Dealing with a Disability in the Hospitality Industry
This report concentrates on the effects of dealing with a disability in the . There are many ways how disabled people can be affected in this area such as discrimination in employment, discrimination in being the customer, false advertisement and lack of support and facilities in the business. Whether it’s a mental disability such as dyslexic or a physical disability such as partially-sighted it can have an effect on both.
For many in the tourism and hospitality world disabled people means wheelchair users, it’s worth pointing out that the Disability Rights Commission estimates that wheelchair users represent less than five per cent of disabled people (about 450,000). The industry should also be aware that disability includes facial disfigurement, those who have allergies and the estimated one in seven people who have a mental health problem each year. Statics show: Current estimates suggest that there are over nine million disabled people in the UK, some 15% of the population or to more than the combined populations of Scotland and Wales.
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This figure includes 6. 5 million people of working age who have a current long-term disability or health problem, 8. 7 million people who are deaf or hard of hearing, an estimated 1. 8 million blind or partially-sighted people, 18,000 people who are regular Braille users and 400,000 people who have a learning disability. In one sense, the tourism and hospitality sectors are already catering for customers with a wide variety of disabilities but they often do this unwittingly, given the fact that many disabilities are not immediately obvious.
There are many famous people that suffer with some sort of disability such as Ludwig Van Beethoven that suffers from deafness. Beethoven is widely regarded as one of the greatest composers in history. Christy Brown an Irish Author, Painter and Poet is another famous disabled person. He was disabled by cerebral palsy and was incapable for years of deliberate movement or speech. Many disabled people don’t have as much confidence as a non-disabled people and this is where they forget about famous people who made it very far in life.
Many disabled people find it hard to find the right accommodation to suit their needs and find an accommodation with the right facilities for them. Many examples of the right facilities could include wheelchair ramps, wheelchair accessibility in the hotels public area (e. g. swimming pool and dining area), verbal announcements on the elevator, Handrails in bathrooms and width of doors etc. Some businesses in the hospitality industry that are lacking in this lose guests/customers without even noticing.
False advertisement is also used here for example when hotels state that they have disabled or limited mobility facilities in brochures and online but they actually don’t have these facilities in the hotel. ‘DisabledGo’ is an award-winning disability organisation that provides online access guides. Its website is designed to help disabled people find what they are looking for e. g. hotels, restaurants, cinemas, tourist attractions and many more. Sites like these can be a great help.
