Recently in Inclusive Destination Development Category

Disability Research and Design Foundation (DRDF) is an organization which ensures accessible environments by providing accessibility solutions, research, advocacy and awareness and thereby empowering people with disabilities with their rights and dignity as equitable members of our society. It amalgamates creative, technical and legal expertise of architects, engineers, lawyers, activists and people with disabilities to formulate unique solutions for an inclusive society for people with disabilities. 


 Bal Kalyan Sanstha Pune, is a Recreational and Cultural Centre for children with disabilities in the state of Maharashtra, India. In addition to recreational and sports facilities, the center has a swimming pool for children with disabilities. However the pool remains inaccessible for a certain section of children who need individual attention for their safety in the water. 

 Upon a need based request from Bal Kalyan Sanstha,DRDF has designed an assistive pool hoisting mechanism for children with disabilities to access the swimming pool. The machine allows children with disabilities to be immersed in a controlled fashion into the pool under the monitoring and supervision of a life guard who operates the boom using a simple mechanism. The assistive device owing to its simple non-motorized nature has low cost of operation and maintenance. 

 Cost of Project: Rs. 4,50,000/-

Duncan MacKay has done us all a favor with this coverage of a new report from the UK:

Companies should think of improving disability access ahead of the London 2012 Paralympics as a way of boosting business, a new Government report has claimed 

Up to a million disabled visitors are expected in London in 2012 for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, bringing with them millions of pounds in business.

Disabled consumers are an often-overlooked market worth £40-£80 billion ($62-$123 billion) annually, according to the report - 2012 Legacy for Disabled People: Inclusive and Accessible Business - jointly commissioned by the Business Department and the Office for Disability Issues.

Read the whole article:

Accessibility Watch: Retrofitting

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This helpful piece on the mainstreaming of Universal Design by Emily Leibin appeared in Metropolis:


A new trend is emerging as the baby boom grows older. Some homes and communities are designed to allow residents to age-in-place, or for young people to begin their lives in a house that can, eventually, be adapted as their mobility and accessibility needs change over time. These forward-thinking models provide an excellent vision for the future of housing. They can also serve as inspiration for improvements in consumer goods and the design of spaces, beginning today.

These new homes are ahead of the curve. They consider accessible space from the perspective of Universal Design, taking a more holistic approach to accessibility than most regulated public places. Over the past 20 years the Americans with Disabilities Act has had little to do with residential design. Suddenly, this summer, changes to ADA were passed to ensure that, in the future, a minimum of 5% of all housing built for sale to individual owners in the US will be accessible. This is a great amendment. Now for the first time some new housing developments will be required to accommodate the needs of the aging and the disabled. There is, of course, room for improvement; many older residences that fall outside of ADA still need to be adapted for safety and accessibility.

In a survey she conducted for Change Observer, my fellow Metropolis blogger, Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson told the story of a small number of radical visionaries in New Visions of Home.


Read more at:


El Monumento Natural Monte Santiago ya es un poco más accesible para las personas con movilidad reducida que deseen visitar este paraje de alto valor
Monte Santiago.jpg
 paisajístico ubicado al norte de la provincia burgalesa. 

Durante los últimos meses son varias las actuaciones realizadas en este espacio, cercano a la localidad de Berberana y del puerto de Orduña, con el fin de que las actividades en la naturaleza lleguen cada vez a mayor público y con mejores servicios. Entre las obras de acondicionamiento destaca la mejora de los accesos a la Casa del Parque, así como la creación de una senda accesible para personas que necesiten una silla de ruedas. De esta forma, se permite el acceso con mayor comodidad hasta uno de los elementos de interés del parque natural como es la reconstrucción de una lobera.

Lea mais:

Wine Tourism

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A Request from ENAT Member, Dr. Peter Neumann


Dear colleagues,
We've just started a project about accessible wine tourism for a federal state in south-west Germany. The first step will be a short benchmarking study.

Do you know about any interesting case studies/ good practices, tourism strategies or already bookable tourist packages in the field of accessible wine tourism?

Thanks in advance!

Best regards
Peter Neumann
---
NeumannConsult, Stadt- und Regionalentwicklung / Design für Alle
Alter Steinweg 22-24, 48143 Münster, Germany
www.neumann-consult.com
neumann@neumann-consult.com

Tel:  +49 (0)251 48286-33      Fax: +49 (0)251 48286-34

Contributed by Mitch St Pierre:


I've been following the ongoing conflict in Burma for several years, but it wasn't until I heard the stories at former Secretary of State David Kilgour's house that I decided it was time to check out the situation on my own. 

