electronic books and multimedia documents for people with print disabilities;
• To secure the recognition and adoption of the DAISY Standard for navigable multimedia documents among mainstream product developers and book publishers; and
• To encourage and foster the establishment and development of a global talking book library, which transcends geographic boundaries and linguistic differences, and which embraces cultural diversity...

The DAISY Consortium set out to use existing standards wherever possible. We have a close relationship with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the standards setting body for the Internet. As a result, the DAISY standards are applications of XHTML, XML, and Synchronized Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL), which is what provides DAISY's multimedia support. We did need to create specifications for the navigation center, and we created an XML tag set to represent constructs found in most books

Source:
http://www.digitaltalkingbook.com/publications/docs/20040510214528/DAISY-in-Brief_final.htm?q=publications/docs/20040510214528/DAISY-in-Brief_final.htm

Early Decisions on the DAISY Standard

At a very early point in the development of the DAISY standard, talking book readers from many countries were consulted regarding their reading requirements and their vision of a fully accessible audio book. Those who provided input made it very clear that analogue recordings did not meet their reading and information needs. Access to points within the books, awkwardness of the medium itself, sound quality plus numerous other issues indicated that producers of talking books had to begin the move to a digital platform. However, a digitally produced human voice talking book in itself would not resolve all of the issues, particularly the issues of accessibility and navigation from point to point within the book. DAISY DTBs (Digital Talking Books) do meet talking book reader requirements by providing access to the talking book that has never before been possible with a human voice production of a print book.

There are different classes of DAISY DTBs starting from audio only or text only up to hybrid books that contain both the full audio and synchronised text. All these classes offer improved access and human voice delivery through links between the digital audio sound files and the marked up text files. It is these links that give the talking book reader access to the structure of the book, like chapters, pages or even paragraphs. The collection of these navigation points in the book is called the Navigation Control Centre or NCC. The NCC makes accessing the information in the book quick and easy.

Source:
http://www.multireader.org/Daisy.htm

Application of DAISY to Education:

Under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004, the Center for Applied Special Technology (CAST) organized the creation of the National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard (NIMAS) format, a subset of the DAISY standards. This format is
now required for all educational texts produced for state and local education agencies.

Source:
http://www.axistive.com/a-new-read-on-digital-talking-books.html
(Updates at: http://aim.cast.org/)

Technical Details of the DAISY Standard

The DAISY Consortium works closely with the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which is the standards-setting body for the Internet, and other standards organisations. Wherever possible, the DAISY Standard is based on existing standards, including all or part of:

• XHTML or XML
• Synchronised Multimedia Integration Language (SMIL)
• Audio files.

It is SMIL that currently provides the multimedia support for DAISY...

DAISY DTBs provide synchronisation of the following media types:

• Audio: human voice or synthesised speech narration of the printed word
• Text: XML version of the publication's text
• Images
• Video (under development).
  

Source:
http://www.digitaltalkingbook.com/publications/docs/20070315155100/intro-article1.html

Tools to Play a DAISY Book

http://www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Talking-Books

An Open Office Tool for Writing DAISY Books:

Odt2daisy is an OpenOffice.org Writer extension, enabling to export in DAISY 3 format, including support of Mathematical content conforming to the MathML standard.
DAISY is an NISO Z39.86 standard for blind, visual impaired, print-disabled, and learning-disabled people. Odt2DAISY is a free and open source software that can be downloaded at http://odt2daisy.sf.net.

Source:
http://odt2daisy.sourceforge.net/


Source:

http://www.digitaltalkingbook.com/publications/docs/20040510214528/DAISY-in-Brief_final.htm?q=publications/docs/20040510214528/DAISY-in-Brief_final.htm

Further Reading:

A New Read on Digital Talking Books

http://www.axistive.com/a-new-read-on-digital-talking-books.html

DAISY: une nouvelle approche du livre braille ou sonore
DAISY: a new approach to Braille and Talking Books Markus Gylling, Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille, DAISY Consortium, Sweden

http://www.digitaltalkingbook.com/publications/docs/20040517192032/daisy_a_new_approach_v1.html?q=publications/docs/20040517192032/daisy_a_new_approach_v1.html

