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Obama on Amerca's #1 service export - tourism. How will it be accessible and inclusive? Bill Forrester has one answer below.

Slowly, slowly, very slowly the imperative of Universal Design as urban planning is trickling into US thought. Here John Lorinc helps the process along:

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When he worked as the parks commissioner in Bogotá, Gil Penalosa helped trigger a quality of urban life revolution of sorts by promoting car-free Sundays - "ciclovias" -- on hundreds of kilometers of the streets around the Colombian capital. As this video shows, over 1.3 million residents each week would take to their bikes or participate in festivals and activities throughout Bogotá. In so doing, they boosted both their enjoyment of the city and their own fitness levels, thus creating a lively, low-emission sense of community for people from all walks of life, so to speak. 

In his current gig as the executive director of Toronto-based 8-80 Cities, Penalosa travels the world with a trenchant question that arose out of those experiences: how do we create cities in which both 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds can move about safely and enjoyably? "We have to stop building cities as if everyone is 30 years-old and athletic," he says.

His 8 to 80 litmus test involves imagining a public space, but especially a busy city street or intersection, and asking whether it is suitable for young and old alike. In all too many locations - signalized crossings on wide suburban arterials, narrow bike lanes, over-taxed sidewalks, etc. - the answer will be no.

By way of solutions, Penalosa's group has advised cities like Seville and Guadalajara on the importance of more accessible surface transit, improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure, and more programmable park space.

But in many aging societies, where the proportion of seniors will grow as much as four-fold over the next two decades, public space improvements alone won't make large urban areas, especially car-dependent suburbs, more suitable to the needs of older residents. Indeed, one of the most difficult questions facing urban areas is how they will go about making themselves more age-friendly.

Accessibility is obviously a big piece of the puzzle. In Japan, where the aging curve is further along, planning officials and architects have promoted "universal design" principles that can be found in such amenities as multi-generational housing meant to address the shortage of caregivers.

Read more:

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/design/2012/01/8-80-problem-designing-cities-young-and-old/959/

O Programa Praia Acessivel do Estado de São Paulo:

Photo of the Presidents of Fundación ONCE, UNWTO and ENAT at the signing.

The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the ONCE Foundation for Cooperation and Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities and the European Network for Accessible Tourism (ENAT) have signed a Cooperation Agreement aimed at developing ever more accessible tourism for persons with disabilities (Madrid, Spain, 16 September).

"The facilitation of tourist travel for persons with disabilities is a central part of responsible and sustainable tourism," said UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai. "Over 600 million people worldwide suffer from some form of disability and it is the duty of every one of us to help ensure that they enjoy equal access to travel and tourism".

The Executive Vice President of the ONCE Foundation, Mr. Alberto Duran López, stressed the importance of counting on the support of UNWTO. "We are happy to work with UNWTO and ENAT and trust this partnership will significantly advance equal opportunities and rights for persons with disabilities," he said.

The President of ENAT, Ms. Lilian Müller, expressed the hope to "bring a greater awareness of 'Accessible Tourism for All' among UNWTO members and to provide them with new tools and resources so that they can make effective progress in this growing field of tourism".

Aimed at enabling universal access to tourism facilities and services, the Agreement entails a series of initiatives, including awareness-raising, technical support, indicators and training in the field of accessibility to National Tourism Administrations and tourism enterprises. The trilateral accord also involves the promotion of traineeships for young persons with disabilities, with a view towards their integration in the labour market. It further encompasses the funding of pilot projects in destinations, involving the application of new technologies, to facilitate the participation of persons with disabilities in tourism and leisure-related activities.

Signed in Madrid by Mr. Rifai, Mr. López, and Ms. Müller, the Cooperation Agreement builds on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (30 March 2007), and the UNWTO Resolution on Accessible Tourism for All, adopted by the UNWTO General Assembly in 2005 and prepared in collaboration with the ONCE Foundation.