Mr Kilgour had a reception at his Ottawa home for several Burma advocates including Dr. Cynthia Maung - everyone simply calls her Dr. Cynthia. She had come to Ottawa from the Thai-Burma border to urge the Canadian government to continue its federal funding of relief projects there. Dr Cynthia is an inspiring Burmese woman who has won a slew of international human rights awards; she also runs a medical clinic for refugees on the border of Thailand and Burma, where hundreds of thousands have received treatment since the conflict began.

It wasn't long after that I threw my bag on the back of my wheelchair and embarked on a journey to witness some of the impacts caused by a brutal military regime. 


 


I landed in Bangkok Thailand where I would begin my journey to Mae Sot. It's a town that shares a border with Burma where Burmese refugees outnumber Thais by more than two to one. As a main over-land gateway between the two countries, it has gained a notorious reputation for gem trading, human trafficking and drugs. It is also home to hundreds of thousands of Burmese refugees and economic migrants. Refugees come mostly from Burma's war torn ethnic Karen State, a region engulfed by intense conflict between the 400,000 government soldiers and a small rebel force of 12,000 fighters. The rebels are determined to achieve an autonomous Karen State and to protect the Karen people from abuses by the government. 

 Over the years, thousands of ailing refugees make their journey to Dr. Cynthia's Mae Tao Clinic. Many of them arrive on foot, some barely making it. The clinic was established by Dr. Cynthia during the 1988 Burmese pro democracy movement. The military seized power, many activists disappeared, and others fled the country. Traveling through the jungle at night, Dr Cynthia and fourteen of her colleagues carrying limited supplies made their way to Thailand. Along their 7 day journey through the jungle, they passed through remote villages, treating local people suffering from disease and injury. To the generals of Burma, she is an opium-smuggling terrorist and an insurgent causing unrest. To the thousands she treats and trains, she is a saint. 

 The clinic provides free health care for those who are escaping the military rulers. People of all ethnicities and religions are welcome at the clinic. The success of the Mae Tao Clinic depends upon collaboration with other local and international organizations and the ongoing support from the international community. My stay in Mae Sot was heartbreaking but hopeful. From education projects, health clinics, to orphanages, people from all around the world come to Mae Sot to assist in any way they can. 

Derek Koch is one of these people, a fellow Canadian who works with an NGO called Imagine Thailand. For years, large numbers of children have been fleeing the region towards the relative safety of Thailand. This has led countless children into over crowded orphanages in Mae Sot. Imagine Thailand works in poor and marginalized communities empowering youth, businesses and communities with the tools needed to bring about beneficial change. Derek brought us to a few of the many orphanage/boarding schools where in some cases only 2 bathrooms were available for 400 students, 140 of them who live there on a permanent basis.

 One of the projects his NGO is involved with; is the 'Clean Water Project'. Globally, diarrhea is the leading cause of illness and death and 88% of diarrhoeal related deaths are due to a lack of access to sanitation facilities. The Clean Water Project helps by providing each migrant school in Mae Sot with a source of clean, reliable drinking water. The reverse osmosis water filtration system removes bacteria and toxins and cleans the water to nearly 100 percent purity. For the most part, the border town does not lack water; it lacks water that is safe and clean. For many, drinking water without toxins and bacteria is not an option. 

Bottled water is expensive, especially for those with an extremely limited budget. Improving access to clean water and sanitation is vital for children to develop physically, and mentally. It is also one of the UN Millennium Goal targets.  

After leaving Mae Sot, I left for Burma. 

I flew into the capital, Rangoon. The city was old, run-down. Its infrastructures were crumbling and inadequate. At the same time, it had beautiful sites such as the Shwedagon Pagoda, a 2500 year old sacred Buddhist pagoda with relics of the past four Buddha's. The people of Burma too are warm, welcoming and very friendly. This was surprising given the oppressive conditions they live in. Government control is pervasive. Internet access is highly censored. There is no independent judiciary or democratic institutions. Burma is the textbook example of a police state. 

The average Burmese person is afraid to speak to tourists except in superficial ways, fearful of being hauled in for questioning or worse. Every attempt I made to travel to the Karen region proved impossible. No driver would take us there. My journey to the border was something I will never forget. The images of misery are enduring as is the hope for a brighter tomorrow thanks to the many local Burmese, Thais and foreigners who dedicate themselves to helping the refugees. Despite the continued suffering inflicted by the Burmese military government, around the world there is support. Grass roots organizations and NGOs are mobilizing, advocating, and putting pressure on governments to urge Burma to change its course. 