Related articles by Zemanta

• Benetech, WGBH National Center for Accessible Media and U.S. Fund for DAISY Receive $5 Million to Transform Production of Accessible Images (prweb.com)
• Microsoft bolsters Web-accessible data plan (news.cnet.com)

"You don't have to spend your mobility grant on just transport, you can use it toward creating a more inclusive living space." - Eleanor Lisney lives in the heart of Coventry city centre and shares her experience and process of adapting her 1st floor flat/apartment for wheelchair use. Eleanor frustrated with the traditional Clunky-retro fitted banister or ramp fittings on offer to wheelchair user worked with Gregory Cowan and Architect and a builder to rethink and refit her flat. Visit http://adaptappartment.wordpress.com/ for further information

  The  UNWTO (World Tourism Organization) underscored  the  importance of facilitation  of tourist  travel  by  persons  with disabilities in its  "Declaration  on  the  Facilitation  of  Tourist Travel"  adopted by its General  Assembly, at their 18th session held in October 2009 in Astana,  Kazakhstan.  
 
  The  Declaration  expresses  the  deep  conviction  of its  Assembly   that   facilitation   of   tourist  travel  by  persons  with
  disabilities  is  a major element of any responsible tourism development
  policy.  It affirms that responsible tourism is a necessary component of
  sustainable  development  strategies, which include the mainstreaming of
  disability  issues.  Furthermore, it urges that "great efforts should be
  made  to  ensure  that  tourism  policies and practices are inclusive of
  persons  with  disabilities,  the  majority of them living in developing
  countries." 

  The  Declaration  reaffirms  the principles from an earlier
  resolution  adopted  in  1991 (A/RES/284(IX), entitled "Creating Tourism
  Opportunities  for  Handicapped  People in the Nineties." and updated in
  2005 in resolution A/RES/492(XVI) entitled "Accessible Tourism for All".
  The  Declaration  also  endorses  the  general  principles  enshrined in
  Article  3 of the CRPD and invites all States to implement them. It also
  draws  attention  to  the  work  which is being done by the Inter-Agency
  Support   Group   for  the  Convention. 

   More  information:  Ms.  Marina  Diotallevi, mdiotallevi@unwto.org.

 

RESOLUTION ADOPTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY

 

AT ITS EIGHTEENTH SESSION

 

Astana, Kazakhstan, 5 - 8 October 2009

 

A/RES/578(XVIII)

 

Declaration on the facilitation of tourist travel

 

Agenda item 20

(document A/18/20)

 

The General Assembly,

 

Having taken cognizance of the report of the Secretary-General on this matter,

 

Having before it the Declaration on the facilitation of tourist travel approved by the Executive Council at its eighty-fifth session,

 

1.         Approves the attached text of the Declaration;

 

2.         Recognizes that the Declaration is of a purely recommendatory nature and has no binding force and is conscious that the facilitation of tourist travel is a continuous process, which should be under periodic review;

 

3.         Requests the Secretary-General to disseminate the Declaration to countries, the media and other interested parties;

 

4.         Entrusts the Secretary-General of UNWTO to:

 

(a)  seek advice from the World Committee on Tourism Ethics to further examine ways to facilitate tourist travel;

 

(b) promote the principles set in the Declaration, including the use of modern information and communication technologies, in relation with travel advisories and visa facilitation;

 

(c)  encourage all possibilities of organizing information exchanges, training sessions and other activities beneficial to all Member States and to provide them with technical assistance if they so require;

 

(d)  advise UNWTO Member States to encourage all stakeholders in tourism to observe and follow the recommendations contained in this Declaration; and

 

(e) report to its the next session on the follow up of the present Declaration.

 

5.         Warmly thanks the members of the Working Group for the work they have accomplished and pays tribute to Ms. Blanka Belosevic for her performance as Chair of the Group on behalf of Croatia.

