HOW TO BE AN ACCESS CHAMPION
THE TIME HAS COME FOR AN INCLUSION REVOLUTION. TO MAKE TRAVEL AS ACCESSIBLE AND INCLUSIVE AS POSSIBLE, TO AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE AND WE, AS THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY, NEED TO LEAD THE CHARGE. FROM CREATING AN ACCESSIBILITY GUIDE OR EMPLOYING A DISABILITY CONSULTANT, TO APPOINTING AN ‘ACCESS CHAMPION’ – THERE ARE A MULTITUDE OF WAYS TRAVEL BUSINESSES CAN IMPROVE THEIR FACILITIES AND MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES TO BECOME MORE WELCOMING, SUITABLE AND FLEXIBLE FOR EVERY VISITOR THROUGH THEIR DOORS.
The WHO estimates that 15% of the global population are currently living with some form of disability - be that physical, intellectual or sensory – contributing over £15.3 billion to the travel industry in the UK alone, every year. Recently, Maudie spoke to Karen Fewell of Access Champ about the challenges that face the disabled traveller, the importance of empathy and how we, as a community of travel professionals, can become agents for change by making simple changes to be more inclusive to every body.
Could you tell us a bit about the story behind AccessChamp?
AccessChamp was created by a hospitality expert, former hotelier and permanent wheelchair user, Arnold Fewell who sadly died in 2019. It’s now run by Arnold’s wife and daughters, Karen and Nicola who saw first-hand the challenges which he faced when visiting hotels, restaurants, pubs and tourist attractions. With his many years as a hotel manager, Arnold knew exactly what it takes to provide outstanding customer service for all and wanted to help other disabled people. He also saw the market opportunity for the hospitality industry if they could improve their customer service and facilities for the disabled market. It only takes one wheelchair user to sell a conference, dinner or wedding and that could lead to an event with hundreds of people. AccessChamp provides face-to-face and easy to digest online training for all levels of hotel and conference staff.
Through your work with Access Champ, do you feel that you’ve come across (or helped to shape) a ‘gold standard’ property when it comes to accessibility and suitability for disabled guests?
Arnold was recognised throughout the hospitality industry for the work he did on accessibility. He spoke at conferences, wrote articles in industry press and was one of the most sought-after experts when it came to improving customer service for disabled guests. One of the venues he was proud to work with was Rudding Park in North Yorkshire. Arnold bumped into managing director, Peter Banks on a train journey back from London and talked to him about his experiences within the industry. It really struck a chord with Peter who went back to the hotel determined to make changes.
Arnold ran AccessChamp training for the hotel’s staff, helped them to introduce Access Champions who could then train others and worked with them to create a range of resources that would help put customers at ease before visiting. This included a video tour of the venue. Not only has Rudding Park become a place where disabled guests are able to feel completely at ease and are well looked after, but it’s gone on to win a number of accessibility awards including the industry’s oscar, The Cateys.
The Cottage in the Dales set in the Yorkshire Dales is another award winner which the AccessChamp team would recommend. The reason these are both so good is down to the leadership within the businesses who have taken the time to learn and understand about different disabilities and access requirements. Another example of a tourist attraction which excels in this area is The Deep in Hull who won the first Arnold Fewell Award in the Blue Badge Access Awards in 2019.
Rudding Park, Harrogate
When it comes to researching a hotel or experience, are there any key questions or points our members should be checking for to ensure their suitability for their disabled clients?
Look to see whether the hotel has an Access Champion as this provides you with a great point of contact to help you plan your visit. The venue should also have an accessibility statement which includes information on the facilities available. If the website is packed with information on accessibility this gives a guest confidence the venue has really thought about their needs. Some hotels, such as Rudding Park, have video tours of the venue so you can picture what it is like before you go. The Deep have some fantastic resources for children with autism to help put them at ease beforehand as they know what to expect.