  For more information please visit:
www.maetaoclinic.org 
www.imaginethailand.org 
www.filmsforhumanrights.org 

passenger_logo_en_lr.jpgThis summer the European Commission has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of passengers' rights.

Although the European Union has made great strides in recent years in establishing common passenger rights for those travelling by air or rail, not every European is yet aware of what he or she is entitled to.

This campaign sets out to make all air and rail passengers aware of what rights they enjoy under European legislation and how to make use of them.


ENAT
 is an Official Partner of the EU Passengers' Rights Campaign 

Why now?

In the summer holiday season, millions of Europeans will be travelling by plane and train in search of some well-deserved rest and relaxation. Being aware of their rights will prevent many problems for air and rail passengers.

How will it work?

The campaign is being conducted in all of the EU's official 23 languages so that people will be able to be informed about their rights in their mother tongue. Posters and leaflets will be available progressively from the end of June at airports and train stations in all 27 Member States.

In addition there is a website with more information at 
http://ec.europa.eu/passenger-rights.

Watch the video

Watch this 6-minute video about the rights of air and rail passengers with a disability or reduced mobility. (English text and subtitles).
To view the video in any other EU languages, follow this link

Announcement provided by Volker Posselt:

Anafor Tour provides a unique service solving the private transport needs of disabled and older  people either resident in, or visiting Turkey.

All kinds o tranfer solution : Please visit our transfers page (Reservations should made 24 hours in advance)

Handicap (taxi) : In any urgent case or last minute jobs (if we are in close range to any place at any time)

Daily service : We take you from your residence and drive you to your work, school, doctor, physical therapy, or any other place has be visited on a regular basis the fare is monthly and discounted.


Point of contact : Askin Kirimli   gsm- 00 90 532 555 70 70
 
TAXI FÜR BEHINDERTE & SENIOREN IN ISTANBUL
ANAFOR TOUR BIETET EIN GANZ INDIVIDUELLEN SERVICE FÜR DEN TRANSPORT VON BEHINDERTEN PERSONEN ODER SENIOREN DEREN WOHNHAFT IN DER TÜRKEI IST ODER DIE SICH NUR ALS REISENDE HIER BEFINDEN.
ALLE ARTEN VON TRANFERS : BITE BESUCHEN SIE DIE TRANSFER SEITE AUF UNSERER WEB PAGE (BUCHUNGEN SOLTEN  MIN. 24 STUNDEN VORHER GEMACHT WERDEN )
HANDI-CAP (TAXI) : IM NOTFALL WEN ES MALL GANZ EILIG IST(WEN WIR IN DER NEAHE SIND (ZUR JEDER ZEIT UND ÜBERHALL HIN)
TAGES FAHRTEN : WIR HOLEN SIE AB VON IHREM WOHNSITZ UND FAHREN ZUR SCHULE ,ZUM ARZT ZUR TERAPIE ODER WOHIN IMMER SIE  TAEGLICH HINFAHREN MÜSSEN.
(surfrentacar.com-engellitaksi.com-engelsiztaksi.com)
Kontakt person : Askin Kirimli   gsm- 00 90 532 555 70 70

Transport for All - London

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Transport for All has been championing the cause of accessible transport in London for two decades.
TfAJocef.jpg

As an organisation of disabled and older people they bring the grass roots experiences and opinions of service users to those who run the transport network.

If you live in London they have an opportunity for you:

Mystery shoppers

GfK are a market research company who carry out mystery travelling surveys across the London Transport Network. They are currently looking to recruit people with visual, hearing and physical impairments within the Greater London area to conduct mystery shopping on the transport services (buses, taxis, Underground etc).

Survey Background

The survey has been running for some years and aims to monitor and assess the service offered to disabled people by transport services in London.

Assessors take pre-determined journeys on various modes of transport around London, including buses, taxis and London Underground. These may also include assessments of bus stations and 'interchanges'; that is changing between various modes of transport, for example, taking a bus to an Underground station, then taking the Underground to another station and then taking a taxi home. There may be other areas also, for example assessments of the street environment and a pre-journey telephone call to ask for information.

Assessors pose as ordinary travelers and take specific journeys (instructions are given about what mode of transport to use, where to board and alight etc). They then answer a series of questions about their journey. Some interaction with staff is usually required; this may be a request for assistance or a question concerning some aspect of accessibility.

To become an assessor:

Time to Get It Done!

