Access Tourism NZ TOURISM FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, SENIORS, AND AGEING BOOMERS IN NEW ZEALAND AND WORLDWIDE

The WiderNet Project’s Global Disability Rights Library (GDRL) serve people with disabilities in developing countries who lack adequate Internet access.  It is supported by the US Agency for International Development (USAID). In collaboration with the United States International Council on Disability (USICD) the GDRL brings a wealth of global information to disabilities organizations, disability rights advocates, and policymakers. Millions of people around the world will find it easier to access hundreds of thousands of educational and organizational resources on disability rights, whether or not they have access to the Internet. The library’s collection includes resources such as information on independent living, advocacy, education, transportation, public policy, employment, vocational rehabilitation, and other topics.

The WiderNet Project is a non-profit service program in the School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa that promotes low-cost information and communication for underserved populations.  It has developed The eGranary Digital Library, also known as “The Internet in a Box”, an off-line information store that delivers over 14 million educational resources to people living in underserved areas of the world. Many of the subscriber institutions have no Internet access. Even those who have an Internet connection experience slow, unreliable and very expensive service. Often, teachers, students, and practitioners must pay per minute while online and it literally takes days to search a website. The eGranary Digital Library delivers digital information directly to Web servers inside the institution, bypassing the problem. With the eGranary Digital Library, thousands of people can access the information — websites, electronic books, journals, and software — over their local area networks quickly and at no cost. The eGranary is already installed at over 350 universities, schools, government ministries, health care centers, and libraries worldwide.

Access Tourism New Zealand materials will appear in the Global Disability Rights  Library eGranary without modification, retaining all citations, copyright information, author information, and credits – exactly as they appear on the internet at the time.

A study by the University of Montana’s Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research estimated that one in 10 visitors to Montana arrived on a motorcycle. That’s about 1 million people (Billings Gazette).    And increasing numbers are older riders on big cruising or touring bikes. Survey data from the Motorcycle Industry Council, a private industry group, shows that the median age of bikers increased from 27.1 in 1985 to 41 in 2003. At the same time, the percentage of owners in the 40-to-49 age group increased from 13.2 to 27.9 percent, and the percentage of owners 50 or older went from 8.1 to 25.1.  That means more than half of owners are 40 or older, supplanting the once-dominant 15-to-29 age group. The transition to older motorcycle owners started to make its statistical presence known as early as 1990, and has been edging up since.

Meanwhile, the American Motorcyclist Association’s latest data shows the average age of motorcyclists is even older, at 48.

A new website that promotes accessibility to the countryside of England and Wales has been launched.  Accessible Countryside for Everyone (ACE) has free information about places, walks, and recreational opportunities with disabled access for each of the counties.  A Secondary aim for ACE is to promote ‘disabled access’ in the countryside and the wider publication of ‘accessible’ information in general.  It has great links, for example, to National or International organisations related to Leisure / Recreational Activities and Sports for disabled people and National Organisations Supporting Disabled People and Carers.  It also has a list of places people can go for information on developing access to sites and a few suggestions on the site itself how to be accessible.  Also included are upcoming events, and the website is in the process of adding listings of wheelchair friendly taxi and private hire companies.

A museum of impressive proportions, both in physical exhibition area and in holdings, the Lille Metropole Museum of Modern, Contemporary and Outsider Art (LaM) is also practiced in the art of accessibility.  The museum which displays over 4500 artworks including pieces by Picasso, Miro, and Klee as well as contemporary and outsider art, and has an extraordinary sculpture garden. It closed for renovations in 2006. When it reopened with its new name and its expanded buildings in September 2010, the curators were delighted with a new “high-tech” feature called “Tag My LaM” — a new technology for visitors’ use on their smartphones. The museum project, undertaken with IBM and Urbilog, enables visitors to stroll through the museum’s sculpture park and hear information in the language of their choice about the closest nearby sculpture on their smartphones. For visually impaired visitors, an audio version of the information is also available. Further increasing the usefulness of Tag My LaM to both visitors and curators, it can receive visitors’ real-time feedback.

