Tag: disabled people

Handiscover: 2 in 3 disabled people in Scotland say hotels do not meet accessibility needs


New European-wide research by Handiscover indicates that almost two thirds (62%) of disabled people in Scotland say that Hotels in which they have stayed have not met their accessibility needs.

Handiscover, a leading accessibility and disability data organisation, is now calling on the Hotel industry to prepare for a travel restart post-Covid adapted to all travellers, by improving their accessibility or accessibility information, something which is much needed, according to the survey.

Moreover, over half (52%) of those surveyed said that they did not have all accessibility information before they visited.

It’s thought that more than 14 million people in the UK live with a long term illness or disability requiring specific accessibility needs, highlighting the importance of this research for the hotel and hospitality industry.

Handiscover believes that if accessibility, accessibility information and greater training was in place across the travel industry, the EU economy could benefit by up to 25% against current level – that’s almost 196 Billion Euros.

To help businesses, Handiscover has now developed and released an industry leading ‘Accessibility Standard’ for Hotels which it provides free of charge to help hotels start working on their accessibility on their own.

Businesses needing help to improve accessibility can sign up for Handiscover’s Accessibility Management Program. The program includes accessibility data management and assessment, marketing expertise to help communicate accessibility to customers, and Accessibility & Disability Education to help the hotel industry recover in a post COVID world.

Magnus Berglund, Accessibility Director at Handiscover. said: “Improving accessibility in the hotel industry is not just a ‘nice’ thing to do, it is the ‘right’ thing to do and can generate huge increases in revenue for properties!

“The Handiscover Accessibility Management Program exists to help hotels, and other businesses, work with and improve accessibility in an easy way to the benefit of the day-to-day lives of millions of people who live with a disability.”

Sebastien Archambeaud CEO Handiscover added: “Ever since we launched Handiscover, our aim has simply been to use accessibility data to make booking accommodation easier for those with disabilities.

“We now want to take the knowledge and experience we have working with those with accessibility needs and help hotels and accommodation providers improve accessibility and knowledge.

“We want to let businesses know that improving accessibility is not a cost burden, but a means to actually improve business by catering to more customers”.

The research from Handiscover.com also revealed that 58% of the disabled population who required assistance say that staff at Hotels were not as knowledgeable about accessibility needs as they could have been – thus demonstrating the importance of accessibility training and education among staff, not just at hotels, but across industries.

Building a fairer Scotland for disabled people

Action plan will tackle inequality and advance disabled people’s human rights

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A disability action plan – containing more than fifty commitments to ensure Scotland leads the way on the rights of disabled people – has been launched.

The delivery plan for 2016-2020 has been drafted in consultation with disabled people and will help Scotland meet the requirements of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Launching the extensive plan at a meeting of the Equality and Human Rights Commission in Glasgow yesterday, Communities Minister Marco Biagi said:

“This Government is committed to equality and we want to make sure that disabled people enjoy the same human rights as non-disabled people. Over the last few years we have made good progress but there is still a long way to go and with more than 50 commitments ranging from education and health to transport we are confident that this plan will go a long way in making life for disabled people in Scotland fairer.

“At a time when the UK Government is undermining the human rights of disabled people with its programme of austerity and welfare cuts, we are committed to furthering their rights and engaging a wider section of the population in the debate. We firmly believe that disabled people’s rights are human rights, and that human rights must apply to everyone.

“I would encourage everyone to consider our draft delivery plan carefully and respond to the consultation document so that together we can make this the strongest plan of action for disabled people across these islands.

“We want to work with disabled people over the months and years ahead, to remove disabling barriers and enable them to enjoy equal access to full citizenship, so that they can maximise their potential and add to the success and prosperity of our country.

Welcoming the Scottish Government’s plan, Dr Jim Elder-Woodward OBE, Independent Chair of the Scottish Independent Living Coalition said:

“This is a good starting point towards building a Fairer Scotland for all disabled people. There is a great deal more to do, by Government and by others, to ensure that we enjoy the same rights to full and equal citizenship that other people take for granted. As disabled people we know best the changes needed to remove the disabling barriers we experience.

“We welcome these draft commitments and urge disabled people to seize this opportunity to have their say and to share with the Scottish Government what needs to happen to make the rights we have on paper the reality we experience every day.”

COSLA have also launched a local government disability plan alongside the Scottish Government’s plan and their spokesperson for Health and Wellbeing.

Councillor Peter Johnston, said: “Local Government is committed to improving outcomes for disabled people in Scotland. We have an important role to play in enabling disabled people to participate fully in daily and public life, as equal citizens. The breadth of our responsibilities also means that we are in a unique position to further meet the rights of disabled people in a variety of ways.

“We have actively worked with the Scottish Government and the third sector disabled people’s organisations to develop the ‘UNCRPD – The Local Government Delivery Plan’ through partnership and consensus and for this to complement the Scottish Government’s National Delivery Plan. I am delighted that it is being published today and hope that it is warmly welcomed by disabled people.”

Independent Living in Scotland (ILiS) has produced a resource pack for disabled people, their organisations and others to help them respond to the consultations.

Resource Pack for UNCRPD consultations:

For further information on the UNCRPD:

 http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/your-rights/human-rights/human-rights-guidance/guide-un-disability-convention

To respond to the consultation on The Scottish Government’s Draft Delivery Plan 2016-2020 visit

https://consult.scotland.gov.uk/equality-unit/rights-of-persons-with-disabilities