Although the Paralympic Games were a great success, research conducted by the Tourism For All charity and Adapted Vehicle Hire, the biggest vehicle rental supplier for disabled motorists, found that 86% of disabled people think the UK still doesn’t provide sufficient information about access and facilities for them. It also found that 87% were prevented from travelling due to their disability, while 77% consider disability access to be essential when they plan their holiday.

Transport for London says it invested hundreds of millions into making the British capital’s transport system more accessible prior to the Paralympics, and that showed. The city was identified in the recent study as having the best access and facilities in the UK. Despite the improvements, the London Underground is where disabled travellers feel more can be done. However, the nation’s train stations and airports also didn’t fare so well in the poll, as the respondents claim more should be done to make them accessible for everyone.

Among the bad news was something encouraging, though. More than 92% of respondents thought accessibility has improved overall over the last decade, while 28% thought access has gotten much better. Cornwall and Devon were found to be the most popular holiday destinations among disabled travellers. Several venues around the country have been praised for the efforts to accommodate disabled people, including: the Eden Project in Cornwall, Science Museum in London, National Space Centre in Leicester, Giant’s Causeway Visitor Centre in County Antrim, and Great North Museum in Newcastle.

Tourism For All information officer Carrie-Ann Lightley says that they have campaigned to improve the variety of travel means and facilities for disabled people over the last three decades. They view tourism as important to everyone, and they support the aim of the government to make tourism in the UK the most accessible in Europe. They are happy to see that most people feel access and facilities have improved over the last decade, but there are big differences throughout the country. Access to some historic and rural sites will present more of a challenge, but airports and train stations have scope for much improvement to meet the needs of disabled travellers better.

Adapted Vehicle Hire managing director Lorraine Farnon says that their survey results clearly show that more needs to be done to make travel more accessible for disabled people, despite the gradual progress made. After a great success with the Paralympic Games, which brought disability issues to the surface, there’s an opportunity now to make real improvements throughout the UK.

This follows leading charities saying at the end of last month that airlines and rail operators still aren’t sufficiently equipped to accommodate disabled travellers. Leonard Cheshire Disability head of policy and campaigns Guy Parckar says that there’s plenty room for improvement despite the big progress made over recent years. Accessible hotels are often rendered inaccessible because workers aren’t trained. They heard of a hotel guest who was turned away due to his guide dog. They also want hotels to look beyond the provision of level access and think about other features – like hoists to cater to several disabilities.

Parckar added that the bus network in London is very good, but they still hear that ramps don’t work or drivers refuse to stop for people in wheelchairs. Facilities on trains are improving, but stations still need a lot of work. Sometimes staff isn’t able to offer assistance with simple needs – such as handling a wheelchair.

Source: carrentals.co.uk

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