Relevant links:
Photos of the signing:http://www.flickr.com/photos/unwto/sets/72157627581468573/ 
UNWTO Ethics and Social Dimensions of Tourism Programme:http://ethics.unwto.org/en 
ONCE Foundation: http://www.fundaciononce.es/EN/Pages/Portada.aspx 
ENAT: http://www.accessibletourism.org

While the US Department of Justice has been garnering headlines over the last year for adoption of the new 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design, the 

2012 International Building Code has quietly come on the scene as The new accessibility standard. In many ways, the new 2012 IBC may have far more reach for making recreation facilities accessible. For the first time in the IBC history, the model code includes technical provisions for recreation facilities.   

 

According to International Code Council Senior Staff Architect, Kim Paarlberg, "Recreational scoping requirements (i.e., what, where and how many) have been in the IBC since its inception in 2000. What is new is that the technical criteria (i.e., how to) provide access to specific recreational facilities (i.e., pools, playgrounds, etc.) has been added." This means that any new construction or renovation of existing recreation facilities are now required to be accessible  where state and local code authorities reference the 2012 International Building Code (in addition to the DOJ 201 ADA Standards). While the 2010 ADA Standards are only part of a civil rights law that requires a complaint to be filed for enforcement to ensue, accessibility as part of a model building code would fall to enforcement by local building code officials. In reality, any entity required by the local authority to gain a building permit, have drawings reviewed, or be inspected prior to occupancy would have to follow the accessibility requirements for recreation facilities set forth in the 2012 IBC. As a result, a local building code official might also be inspecting a new golf course, sports field, fitness center, amusement park, swimming pool or playground for compliance with the accessibility requirements of the 2012 IBC.

 

Enveloping the revisions from the ADA accessibility guidelines into the IBC is yet one more step the International Code Council and US Access Board have taken to achieve harmonization between the two standard-writing agencies. Paarlberg works closely with the Access Board to continually track areas requiring revision and clarification between the two documents. Paarlberg further comments on the advantage of the ADA accessibility standards combined into the 2012 IBC, "DOJ has limited staff and resources to enforce ADA compliance. Code officials see plans before the project is even started, and are inspecting during construction. This is a more cost effective time to make corrections rather than after construction is completed."

 

   The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), in its ongoing effort to ensure equal access to air transportation for all travelers, today proposed a regulation that would require airlines to make their websites accessible to individuals with disabilities and ensure that their ticket agents do the same.  DOT also proposed that airlines make automated airport kiosks at U.S. airports accessible to passengers with disabilities. U.S. airports that jointly own, lease or control such kiosks with airlines would also have responsibility for ensuring the accessibility of automated airport kiosks. 
                
"I strongly believe that airline passengers with disabilities should have equal access to the same services as all other travelers," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.  "The Department of Transportation is committed to ensuring that airline passengers are treated fairly, and today's action is part of that effort."

                Under the proposed rule, airlines would be required to make their websites accessible to persons with disabilities over a two-year period.  Websites would be required to meet the standards for accessibility contained in the widely accepted Website Content Accessibility Guidelines.  The requirement would apply to U.S. and foreign carriers with websites marketing air transportation to U.S. consumers for travel within, to or from the United States.  Small ticket agents would be exempt from the requirement to have accessible websites. 
                
In addition, airlines and airports that use automated kiosks for services such as printing boarding passes and baggage tags would have to ensure that any kiosk ordered 60 days after the rule takes effect is accessible.  Standards for accessibility would be based on standards for automated transaction machines set by the Department of Justice in its 2010 Americans with Disabilities Act rule.  This requirement would apply to U.S. and foreign carriers and U.S. airports that own, lease or control automated airport kiosks at U.S. airports with 10,000 or more annual boardings.  The proposal asks for comment on the cost and feasibility of retrofitting existing kiosks to make them accessible.

                This proposal is the latest in a series of DOT rulemakings to implement the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).  In the ACAA rule issued in May 2008, DOT required carriers, among other things, to make discounts available to passengers with disabilities who cannot use inaccessible web sites and therefore must make telephone or in-person reservations. Also, if passengers with disabilities are unable to use the kiosk because it is not accessible, carriers are required to provide equivalent service, such as having an airline employee assist in operating the kiosk.  However, these provisions do not give passengers with disabilities, especially those with visual and mobility impairments, independent access to the websites and kiosks, and in this final rule the Department committed to exploring how to make websites and kiosks accessible.
                