It makes sense that a museum showcasing modern art would embrace an innovative technology such as Tag My LaM. According to an IDG study, smartphones are taking Europe by storm. The analysts looked at almost 14,000 users in 16 countries (over 11,000 in Europe). The study showed:

• More than two-thirds of respondents said that they have a smartphone for either work or personal use.
• 70% browse the Internet regularly
• A similar percentage use mobile applications.

Kudos to LaM.  Now, if only they would make their website accessible…………..

The deaf, deaf-blind, speech and hearing-impaired community in New Zealand will soon benefit from an expanded range of communication services says government  minister of Information and Communication Technology, Steven Joyce.  New services to be progressively introduced from late this year will include captioned telephony, which allows people to read live captions of spoken phone conversations. People will also be able to contact the relay contact centre by mobile phone, and use a prepaid calling card to make international calls by Internet relay.

Louise Carroll, Chief Executive of The National Foundation for the Deaf (NFD), said the new captioned phone service will bring the telephone back to thousands of New Zealanders whose hearing has forced them into isolation.   “So many Hearing impaired New Zealanders have lost a key part of their independence because they can no longer use the telephone.  At last, with captioned telephony, we hill have a phone service that is as close to a real-time telephone call as modern technology allows. We  take for granted our ability to use the telephone, but for so many, the phone
is off-limits because their hearing makes it impossible to use.  Just imagine not being able to call your family, not being able use the phone to make an appointment, and not even being able to call a taxi.  Now all that will change.  The NFD and others in the hearing disability sector have been working for some time to bring captioned  telephony to New Zealand.  This is world-leading technology and we are looking forward to working with the relay provider to ensure as many Hearing Impaired New Zealanders as possible can take advantage of it” said Carroll.

The Telephone Relay Service  already provides a text-based relay for the Hearing Impaired but it relies on the relay assistant typing what the other person is saying, resulting in time-lags and frequent frustration for both parties to the call.  With captioned telephony, the relay assistant will “re-voice” the conversation using voice recognition software, eliminating much of the delay. The service will also allow relay calls from cellphones, and follows the introduction last year of video relay which allows the Deaf community to talk to the relay assistant in sign language.

The Taranaki Daily News reports that New Plymouth art gallery The Govett-Brewster received the Arts Access Aotearoa Big ‘A’ Creative New Zealand Arts For All Award in recognition of its continuing work with disabled people to better understand their needs in relation to art appreciation. The gallery provides:

• audio and touch tours
• large-print exhibition guides for the blind and partially-sighted
• sound enhancer to make audio clearer for the hearing impaired
• sign-language tours with an interpreter for the deaf
• easy access for those who are physically disabled
• disabled-friendly website
• Staff trained in disability awareness
• discussion forums with the disabled community

Gallery Director Rhana Devenport was thrilled with the award but said it was only the beginning.  ”It’s good that they recognise we’re making a sincere and genuine effort, but we know we’ve got a long journey ahead and lots of learning to do, it’s a continuing conversation with the disabled community,” she said.

In awarding the Govett-Brewster, the judges said: ” The Govett-Brewster Art Gallery’s commitment to accessibility is underpinned by the New Plymouth District Council’s Disability Strategy – an example of best practice that gave the Govett-Brewster the edge. This nomination was a fine example of an arts organisation developing its audience by increasing access, and we look forward to seeing the next steps on its journey to accessibility.”  Presenting the award at a ceremony in Parliament, Creative New Zealand Chief Executive Stephen Wainwright said, “engaging New Zealanders in the arts and ensuring they have access to great art experiences is a priority for us. This award sits at the heart of what Creative New Zealand wants to achieve”.  Creative New Zealand id the national arts development agency.

London 2012 reports that all London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic venues will be accessible to people with disabilities and that they are committed to ensuring that there are good accessible transport options for all spectators travelling to the Games.  The London 2012 Games are delivered by two key organisations – the London 2012 Organising Committee and the Olympic Delivery Authority.

