How we make sure tourism is easy for everyone to enjoy
The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
The DDA (2005) places duties on the providers of goods, services and facilities. It states that providers:
- must not discriminate against people with disabilities
- must take reasonable steps to make their facilities accessible to disabled people
Access Guides
The Accessibility Guide is an essential way for potential customers to see information about your venue and make an informed decision – by providing all information in one handy, easy to read guide. This, in turn, increases your ability to market yourself effectively to this huge market.
While information regarding accessibility may exist on your website, this may be more basic, spread out and difficult to compare than this new improved format.
Providing an Accessibility Guide may mean a small degree of duplication between the information on your website and the guide, including photos. But the Accessibility Guide only needs to include information regarding accessibility rather than general facilities.
To help you write the guide, you can find examples on the dedicated Visit England microsite.
National Accessibility Scheme (NAS)
The NAS was developed following a review with tourism providers, guests and organisational bodies representing people with disabilities.
The scheme:
- provides a set of standards that are used to assess an establishment for their accessibility
- awards establishments a rating (depending on how accessible they are)
Find out more on the Visit England website.
Training Courses
There are training courses available to enhance your knowledge. You can learn about being more accessible, and learn how to provide a great service to customers with disabilities.
The Welcome All training course is a good example.
Find out more on the Welcome All website.