The Singapore Building and Construction Authority's (BCA's)Friendly Built Environment Portal was first developed with our local users in mind, to serve as a one-stop portal for information on universal design and accessibility to cater to the special needs of different user groups. We are in the midst of enhancing this portal and will take on board feedback of users to further improve it.
The first international certification programme for accessible tourism destinations has been developed and carried out in Lousã, Portugal by the Belgian Accessibility Office, Toegangelijkheidsbureau (TGB). The Certification Programme is a completely new destination management tool which provides an accurate measure of the excellence of an accessible tourism destination, based on strictly defined criteria.
The Norwegian Design Council is behind a new Norwegian prize to reward innovative, accessible and user-friendly solutions. Scandic Oslo Airport won the category "Furniture and Interiors" and was thus automatically nominated for the Innovation Award for Universal Design. In November 2011 Scandic Oslo Airport won by the main prize - the Innovation Award.
Order these two new textbooks on Accessible Tourism from Channel View Publications and make great savings, thanks to this deal arranged with ENAT. The offer closes on 31 January 2012.
Eight cities have been shortlisted for the prestigious European Access City Award 2012. With 114 entries from 23 EU countries, the jurors had a challenging task identifying the finalists.
Co-hosted by the Rick Hansen Foundation and the Rick Hansen Institute, Interdependence 2012 is an international four-day conference and exposition with a focus on creating accessible communities and furthering spinal cord injury (SCI) research for a cure. Abstracts are now invited for presentations in the theme session on "Making Communities Accessible for All". The two sub-themes are "Accessible and Inclusive Tourism" and "UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities".
VisitEngland, the national tourist board, has launched a new version of the Access Statement Online Tool, aimed at helping businesses cater for visitors with access needs. This new version is specifically tailored for pubs and has been created in partnership with the British Beer and Pub Association (BBPA).
MONTRÉAL, QUEBEC. The Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec announces that the organization Kéroul has been granted $50,000 in non-repayable funding for the implementation of its commercialization plan for The Accessible Road for 2011-2012.
Scandic, the Sweden-based hotel group, is intensifying its successful focus on improved accessibility. This year, over 100 new disabled rooms will be added to the portfolio and 2012 there will be even more to meet the large and growing demand. More and more companies and organisations seek rooms and conference facilities that are accessible to all.
Projects to improve the accessibility of the Algarve for visitors and residents with restricted mobility continue to be put in place – but the changes being made to make the region accessible for all are not being put in place fast enough according to industry experts.
A visit to a museum, whether of art, local history or technology, is just as worthwhile for the blind and partially sighted as it is for visitors without visual impairments. In order to make it easier for the blind and partially sighted to visit museums and exhibitions autonomously, the Coordination Unit on Tourism of the German Federation of the Blind and Partially Sighted (Reg. Ass.) took the public discussion on this topic into consideration and then proceeded to make the following recommendations at its annual conference in Essen in 2010.
"All-In: Accessible holiday accommodations in Flanders and Brussels" presents more than 100 holiday centres, hotels, youth accommodations and campgrounds that have received the accessibility label A (basic accessibility) or A+ (comfortable accessibility) following an objective investigation.