Many access improvements and service enhancements have been made for the Games to make public transport much easier for disabled people, older people and passengers travelling with children. National Rail, London Underground, London Overground and the Docklands Light Railway have all enhanced – and continue to enhance – the accessibility of their services.  Across the network, tactile warning surfaces have been, or are being, installed on platforms and staircases, and seats are available on most platforms.   Audio and visual information is available on
many trains and at many stations. A number of stations have wide-aisle, automatic ticket gates, so they can be used independently by travellers using wheelchairs or those travelling with assistance dogs or pushchairs.

London 2012 has created maps showing the accessible travel routes and stations within London and across the UK. The UK map and south-east map shows where stations are step-free with assistance available at the station and where there is assistance available at the station, but not necessarily step-free facilities. The London map shows levels of step-free facilities and staff assistance at stations across London.  At some venues, accessible shuttles capable of providing transport to multiple wheelchair users will be provided solely for spectators with accessibility
needs. All venues will have free, managed, secure cycle parking suitable for
all types of cycles, including hand bicycles, recumbent and children’s bicycles.

Information for people with accessibility needs is available on the London 2012 website, and – if you are travelling around London but not to the Games – on the Inclusive London website.

During the celebrations around the countdown of 1,000 days to go to the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Winter Games in Sochi, Russia, it was announced that Sochi is to become the first city in Russia to be put on the Russian Accessibility Map.  This map will provide information for people with disabilities about access at sport facilities.  Also launched during the 1000-day celebrations was the Accessible Volunteering Program aimed at making Sochi 2014 volunteering centers accessible for people with disabilities. Four such centres were established on 11 June – two centres in Moscow, one in Sochi and another one in Novorossiysk.   Dmitry Chernyshenko, President of the Organizing Committee said: “On 11 June, there were only 1,000 days left before the Paralympic Winter Games, and we started the countdown up to this historic event for Russia. This event is destined to bring about radical change in the attitude of Russian society towards people with an impairment. I am especially happy that our wonderful volunteers gave momentum to the celebration. They are the proof  that, thanks to the Games, we have been training people qualified to support and assist the disabled.  I am happy that on 11 June thousands of Russians joined the festivities, since the basic values of the Paralympic Movement, such as courage, equality, dedication and inspiration, are close to everyone’s heart!”

Congratulations are due to Tauranga City Council for becoming probably the first Council in New Zealand to decide to adopt an Age-Friendly Vision and to integrate a strategy in the Council Long Term Plan 2012-2022.  For some years now various individuals and community agencies in Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty have promoted the relevance of the Age-Friendly Cities concepts for this high ageing region.  A Towards Tauranga Age-Friendly City Collaboration of 11 agencies submitted to the City Council Annual Plan seeking ‘A City For All Ages.’  Similar submissions were addressed to Western Bay of Plenty District Council and the Bay of Plenty Regional Council. It was proposed that each Council allocate staffing resource to develop a strategy this year for inclusion in Council Long Term Plans. Many people took part and attended in support of the submission hearings.  “It is very heartening that the community voice was respected by the City Council,” said Carole Gordon, Convener of the collaborative effort.

The Global Age-Friendly Cities framework is promoted by the World Health Organization as a guide for Local Governments to respond to planning for population ageing. It seeks to adapt systems and policies to meet the independence needs of increasing numbers of mature and older people as the baby-boomer generation ages. “What is really interesting is that when improvements are made to suit elders, the outcomes produce social and economic benefit for all generations,” says Carole.  “While this is often hard to understand, we have to look ahead with a generous and not limited perspective, after all, this group will be largest set of consumers the world has ever known! Here in Tauranga the number of people 65+ will increase by 50% within the next ten years and is projected to reach nearly 32,000 by 2026.”

As well as the WHO Global Age-Friendly Cities programme, there are a number of other international initiatives to improve access in cities.  Recently for example, Avila Spain won the first European Commission Access City Award, and Charlotte North Carolina and Brazos Valley Council of Governments Texas (U.S.A.) won the Environmental Protection Agency “Building healthy Communities for Active Ageing Award”.  Singapore has created a “City for All Ages Project Office”, London’s Mayor promises an access legacy from Olympics/Paralympics 2012 and access improvement has been part of the games planning since 2004, and many cities across both the developed and developing world have access guides for seniors, people who are not as agile as they once were, or people with disabilities.  The reason? Populations across the world are ageing and there is an economic benefit to becoming age-friendly and improving access.