 

A/RES/578(XVIII)

 

A N N E X

 

 

DECLARATION ON THE FACILITATION OF TOURIST TRAVEL

 

 

The General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization,

 

            Convinced that the facilitation of tourist travel contributes to the development of the tourism sector and, beyond that, to international understanding, peace, prosperity, and universal respect for and observance of human liberties, without distinction as to race, gender, language or religion, in accordance with the mission of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),

 

Considering that, despite the great strides made in recent decades in facilitating tourist travel, there is still room for considerable progress in this area in the interests of all stakeholders in tourism development,

 

            Bearing in mind its earlier resolutions on the facilitation of tourism development, and in particular resolutions 139 (V), 180 (VI) and 243 (VIII), as well as the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism,

 

            Concerned about the need to further facilitate tourist movements throughout the world,

 

 

            DECLARES THE FOLLOWING:

 

1.1.      Member States of UNWTO and all tourism stakeholders should take all possible measures to facilitate tourist travel.

 

1.2.      To that end, they commit to consider all possible means to eliminate or reduce barriers to tourist travel of a legal, financial, or technical nature that are not strictly indispensable to maintain security, safety, health and public order.

 

1.3.      Member States of UNWTO, undertake to give priority consideration to measures to facilitate tourist travel and to encourage all tourism stakeholders to do so, especially in the following areas:

 

-           Travel advisories;

-           Visa issuance modalities (with the exception of basic conditions for such issuance, which do not fall within the mandate of UNWTO);

-           Tourist travel by persons with disabilities;

-           Tourist travel by persons affected by the HIV virus.

 

2.         Travel Advisories

 

2.1.      Aware that travel advisories have an undeniable role to play in providing useful information to protect citizens when travelling abroad, the General Assembly also acknowledges that they can have serious consequences for tourism activity and the economies of countries and destinations.

 

A/RES/578(XVIII)

 

2.2.      The General Assembly therefore reaffirms the provisions of paragraph 5 of Article 6 of the Global Code of Ethics for Tourism:

 

"Governments have the right - and the duty - especially in a crisis, to inform their nationals of the difficult circumstances, or even the dangers they may encounter during their travels abroad; it is their responsibility however to issue such information without prejudicing in an unjustified or exaggerated manner the tourism industry of the host countries and the interests of their own operators;  the contents of travel advisories should therefore be discussed beforehand with the authorities of the host countries and the professionals concerned;  recommendations formulated should be strictly proportionate to the gravity of the situations encountered and confined to the geographical areas where the insecurity has arisen; such advisories should be qualified or cancelled as soon as a return to normality permits".

 

2.3.      UNWTO Member States issuing travel advisories in respect of third countries, are called upon to commit to consult as widely as possible with the governments of these countries and destinations, especially on the safety and security aspects of each tourist region in the country, and to update the relevant information at regular intervals, at least every six month.

 

2.4.      The General Assembly also reaffirms the full validity of the guiding principles for official travel advisories attached to its resolution 508 (XVI), adopted during its session in Dakar, Senegal, (2005) and, in addition, calls upon Member States to consider other relevant recommendations issued by other competent organizations.

 

 

3.         Visa issuance

 

3.1.      The General Assembly reaffirms the sovereign right of States to control the access of foreign nationals to their territories--notably by means of visa policies, which they have the authority to determine freely, unilaterally, or in cooperation with other States. The General Assembly recognizes the discretionary authority of States in this regard, yet it considers that improving visa issuance modalities could help facilitate tourist travel significantly.

 

3.2.      Convinced that tourist travel could be greatly facilitated by measures that can be implemented easily and without detriment to this discretionary authority, the General Assembly calls upon Member States, whenever possible and taking consideration of the respective legislation, to adopt measures to simplify visa application and processing formalities and to improve the timeliness of visa issuance,

 

 

4.         Persons with disabilities

 

4.1.      Deeply convinced that the facilitation of tourist travel by persons with disabilities is a major element of any responsible tourism development policy.