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Alan Fraser of the National Fire Protection Association reports on an NCD event:

I was in Washington, D.C. the last week of July for the National Summit on Disability Policy, sponsored by the National Council on Disability. The event was designed to do two primary things: commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and to hammer out disability policy recommendations for the decade to come.

As with any event of this magnitude and importance, the range of subjects and policies was expansive. I had the opportunity to speak with a number of attendees during the four days of the summit, and we agreed that while perhaps more time could have been spent on ways to move disability policy forward, valuable lessons and ideas were nevertheless uncovered regarding where we are and where we need to go.

 

NFPA Webinars
Hundreds attend WebExtra on disabilities

The NFPA Journal WebExtra presentation on July 22, which featured Allan Fraser, senior building code specialist at NFPA, was attended by more than 300 participants.

Fraser's presentation, "We Have Seen the Enemy and He Is Us: Including People With Disabilities In All We Do," examined the variety of ways that NFPA codes and standards contribute to the safety of people with disabilities, as well as emerging disability issues that promise to shape future versions of the codes.

To see an archived version of Fraser's presentation, along with other archived WebExtras, and for information on upcoming WebExtras, visit nfpa.org/webextra.



AUDIO
A Q&A with NFPA senior building code specialist Allan Fraser
 The definition of "disability"?
 NFPA's interest in "disabilities"?
 Examples of NFPA codes / standards that cover disabilities?
 What issues remain to be tackled?
 More audio clips

The full name of the event offered a lot of appeal for attendees: "National Summit on Disability Policy 2010: ADA 1990-2010 Retrospective and Future Policy Directions - A comprehensive dialogue to shape the national disability agenda." There were more than 475 attendees, representing an incredibly wide range of interests and experiences, not to mention 48 states and the whole spectrum of disabilities. The formal program began on Monday, July 26, with hundreds of attendees applauding the opening ceremony that included the U.S. Marine Color Guard and Band playing the national anthem. In his opening remarks, NCD Chair Jonathan Young said that the dialogue and recommendations of what we all need to do for, and within, the disability community to address inclusiveness in all aspects of society have been on the table since 1996. This summit isn't necessarily about generating new recommendations on what to do, he told the crowd; we know what to do. Now it's time to decide how we get them done.


Full story:

http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1344&itemID=48424

From Disability Direct:


Promises made to the world that the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the most accessible ever for disabled people will be broken predicts Dee Doocey, the Liberal Democrat London Assembly Olympics spokesperson, unless disabled people are at least given access to a network of Olympic road lanes during the 2012 Games.

Detailed research carried out by the London Assembly Member has revealed that many disabled people will face public transport journeys twice as long as those faced by non disabled people. Straight forward journeys on the London Underground will be complex and lengthy for disabled Londoners and visitors - often involving four or even five changes on the tube due to the limited number of accessible tube stations.

A further discovery from Dee Doocey's research is that Transport for London's journey planner actually claim that no public transport journey to the Olympic Park is even possible for disabled people starting their journey from Stansted or Gatwick airports. Such inaccurate information is routinely provided to disabled people because TfL fail to provide information about accessible network rail overground stations for disabled travellers. In complete contrast Transport for London do provide information about network rail journeys for non disabled people , so assisting them in making the easiest journey across London.


Os próximos pontos da Centra lde Libras serão instalados nas

Escolas Municipais de Educação Especial (EMEE's) de jovens e
crianças surdas ou com deficiência auditiva

A Secretaria Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência e Mobilidade
Reduzida - SMPED, cumpriu mais uma etapa do Projeto Piloto da
Central de Libras, Intérpretes e Guias Intérpretes - CELIG. No
último dia 22 de junho foi concluída a instalação da Central em
todas as 31 praças de atendimento das subprefeituras da Capital.

Desde o dia 26 de abril a SMPED tem percorrido todas as regiões da
cidade instalando webcans nos terminais de computador das praças de
atendimento das subprefeituras, configurando o sistema e transmitindo as
orientações para os funcionários responsáveis pelo atendimento
no local.

A Central conta com intérprete de libras que facilita o contato entre
o munícipe surdo ou com deficiência auditiva presente no local e o
atendente do órgão público, e também pode transmitir as
informações disponíveis pelo serviço 156. O atendimento é
oferecido de segunda a sexta-feira, das 8h às 17h.

O objetivo da SMPED é otimizar o atendimento público à pessoa
surda ou com deficiência auditiva, cumprindo assim o objetivo
estabelecido na Agenda 2012 da Prefeitura de São Paulo, que é
instalar a CELIG em 56 pontos até o final deste ano.