THE Deputy Mayor of London has promised a “true legacy” of accessibility for disabled people in the capital after next year’s Olympic Games. Richard Barnes pledged to “make sure London is inclusive and embracing to all communities”  The announcement coincided with the launch of the latest annual report on equality and diversity, a drive which is spearheaded by Mr Barnes. The mayor, Boris Johnson said his goal is for transport across the capital to have disabled access one way or another by the time of next year’s Olympic and Paralympic games. He said: “When the world comes to London in 2012, we want to see the most disabled friendly environment in the world.”   He conceded some outer London tube stations would struggle to be fully accessible, but measures would be taken to overcome the problems.  Mr Barnes said taxis and buses are now accessible to disabled people, but said getting the Tube to the same standard is “the greatest challenge of the lot” because of the age of the network and varying designs of stations.

DisabledGo reports that a new website – My Access London -  has been created in anticipation of next years Olympics and Paralympics.  If you want to find out about the disabled access at venues or attractions across the capital this site has information to over 17,000 venues, including major tourist attractions like the London Eye, Westminster Abbey, London Zoo and the O2 Arena. All have been visited and assessed in person.   The site which officially launches at the beginning of June has been entirely funded and developed by DisabledGo, in response to feedback from disabled people and partner London boroughs who wanted to see an access guide totally dedicated to London.

The website offers an unprecedented choice of personally surveyed access guides.  Access Tourism New Zealand commends DisabledGo’s commitment to never publish self-assessed, non-verified information, that is, information provided by for example tourism venue owners such as accommodation providers or attractions unless it has been independently assessed.   As a research project in NZ has found (Rhodda, 2007), only about a third of tourism operators correctly self-assess their access for people with disabilities.

The number of venues featured on www.myaccesslondon.com will significantly increase during 2011 in the build up to next year’s Olympic Games. In July alone, 2,000 additional venues will be added thanks to new partnerships with London boroughs. If you would like more information about www.myaccesslondon.com please contact Rachel Felton, External Relations Manager. E: rachel.felton@disabledgo.com T: 01438 842710

The John F. Kennedy for the Performing Arts and partners are holding a conference on Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability (LEAD) in August.  LEAD has been engaging cultural administrators from around the world in a conversation on accessibility, disability and inclusion for more than 10 years. Two days of conference are preceded by three days of relevant pre-conference workshops. The conference is aimed at cultural organizations such as museums, galleries, and theatres, and at state and local governments, universities and colleges and anyone involved in the arts with an interest in access for people with disabilities. It will consider a broad range of access topics, such as web accessibility, social media, captioning in theatres, the Americans with Disabilities Act, access evaluations, staff and volunteer training, effective access planning, effective communication for people who are blind/low vision, and/or deaf/hard of hearing, audio description, funding, grants, and much more.  LEAD is a professional network focused on expanding the breadth and scope of accessibility services and programming across the USA and around the world. The network:

• explores practical methods for implementing accessibility in cultural environments;
• communicates information about arts and accessibility, and;
• shares resources and knowledge among professionals in the field of accessibility.

 A variety of helpful tip sheets can be found here.

Museums across Australia have been offering audio tours for some time but now there is a way for Deaf and hearing impaired Australians to gain access to this information: through a smart phone! The Smart Auslan (Australian Sign Language) service has been introduced at the National Sports Museum in Melbourne. Each year, approximately 150,000 people visit the National Sports Museum and listen to audio descriptions of the exhibitions.  Now Deaf and hearing impaired Australians can access the same information.  Visitors use this application (or a preloaded device available at the museum) to scan a Quick Response code at each exhibit. The device then plays a video with Auslan sign language translation and captions.

