Too frequently, disabled individuals in the UK are told that accommodations and attractions are ‘fully accessible,’ only to later discover that they lack essential features. Take, for example, the experience of journalist and advocate Frances Ryan. When trying to book a trip to Dorset in 2014, she discovered that the supposedly ‘accessible’ hotel she wished to stay in lacked an accessible spa, pool, and lift. Part of the restaurant was inaccessible to wheelchair users and much of the facility was outfitted with only the bare minimum of ramps and half steps for disabled individuals.
‘That none of this will be a particular shock to anyone who is disabled, or who has friends or family with a disability, says something about how normalised lack of disabled access is,’ says Ryan. ‘Whether that’s taking as standard the ring-round of 10 hotels before you stumble upon one that’s accessible, or resigning yourself to pulling out of plans with friends because the destination makes going physically impossible.’
Fortunately, for people like Ryan, there is a ray of hope on the horizon: Last year, Visit England (the national tourist board) unveiled a new Access For All project. This campaign aims to improve the level of access provided by hotels and tourist attractions across England. A variety of different noteworthy locations, including the Lincoln Cathedral, the Galleries of Justice, the East Lodge Country House Hotel in the Peak District, the Vindolanda Roman Fort, and Chatsworth House in Derbyshire have already committed to providing more access ramps, half steps for disabled individuals, and other accessibility features.
The Brighton & Hove Bus and Coach company has also decided to get on board with the project. In order to make sure that wheelchair users have transit to and from tourist locations, the coach service is currently outfitting its entire fleet with wheelchair access. Additionally, in the event that the ramps and half steps for disabled individuals provided are insufficient, the coach service has a wheelchair taxi guarantee. It’s even experimenting with hearing loop systems.
However, as Ryan explains, there is still much work to be done in the UK where accessibility is concerned. ‘Let’s not understate the scale of the problem,’ she says. ‘Britain… is still routinely blocked off from disabled people. This is not isolated to trips away. Many of us have the indignity of being unable to get around the country we call home.’ Backing up Ryan’s claims, a 2014 audit of Britain’s High Streets discovered that literally thousands of venues (including fully 1/5th of all shops in the UK) still lack basic accessibility features like access ramps, hearing loops, and half steps for disabled people.
Ryan and other disabled individuals hope that even if ethical concerns don’t motivate more businesses to join in programs like Access For All, economic factors will. Not only are there already 12 million disabled people in Britain (with approximately £200bn in combined spending power), with the population rapidly aging, this figure is expected to climb exponentially over the coming decades. Tourist attractions, shops, restaurants, and other businesses that fail to tap into this market are ignoring an incredible opportunity for growth. When access for disabled individuals is increased, the nation as a whole will benefit.