Além das subprefeituras, o serviço também está disponível
no Conselho Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência - CMPD, na Rua
Líbero Badaró, 119 - 3º andar / Centro. Os próximos
pontos da CELIG que entrarão em funcionamento são as Escolas
Municipais de Educação Especial (EMEE) que atendem jovens e
crianças surdas ou com deficiência auditiva. São elas:

- EMEE Anne Sullivan. Rua Rodrigues Paes, 512 / Chácara Santo
Antonio;
- EMEE Mario Pereira Bicudo. Avenida Félix Alves Pereira, s/n -
Jardim Centenário;
- EMEE Madre Lucie Bray. Rua São Geraldo, 236 / Vila Constança;
- EMEE Vera Lucia Aparecida Ribeiro. Rua Benedito Pereira, 206 / Jardim
Líbano;
- EMEE Helen Keller. Endereço: Rua Pedra Azul, 314 / Aclimação.

Ainda deverão ser realizados ajustes técnicos em algumas
subprefeituras, devido ao congestionamento de rede disponível nesses
locais. A conexão da Central de Libras é feita via intranet. Ou
seja, por uma rede interna na Prefeitura que faz a conexão (link) com
os pontos de atendimento. No futuro, será possível agendar um
guia-intérprete para acompanhar surdocegos em órgãos
públicos municipais. Nessa fase ainda não é possível acessar
o serviço via internet.

Sugestões e reclamações:

celig@prefeitura.sp.gov.br <mailto:celig@prefeitura.sp.gov.br>

Secretaria Municipal da Pessoa com Deficiência e Mobilidade Reduzida
(SMPED)
Assessoria de Comunicação e Imprensa
Tel.: (011) 3113-8741 // 8778 // 8767 // 8793 // 8794 // 8741
Cel.: 9951-4983 // 8875-9732
lclopes@prefeitura.sp.gov.br / lincolnsilva@prefeitura.sp.gov.br

Around the world people with disabilities are actively inserting themselves into society and asserting their experience as valid. As I travel i always counsel people with disabilities to market to the travel industry their local knowledge of the built environment, transportations and services systems, and cultural issues.


Below is from the Facebook site of Abha Khetarpal as he addresses disability in an India context:

A lot needs to be done in implementation and getting the basics right for those who are conventionally known as handicaps. We even want to teach and counsel the parents.Informed, supportive parents are better able to make rational decisions for their child.Despite the social, religious, economic, political and geographical differences, most Indians consider disability as part of 'karma of past life'.We need to change this mindset and replace it since this theory can result in inaction. But we want to inculcate a healthier thought process and have to engage in "karma in the present life" instead of cribbing over the "karma of past life". We don't promise to remove the physical barriers but we aim at removing the mental blocks,which prevent us from leading a healthy and satisfying life.

At www.crossthehurdles.com we are providing free counseling services for the disabled.

About the Counselor
I, myself, have been facing such challenges since the age of 3 years i.e. for more than 35 years, as I got afflicted with polio. But I never lost hope and kept a healthy approach towards life. I kept on working hard,continued my studies and now I am financially independent which is the most important part of rehabilitation. So, I think I would be able to relate well to the hardships, which physically challenged people have to face while trying to fit into the environment around them,especially in country like India, where awareness is minimal regarding the counseling needs of such people.

I want to use my knowledge, expertise and personal experience to bring about some relief to my co-sufferers and prevent them from being victimized by irrational thoughts and beliefs.

Abha Khetarpal
Counselor

Sandra Rhodda at Access Tourism NZ has picked up on this story about Sonja Gregory of the Hytte reading the signs of the times - right to the bank - and picking up some professional recognition for seeing the future of Inclusive Tourism:


 Usually self-catering occupancy runs around 55% - The Hytte achieved 87% in the first year and 97% in the second, a success Gregory puts down to positive word of mouth.  The Hytte has received regional and national awards in recognition of their commitment to access for all, including a gold Enjoy England Award in 2009.  

Aeroporto do Galeão disponibiliza vídeo informativo em língua de sinais.


O Aeroporto Internacional do Rio de Janeiro/Galeão - Antônio Carlos Jobim disponibiliza desde o último dia 16 vídeos informativos na Língua Brasileira de Sinais (Libras) para seus usuários.A mensagem - contendo orientações sobre onde o usuário pode buscar informações, é veiculada 24 horas por dia, a cada 30 minutos, em 13 monitores, localizados nos Terminais de Passageiros 1 e 2. O filme também traz legendas em português e inglês.