This North American spring (2011), a company called Up & Away Ballooning will become the first hot air balloon operator in the United States to offer wheelchair using  adventurers the opportunity to soar above the California’s Sonoma County.  Up & Away Ballooning ordered specially-designed easy-access basket from London, designed to include everyone. The basket measures approximately 4 feet by 7 feet and can carry a wheelchair rider and up to three others.  Mike and Patti Kijak, owners of Up & Away Ballooning made the decision to purchase the wheelchair accessible basket in response to numerous inquiries from private individuals and travel agents with clients seeking to experience Northern California’s picturesque Wine Country from a balloon.   “It’s a dream three years in the making,” says Mike.  You can watch a YouTube presentation about ballooning  over Sonoma Valley in a wheelchair here, and listen to a Big Blend radio interview about the project here.  

 Contact: Mike Kijak, Email: flightinfor@up-away.com, Phone: 707-836-0171, Toll Free within the states: 1800-711-2998

The new Disability and Sports web page on the United Nations Enable website highlights the unique ability of sport to transcend linguistic and cultural barriers making it an excellent platform for strategies for advancing inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities in society and development. It also draws attention to the universal popularity of sport and its physical, social and economic development benefits that make it an ideal tool for fostering the inclusion and well-being of persons with disabilities. The web page also provides links to publications and other documents on the issue, as well as links to related websites. Along with Member States and civil society, DESA will organize a panel discussion on 27 June at UN Headquarters to discuss issues on how to tap the potential of sports to promote disability-inclusive development and raise public awareness about disability issues. More information: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1563.

A new UK website that has articles on accessibility to gardens has been launched .   Accessible Gardens has a Directory of gardens in England and Wales written by disabled people for disabled people.  The reviews are also helpful for others who need access information, for example, parents with pushchairs and seniors.   Reviews can be submitted to the website by garden visitors thus giving realistic evaluations by users.  Created by Bella D’Arcy, a community garden designer and writer who uses a stick and sometimes a wheelchair or mobility scooter, the website so far has reviews of gardens in 18 counties.  Its ambition is to cover the whole of the UK with independent reports of the accessibility of gardens written by people with disabilities, to assist gardens with their accessibility and with the information they put on their website, and to cover other areas of access and gardens.

In February, the USA  Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the winners of the fourth annual “Building Healthy Communities for Active Ageing Award”.  The principal goal of the Award program is to raise awareness across the US about healthy synergies that can be achieved when communities combine and implement the principles of smart growth with the concepts of active aging.  

What began as an initiative by the World Health Organization in 2007 has now trickled down to cities across the US, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and beyond. In its push for the continued creation of environments that foster social inclusion and social participation, WHO stresses that “Active ageing is a lifelong process, …[therefore] an age-friendly city is not just ‘elderly friendly.’

Smart growth principles include  communities designing places that increase mobility and improve quality of life. Neighborhoods that integrate homes with shops, services, and parks and recreational facilities allow residents—especially older adults—to pursue an interesting and active life without depending on a car.  Active aging takes place when elders regularly participate in structured and unstructured physical activities.  By 2030, the 65 and older population in the United States is expected to reach nearly 20 percent, or more than 70 million.  Communities can promote Active aging by implementing a diverse array of accessible physical activity programs or self-directed activities such as walking and biking to local parks and greenways.

The EPA Achievement Award winners are public sector entities or neighborhood or non-government organizations that demonstrate excellence in building healthy communities for active aging.  One of the 201 winners was the City of Charlotte, North Carolina.  In the last five years, Charlotte has built sixteen miles of greenways, 88 miles of bike facilities and 106 miles of sidewalks have been completed. By retrofitting dozens of streets and adding ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) ramps at intersections, the City has made improvements for pedestrians of all ages and abilities.  The other recipient was Brazos Valley Council of Governments, Texas. Brazos improved biking and walking facilities, developed a wheelchair accessible trail system at Wolf Penn Creek, and a LifeTrail™, a fitness circuit designed to meet the needs of persons of all abilities, amongst other things.