You can often get a good idea of how suitable a venue is by the questions the staff ask when booking as a hotel who is trained in this area will have a set list of questions to ensure they are able to meet your needs. We would always recommend raising awareness of your access needs at the point of booking, so your visit goes smoothly.
Fear of doing the wrong thing and fear of litigation are often cited as reasons that companies don’t feel they are adequately providing for disabled clients – what would your advice be?
You can remove this fear by learning. Training staff to understand different disabilities and be empathetic is the single most important thing you can do as a business. Not doing anything will frustrate the disabled customer more. Not looking after disabled guests will have an impact on your business revenue as they will look elsewhere for future bookings. Disabled clients often go back to the same venue time and time again if they have been well-looked after and will also recommend it to others.
To help you understand what help a disabled guest may need, ensure your staff take as much information as possible at the point of booking. Empathy is so important and on our training courses we simulate different disabilities, so that staff learn what it feels like. This includes them moving around the building in wheelchairs, wearing ear defenders and using Sim Specs so they learn about different visual impairments. By undertaking training, you will take away that unknown and fear of looking after disabled clients in the future.
In your experience, what are some of the main challenges faced by travellers with invisible disabilities?
There is a lack of empathy from staff and other guests who haven’t been trained to help people with invisible disabilities. It’s an area we cover on our AccessChamp training as we feel it’s one of the most misunderstood areas of accessibility. So many people only think about wheelchair users or those with a visual or hearing impairment when it comes to accessibility. There have been many heart-breaking stories of people with learning difficulties or conditions such as autism being challenged for parking in disabled bays or people with Crohn’s disease being accused of incorrectly using an accessible toilet. It can cause embarrassment to a disabled person and even put them off travelling or visiting hospitality venues.
There are many specialist holiday providers for people with a wide range of mobility restrictions and disabilities, however, in your opinion, what would be some of the initial steps that a non-specialist company could take to educate themselves on the needs of disabled guests?
Staff training is absolutely number one and you should look at your venue through the eyes of people with different disabilities. Imagine what it is like to arrive at your reception desk in a wheelchair. Is it at the right height for a person to be able to talk to you easily? If it is too high, a trained member of staff would move from behind the counter to do the check-in process somewhere more comfortable.
Imagine what it is like to realise you can’t get into a family wedding as the right questions weren’t asked at booking. Think about how someone with a visual impairment would feel walking down a badly lit corridor. Consider the impact on someone with a visual impairment falling over items left out by housekeeping. Picture how frightened a guest would feel after slipping on the bathroom floor only to discover the red cord to call for help had been tied up by housekeeping when cleaning. These are sadly all stories that happen so easily when staff members aren’t trained to be empathetic and consider the needs of the accessible market.
What additional challenges are disabled travellers facing in the face of COVID-19?
COVID-19 has led to increased anxiety for many people but even more so for disabled guests, many of whom may be venturing out for the first-time post-pandemic. Some guests will have had to shield due to additional health complications and won’t be used to the new ways of the world. Mask wearing makes it impossible for those who rely on being able to lip read to communicate. Many guests will feel a lack of control when in a crowd as in a wheelchair it is harder to social distance. On the flipside, people may also feel more nervous about coming to the aid of a disabled guest due to wanting to keep their own social distance. Again, this comes down to the importance of empathy and fully understanding the needs of each guest. A traveller who has always been confident when using your venue may have additional needs and requirements now and may feel anxious, so make sure you are aware of this and adapting your service to suit them. Don’t assume someone who was fine on their last visit will be OK this time.
Are there any great blogs or resources you could recommend to our members to help them understand more about the challenges faced by disabled travellers and those doing great things to provide solutions?
There is lots of information online so take time to read and understand what life is like as a disabled traveller as this is the quickest way to learn and build empathy. One blog we would recommend reading is by Carrie-Anne Lightly who is a judge of the Accessible Catey. VisitEngland also have a huge range of resources including templates you can adapt for your own business.
To find out more about Access Champ or to arrange a consultation, please visit accesschamp.co.uk