A/RES/578(XVIII)

 

 

4.2.      Bearing in mind the Preamble of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities of 30 March 2007, which recognizes "the importance of mainstreaming disability issues as an integral part of relevant strategies of sustainable development", the General Assembly recalls that responsible tourism is a necessary component of such strategies and that great efforts should be made to ensure that tourism policies and practices are inclusive of persons with disabilities, the majority of whom live in developing countries.

 

4.3.      The General Assembly furthermore solemnly reaffirms the principles it enunciated at its session in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in 1991 (A/RES/284(IX), entitled "Creating Tourism Opportunities for Handicapped People in the Nineties."), and which were updated at its session in Dakar, Senegal, (in resolution A/RES/492(XVI), entitled "Accessible Tourism for All") and again calls upon all States:

 

-     to make their tourism sites and establishments accessible to persons with disabilities and to offer them special facilities at no additional charge to them;

 

-     to offer special training to the staff of tourism sites and establishments and tourism-related services, preparing them for work with persons with disabilities; and

 

-     to publish clear and detailed information on existing receptive facilities for persons with disabilities as well as the problems they may encounter during their tourist travel.

 

4.4.      It also endorses the general principles enshrined in Article 3 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and invites all States to implement them. It also draws attention to the work which is being done by the Inter-Agency Support Group for the Convention.

 

4.5.      It requests the Secretary-General of UNWTO:

 

-     to consult with representative non-governmental organizations active in the area of assistance for persons with disabilities in order to determine more precisely what role UNWTO could play in this field and to communicate the results of these consultations to the Executive Council; and

 

-     to arrange for the UNWTO to be represented at meetings of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities when it examines the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities relevant to the UNWTO's mandate.

 

 

5.         Persons affected by the HIV virus

 

5.1.      Concerned by the restrictions on tourist travel by persons affected by the HIV virus, the General Assembly decides to remain seized of the matter, taking into account the recommendations of the World Committee on Tourism Ethics.

 

A/RES/578(XVIII)

 

6.         Finally

 

6.1.      While the present Declaration is of a purely recommendatory nature and has no binding force, the General Assembly is conscious that the facilitation of tourist travel is a continuous process, which should be under periodic review.

 

6.2.      To this end, the General Assembly entrusts the Secretary-General of UNWTO to:

 

(b)  seek advice from the World Committee on Tourism Ethics to further examine ways to facilitate tourist travel;

 

(b) promote the principles above, including the use of modern information and communication technologies, in relation with travel advisories and visa facilitation;

 

(c)  encourage all possibilities of organizing information exchanges, training sessions and other activities beneficial to all Member States and to provide them with technical assistance if they so require;

 

(e)  advise UNWTO Member States to encourage all stakeholders in tourism to observe and follow the recommendations contained in this Declaration; and

 

(e) report to its the next session on the follow up of the present Declaration.

 

 

 

Shivani Gupta of AccessAbility in New Delhi has paid her dues. Acquiring a disability she then went on to acquire professional training in architecture, recruit an able team of co-workers, estblish AccessAbility, and manage numerous projects in Inclusive Tourism.

Most recently AccessAbility announced that, following an invitation by India's Ministry of Tourism to be part of their HRACC (Hotel & Restaurant Approval & Classification Committee) they assisted in revising the current hotel star rating system. As a result of a year-long effort the revised HRACC guidelines (issued July 23, 2009) are now available online at:

http://www.incredibleindia.org/newsite/pdf/Guidelines_for_classification_of_Hotels.pdf

The revised guidelines make it mandatory for all existing (including budget
hotels) and upcoming hotels to comply with the following minimal criterion
latest by September 01, 2010:

• have an accessible entrance,
• provide access to all public areas,
• have at least one unisex accessible restroom in the lobby, and
• have at least one accessible guest room with an accessible en-suite shower facility.

This latest accomplishment is only one in a string of contributions including training of people with disabilities, heritage site accessibility, airline staff training, and India's first and only online guide to accessible accommodations - Free2Wheel

Indian Hotel Rating Guidelines -
Airline Civil Rights - India -


AccessAbility

011 3266 0862‎

011 3207 0862‎

accessability.co.in