Meanwhile, Colin Milner, CEO of the International Council on Active Aging points out that those 50 and older represent a huge market.  ”While there’s bound to be some segmentation, certain values, principles, and social-economic forces are converging to the point where we can make some predictions for the market as a whole.”  These include growth of “green exercise” and green communities. “Hiking, trail walks, meditation gardens, labyrinths, cycling paths, gardening, and eco tourism will flourish going forward,” says Milner

 Sources: US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

 Members of the Pacific Disability Forum (PDF), including Governments of countries in the Pacific region, as well as development organizations, non-governmental and civil society organizations and human rights institutions in the region attended the Second Pacific Regional Conference on Disability. The Conference was held from 4 to 7 April in Auckland, New Zealand, under the theme “Promoting Actions on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in the Pacific Region”. The outcome document included a list of recommendations to all stakeholders to take significant and tangible steps to further implement the Convention and empower persons with disabilities and their organizations. Members of the Pacific Disability Forum called on all Pacific island Governments and development partners to recognize (amongst other things)  the rights of persons with disabilities in recreational, leisure and sporting activities as mandated in Article 30.5 of the CRPD.

Taupō District Council has released a new brochure designed to make it easier for people who have a mobility issue to get around and enjoy what the district has to offer.   The Taupō District Access Brochure is a joint venture between Taupō District Council and the Taupō Mobility Access Reference Group (TMARG). TMARG is a community group who meet regularly to look at access issues in our community on behalf of people with a range of restricted mobility, sight and hearing impairments.  

The brochure will inform community members and visitors to the district of accessible facilities, such as banks, ATMs, accommodation, dining, parking, public toilets, respite care and medical facilities.  The brochure will be available from Taupō district i-Site’s and respite/retirements homes, and will also be on the Taupō District Council website. 

The six month project involved auditing every public facility in the CBD of Taupō, Turangi and Mangakino, and giving a rating of poor, moderate or good. Accessible Taupo Project worker Lucinda Stone, together with TMARG member Chance Anderson – who has skills gained from his Barrier Free Audit training – took on the task of checking and rating the facilities.  Access Tourism NZ applauds the fact that assessments of facilities have been done independently.  “Too often in Access brochures, opertors such as accommodation owners rate their own facilities as accessible, when quit frankly, they have no idea of what true access is” said Sandra Rhodda of ATNZ.    ”Kudos to this council for going the extra mile and doing the job properly”.

Production of Taupō District Access Brochure is kindly supported by Lakeland Disability Support Trust.

The Annals of Leisure Research is seeking papers for a special issue that examines the inclusion and citizenship of people with disability in “cultural life” (recreation, leisure, the arts, sport, or tourism).  The purpose is to:

a)      clarify what the terms inclusion and citizenship mean in different cultures;

b)      to place inclusion and citizenship to ‘cultural life ‘(recreation, leisure, the arts, sport or tourism) across discourses relating to economic, social and environmental contexts that affect people with disabilities participation; and

c)       to discuss the terms inclusion and citizenship from the ideological frameworks of government, researchers, providers of service or disability advocacy groups.

Submissions are sought from the consumer (demand), providers (supply) and coordination/regulation (government) sector perspectives. The guest editors invite interested researchers to contribute theoretical, methodological or empirical papers related to the theme of this Special Issue. The topics of potential papers include but are not limited to:

• The role of inclusion and citizenship in the construction of ‘cultural life’(recreation, leisure, the arts, sport or tourism) environments and experiences;
• What is the impact of inclusion/exclusion on the person and their experiences?;
• The social and/or cultural construction of inclusion in ‘cultural life’(recreation, leisure, the arts, sport or tourism) activities and experiences;
• The role of inclusion in the construction of cultural, sub cultural and personal identities of different societies;
• The role of inclusion in the construction and/or deconstruction of the intersection with gendered, ethnic and sexual identities within the experience of ‘cultural life’(recreation, leisure, the arts, sport or tourism);
• How experiences of inclusion compare and contrast between different dimensions of disability (e.g. mobility, vision, hearing, cognitive, sensitivities etc.);
• The impact of inclusion and citizenship within space and place making

Important Dates:

• Abstract deadline: 30 June 2011 to Jerome(at)dal.ca
• Notification of acceptance of abstracts deadline: 1 August 2011
• Submission for double-blind reviewing process: 30 November2011
• Review Process Notification: 30 January  2012
• Special issue publication: June or December 2012

For submission guidelines and more, continue reading……………..

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