Comments on the proposal are due within 60 days of publication in the Federal Register.  The proposal is available on the Internet at www.regulations.gov, docket DOT-OST-2011-0177.  In addition, the Department has partnered with Cornell University's eRulemaking Initiative (CeRI), Regulation Room, designed to improve the public's ability to understand and participate in this rulemaking process. A goal of the CeRI team is to make Regulation Room as accessible to as many users as possible.  This partnership supports President Obama's open-government initiative.  People wanting to discuss and learn about this proposed rule should go to www.regulationroom.org.

From Mena.com:

During the month of September, legislative developments focused on providing economic opportunities to Americans through the recently proposed the American Jobs Act [H.R. 12].  Among other things, the bill promotes the expansion of broadband Internet into less accessible regions of the country.  In particular, rural Americans, including people with disabilities, may benefit from this provision if passed into law. 
Regarding regulation, various government agencies worked during the month of September to enhance technology access by people with disabilities.  The Department of Transportation is implementing new rules to make air travel more accessible for people with disabilities.  Websites and ticketing kiosks will now be mandated to be accessible to people with disabilities.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) continues to focus on the Next Generation 911 (NG 911) framework.  Of immediate concern are different forms of emergency communications, such as photos and video.  These may be more fully utilized.  Given that Americans with disabilities frequently rely on alternate means of communication, the FCC's attention to this issue is particularly notable.  Finally, there was a general move this past month to expand communications into rural areas. 
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) has approved funding for the Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Wireless Technologies (Wireless RERC) until 2016.  Based at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Shepherd Center in Atlanta, the Wireless RERC will continue to work in areas such as NG 911, as well as conduct research into policies that promote accessible wireless technologies and services.  There will also be an expansion into accessible app development.  Thank you to all those in government, industry, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners who supported us and continue to show support for the Wireless RERC's ongoing projects.  

_____________________________________

John Morris, Ph.D.

Manifesto text

Manifesto for the Promotion of Accessible Tourism
Putting into effect art. 30 of UN Convention concerning disabled people
rights ratified by Law n.18 of 24/2/09

1. People in the most complete meaning of the term, with their specific needs resulting from personal and health conditions (for example: motor, sensory, intellectual disabilities, food intolerances, etc.), are citizens and customers who have the right to autonomously make good use of all the tourist services on offer, being supplied with suitable services with a just quality/price ratio.

2. Accessibility involves the whole tourist service chain, both at national and local level, starting with:
   a. Transport network;
   b. Accommodation capacity;
   c. Restaurants and cafés;
   d. Culture, leisure and sports.

3. Location accessibility shall not be the decisive factor when planning holidays: it should be possible to choose a destination or a tourist facility because it is where we want to go and not because it is the only accessible one.

4. It is necessary to think of accessibility as access to life experiences, that is overcoming the concept of "standard", enhancing the value of the person/customer, who has specific needs.

5. Information about accessibility cannot be reduced to a mere symbol, but has to be objective, detailed and guaranteed, to allow each person to certainly evaluate by himself which tourist facilities and services are able to meet his specific needs.

6. It is necessary to promote positive communication, avoiding the use of discriminating words. It has to be distributed in formats that everybody can use, and through all tourist information and promotion channels.

7. As accessibility does not concern only structural and infrastructural aspects, but also the services offered to tourists, it is necessary to promote quality reception for everybody, that is to encourage a cultural change, that can result in changes in organization and management models, even before structural ones.

8. It is necessary to encourage skill and professional training, based on Universal Design principles and involving the whole tourist and technical professional profile chain: managers, employees, companies, public and private enterprises. It is also necessary to update curricula in all Schools for Tourism, Technical Schools, Universities, Masters and Academic Centres of all grades.

9. Local Authorities, according to their competences and functions, shall implement the accessibility of towns, public buildings and local transports, and shall also plan periodical control and promotion operations for tourist offers for everyone.

10. In order to implement and promote accessible tourism in a system logic, proactive collaboration among tourist Operators, Local Authorities, Public Bodies, disabled people Associations and social tourism Organizations is encouraged.