Many Europeans with disabilities are unable to participate in important areas of society, simply because policies and the built environment are not designed to meet their requirements. Moreover, with the number of elderly people rapidly increasing, European societies will have to accommodate more and more disabled citizens in the future. This book invites member states to: promote full participation in community life by ensuring access to all areas of society, including the built environment, transport, products and goods, information, public service, education, employment and health care; implement Universal Design as a strategy to ensure equal and democratic rights in society for all individuals, regardless of age, abilities or cultural background, including persons with disabilities.
Council of Europe Action Plan to promote the rights and full participation of people with disabilities in society: improving the quality of life of people with disabilities in Europe, 2006-2015.
The UK's Disability Discrimination Act has been in force since 1995, with enforcement measures fully implemented since 2004. This article looks at where we are now as a country offering accessible tourism, what more needs to be done and the opportunities that exist, especially in view of hosting the Olympics and Paralympics in 2012. It also outlines the role of a new project – Open Britain – being launched in July 2009 by Tourism for All UK and disability charity RADAR.
The ETCAATS project has two main aims: 1). to develop an online training course in accessible tourism from existing innovative content selected from previous Swedish work and supplemented with other international training materials; and 2). to develop a ‘Road map’ for an EU certification system for the area of accessible tourism vocational training, in line with the European Qualifications Framework. The target groups for the course include employers and personnel in the tourism industry.
The project aims to create new learning packages for on-line delivery, promote ’The Accessible City’ concept and improve the skills, knowledge and awareness of companies and employees associated with the tourism sector.
The main goal of the ATHENA project is the creation of conditions and tools for human resources development and employment in the accessible tourism sector in the Czech Republic. This will be achieved by transnational cooperation with ENAT and exchange of experience and good practice with European countries.
Over 30 of the presentations and speeches given at the 2nd ENAT International Congress in Vienna are now available for downloading. They include keynote addresses, workshop reports and case studies from many countries on a variety of subjects.
In the run-up to the ENAT International Congress in Vienna, the ENAT Board announces its "Code of Good Conduct" commitment label for accessible tourism. Members attending the Congress will be able to sign-up and receive their certificates personally from ENAT President, Lilian Müller, on 1st October.
ENAT and GAATES are pleased to announce the signature of a Memorandum of Understanding. The agreement will pave the way to closer cooperation in the promotion of policies and implementation of projects to enhance the social, economic and cultural participation of people with disabilities and older persons around the globe.
Scandic has become the first hotel chain to gather all its information for guests with special needs in one place. Every hotel’s homepage now provides answers to the 80 most common questions.
