The general objective of the project "TOURISM INCLUSIVE - Competencies for Care of People with Disabilities" was to conduct a study that may contribute to the achievement of national policy of inclusion of persons with disabilities, particularly in regard to their access to tourism services by: The identification of specific needs of people with disabilities, on the reception - service - service; The identification of skills, in terms of care and service necessary to meet those needs; The construction of a "package" of training aimed at developing these specific skills.
The European network of cities, EUROCITIES, has established a Working Group on Barrier-Free Cities for All. The Group is chaired by Ms. Barbara Berninger, City of Berlin.
For long Vuokatti is known worldwide for its superb sports and leisure facilities. It has been a regular host for all levels of athletes and individuals who enjoy practicing a physical activity in a purely natural and friendly setting. The Elma project is focussed on developing a sustainable, Universally Accessible destination for all.
The Mediate Project aims to establish a common European methodology for measuring accessibility. This will lead to the development of a self-assessment tool that can be used by policy makers to identify areas where upgrading will improve the accessibility of public transport in their city. In this way, Mediate will contribute to the provision of better and easier access for all.
A new European Award for Accessible Cities has been launched by the European Commission, aiming to promote accessibility for people with disabilities in four areas: the built environment and public spaces, transport and related infrastructures, information and communication, including Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), and public facilities and services.
On 23 December 2009 the Confortel Hotels, Almirante, Barcelona Confortel Bel Art and the Confortel Puerta de Triana in Seville, received the Certificate of Accessibility of the Spanish Association for Standardisation and Certification (AENOR), UNE Universal Accessibility 170001-2:2007.
The Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health, organized by WHO/Europe and hosted by Italy, (10 - 12 March 2010) focuses on protecting children's health in a changing environment. But an estimated 345 children across Europe will die from an injury during the three day Ministerial Conference and this will happen despite the fact that we know what works to prevent many of these injuries, writes the European Child Safety Alliance.
Margaret Hodge, Member of Parliament and Minister for Culture, Creative Industries and Sport launched today a leaflet setting out the advantages for businesses of preparing themselves to welcome both domestic and foreign visitors with access needs at the forthcoming London Olympic and Paralympic Games.
TourismSouthEast in the United Kingdom reviews some of the ways in which businesses can invest to make their facilities and services accessible for all. For relatively small costs it is possible to offer accommodation that is suitable for everybody. The podcast offers tips and advice to help businesses tap into the accessible tourism market, worth some 40 billion pounds a year.
American lifestyle magazine, New Mobility, has named Dr. Scott Rains "Person of the Year, 2009". This special recognition goes to Dr. Rains "...for all he does to ensure that people with disabilities can boldly go where everyone else has gone before - and beyond..."! Congratulations, Scott, from the ENAT Members!
EDF considers that the developments of terminology and classification standards are necessary in these areas as a pre-requisite for any future initiative on access to transport and tourism services. Clarifying the definition of disability on one hand, and of accessibility to transport and tourism services on the other, is crucial. EDF underlines the importance of basing all standardisation initiatives on the social model of disability and on a human rights approach.
The Study on the Competitiveness of the EU tourism industry - with specific focus on the accommodation and tour operator & travel agent industries - was commissioned by the Commission and run by Ecorys. Disclaimer : The views and propositions expressed in the study are those of the experts and do not necessarily represent any official view of the European Commission or any other organisations mentioned in the Report.
