Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/37469
ety its not a one size fits all. Typically we think of a disabled person as someone who has lost a limb, is blind, deaf or has a disorder such as cerebral palsy—his or her physical impairments are obvious. Yet there are others who are productive, functioning members of society who, for a few adjustments in their workspace or in their per- sonal lives are also considered disabled. This might include someone who is slightly hearing or sight impaired, someone with medical dependencies, asthmas sufferers, diabetics or a person with a learning disability that while not severe impedes their ability to function nor- mally. While it’s next to impossible to anticipate the needs of all disabled, especially those without obvious physical impairments, the tourism and hospitality industry is primarily a service industry and we must be ready to accommodate anyone who walks through those doors. The intangibles mentioned earlier — attitude, awareness, training — bears repeating if an organizations is going to have success in the disabled marketplace. It’s not enough to put wheelchair ramps in hotels or on public transportation, or have specially designed hotel rooms set aside for wheelchair bound guests who might need a grab bar in their bathroom. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires large hotels to accommodate their disabled guest in a variety of ways, like having visu- al alert devices to help hearing impaired guests recognize things like the phone ringing, alarm clocks, knocks at the door and fire alarms, in addition to Telecommunications Devices for the Deaf (TDD) and closed-captioning television sets. By and large Nayar says the hotel industry has done a good job cre- ating the physical environment to service the physically disabled. But without those intangible assets in place none of the physical environment matters much. Not only is that a waste of investment capital, as the supplier you’ve lost a customer for life. That lost cus- tomer bleeds over to your able-bodied customers as well. One segment within the tourism and hospitality industry that’s performing exceedingly well according to Nayar is the cruise line industry. A few years ago, the larger ships had four or five rooms avail- able for physically handicapped travelers. Today, those larger ships have 25 or more rooms available. Twelve percent of disabled Americans have taken a cruise, which depending on the study is at or above the national average for all trav- elers. Cruise ships are convenient for those with limited mobility. There are no ground transportation issues to deal with and many of today’s modern ships allow easy access to pool areas, restaurants, the- aters and casinos — in others words they get to enjoy the same serv- ices as any able-bodied passenger. While the cruise line industry should be lauded for their growth and understanding of the disabled marketplace ground transportation remains a major problem with the exception of Amtrak. Amtrak reported year over year sales gains for disabled travelers of $19 mil- lion back in 2009, because they made life easier for their special needs passengers. Nayar points to taxi service in New York City as one example of an area that needs serious improvement. There are approximately 375 taxis out of 12,000 that are disabled accessible and reaching them is not easy. And if a passenger is lucky enough to locate one, they are charged limousine rates. For the airline industry treatment of the disabled is a mixed bag. While complaints by the disabled as compared to complaints of lost luggage or flight delays are relatively low, we are dealing with lives here not time or property. Earlier this year the U.S. Department of Transportation slapped Delta with a record $2 million fine for what the agency termed “egre- gious” violations that included deliberately breaking the rules meant to make flying easier for disabled passengers. Here’s a short list of just some violations reported against Delta — they left a blind woman alone in a wheelchair on a moving walkway, an 81-year-old passenger spent the night sleeping in a wheel chair because Delta failed to bring him to a hotel after a flight was cancelled, an elderly couple missed an international flight because Delta left them sitting in their wheel chair while the plane was boarding. Another passenger was refused boarding because they would not allow her to bring her medical equipment on board, which included a ventilator so she could breathe. To be fair, Delta was one of 11 airlines fined for the treatment of disabled passengers since 2008. Some of those fines reached $600,000. Here are a few tips about the disabled or special needs travelers that may help in how you market to them or service their needs according to Nayar. First, disabled passengers usually avoid travel during high season. They prefer to stay away from crowds to make it easier for them to get around. Sounds like a good way to supplement revenues during slow periods and Nayar says they typically stay longer than the tradi- tional passenger. Next, ask your potential guest or client what they can and cannot perform. If the special needs person can’t answer those questions ask their traveling companion. For example, a person with muscular dys- trophy has to be lifted out of their wheel chair into a seat whereas a person with multiple sclerosis can slide into a seat. Like the rest of us in society, the disabled don’t like being treated as something less than human. Where possible, and in most cases it’s possible, greet your guest or engage them as you would any other cus- tomer. Look them in the eye and speak directly to them. It’s your atti- tude that will have the most sway in their satisfaction and whether they refer other business your way. There are people with severe food allergies, especially peanuts that fit the definition of special needs or disabled. You don’t want to watch a person go into anaphylactic shock at 30,000 feet, feed someone with severe food allergies a peanut-based food production or one cooked in peanut oil. The disabled are encouraged to use travel agents who specialize in disability travel — market to those agents. Like any other agent who specializes in a certain segment of this industry, these agents have con- nections that make life easier and know the pitfalls of travel to certain destinations. Many of these agents are listed on Seth’s website at www.sath.org under resources. Another way to target this audience according to Nayar is to advertise on websites or in magazines of the local or national asso- ciations that service a particular segment of the disabled. The National Association of the Deaf has multiple ways to reach their members and those they serve. Virtually every disability has a sepa- rate organization. Remember, those of us in the able-bodied community are one slip or fall away from joining the ranks of the disabled. How would you want to be treated if the shoe were on the other foot? Black Meetings & Tourism July/August 2011: www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 31