Resorts Accessibility - Forum Topic
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Forums / 4. Resorts / Resorts Accessibility
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16 Apr 2016 @ 10:27:01 am
HELLO SLEEPSLAWE! HI ALL BUSH BABIES!
Something that is glaring in its absence on most Travel Information Services is the often TOTAL LACK OF INFORMATION ON ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES FOR PEOPLE WITH SPECIAL NEEDS!
Did you know that the SA Government signed a declaration in Durban to the effect that SA Tourism will be supported in order to make our country the International Destination of Choice for People With Disabilities (PWD's)?
A special forum took years to formulate the approved NATIONAL ACTION PLAN.
I was one of the contributors there, very excited about it all, but also disappointed in the lack of real practical action observed so far.
THIS IS MY SUGGESTION HERE: Let's start a forum where travelers with special needs, or family members with special needs can drop their experience for all to see and share.
I have several thousand pictures and video clips on ACCESSIBILITY Issues, not only at Caravan Camping Sites, but also at Points Of Interests (POI's). These are being processed to serve as on-board additional information which will be made available to Travelers using INCAR TRAVEL GUIDE, a GPS-triggered Information Service to be made available only in South Africa soon.
I have left an Afrikaans and English pdf-slide show with Do's and Don'ts on Dropbox for our Caravan Site and POI owners. It deals not only with Wheelchair User issues, but also includes practical advice to enhance Travel Experience for the Deaf, Hard of Hearing (HOH) and the blind, or People with Sight loss.
Dit is heeltemal belaglik om van Toerismediens voorsieners te verwag om sommer net te weet wat van hulle verwag word om voorsiening te maak hiervoor! Met hierdie inligting is dit moontlik om presies te weet hoe om meer toeriste te kan laat tuisvoel by jou plek!
Please pass this link on to as many Tourism Service Providers as possible. It's free and easy to follow, even for your semi-literate builder, gardeners and personnel.
Your contributions here will be used to help others to know what to avoid and where to go to enhance their travel experience! Feel free to email me directly - contact details are on the slide shows.
17 Apr 2016 @ 18:39:57 pm
Welcome and thanks for the information.
18 Apr 2016 @ 00:37:30 am
Only a pleasure Campervan!
Let's hope it all adds up to a much better travel experience to all of us, but this time INCLUDING our friends who NEED TO KNOW!
Dis you watch the slideshow?
18 Apr 2016 @ 08:24:01 am
Welcome here Piet.
I think you are right - there is not enough "said" about this with other information pertaining to caravan parks.
Most caravan parks have access to ablutions (i.e. for wheelchairs) but that is where it stops - once inside, access to other facilities are seldom catered for.
18 Apr 2016 @ 14:25:35 pm
It would be nice if we when we do a customer feedback on resorts if we could include a line or two regarding disability acess.
Admin would it be possable include a prompt in this regard?
19 Apr 2016 @ 01:22:49 am
Absolutely guys! Add that prompt! Accessibility Information needs to become an automatic "add-on". It is tragic how few organisations ever even mention it! Please please report on what you see - even walk around with the purpose of noticing what is available. True enough, almost all Tourism Service Providers think of Paraplegics as your only person with special needs! Very sad!
Fortunately the issues concerning the Deaf and the blind are much less costly to provide and very interesting to get to know! Find out what fun it is to get involved by watching my slideshows mentioned above - the link is there.
I'm itching to help!
I will provide short "tips on accessibility" from time to time.
No 1: Caravan Parks, can a wheelchair fit in underneath your hand basins and wash-up facilities' in order for them to reach your taps with ease?
19 Apr 2016 @ 01:30:34 am
Karavaanparke wenk: Is daar drumpels in die pad van rolstoelwiele na jou storte toe? Maak plan en raak ontslae van hulle waar die stort genoeg spasie het vir 'n rolstoel om in te beweeg!
Vergeet van duur stortmure bou wat toeganklikheid belemmer! Gebruik liewer net oop vloere met 'n plastiekgordyn! Slim n�!
19 Apr 2016 @ 01:44:50 am
Tip for Reception desks: BLIND PATRONS
Where a lot of information is required to make a blind person's visit worth his while, but no one wants to provide it, or no one knows how to speak to a blind person to tickle their imagination, this is what you do to make it easy:
Use your cellphone or computer to load a MP3 file with your story beforehand. When you notice a blind visitor, suggest you Bluetooth it to their phone! They can then listen to it at any time while others are looking around!
Make sure you DESCRIBE what things look like in your story. They will love it!
And what's more - your visitors will be impressed and talk about your establishment and ingenuity - more visitors my mate!
19 Apr 2016 @ 02:04:12 am
WENK: ALGEMENE INLIGTING AAN 'N DOWE BY AANKOMS IN JOU PARK
Wat kry 'n Dowe besoeker gewoonlik by die hek of kantoor? 'n Verwilderde kyk en soeke na 'n ontsnappingsroete om tog net nie met die dowe klant hoef te "praat" nie! Bekend n�!?
Gaan druk die inligting wat jy graag wil oordra op 'n SPESIALE A4 INLIGTINGSBLAD VIR DOWES!
Hoekom dan spesiaal as jy reeds 'n brosjure het vir uitdeel?
Onthou Dowes se woordeskat kan tot een kwart van jou as horende persoon s'n wees. Jy sou ook daardie gemis gehad het as jy nooit gesprekke hoor om jou woordeskat mee uit te brei nie!
Dus skryf jou inligting oor en gebruik die maklikste woorde wat jy ken! Gebruik sketse of prente! Dowes is uitstekend met betekenisvolle beeld!
BAIE BELANGRIK! Dowes se eerste taal is dikwels Gebaretaal, met EEN ENKELE SPRAAKTAAL AS SY TWEEDE TAAL.
DUS! Sorg dat jy daardie spesiale brosjure in soveel tale voorberei as wat nodig is vir jou besigheid. Net Engels gaan nie werk nie!
Sit dan terug en sien hoe die Dowe besoekers meer word! Hulle skinder baie vinniger as ek en jy!
19 Apr 2016 @ 06:22:31 am
Groot welkom Piet. Baie belangrike saak die wat jy aan roer maar die eintlike mense met wie jy moet gesels is baie min tot glad nie hier betrokke nie.
In die jare wat ek op die forum is, was daar dalk 5 oorde wat hier by ons betrokke is. Om die beste bloodstelling te kry met jou passie moet jy dalk met die admin van die forum gesels.
Hulle het 'n gids genaamd "Kamp en Leef" / "Camp and Live". Ek stel voor jy kontak hulle en verskaf die inligting aan hulle. Soos wat die Kamp en Leef gids vir ons as "Mark/gebruiker" bestem is kan hulle so klein gids opstel wat gemik is op oord eienaars of hulle kan dit deel maak van die bestaande gids.
Dus in kort meeste van die forum mense hier is gebruikers van oorde en nie die eienaars van oorde nie. Alhoewel sommige die informasie op ander plekke kan gebruik is 98% van die mense hier op die forum nie jou regte teiken groep nie.
Jy gaan meer waarde kry as jy direk met admin gesels.
19 Apr 2016 @ 09:33:37 am
Howzit everybody , Piet you are a champion for bringing this to the forum , Dankie. As a wheelchair user we always try out new resorts and then encourage them to comply with accessibility for the disabled, there are a few resorts that have made an effort BUT always get it wrong, we always send them the correct specs as per the building regulation when we return and when we rate the resort we also mention it as an improvement that should be made. Disability can happen to anyone at anytime and I encourage you all to ensure that resorts compile, with your help we will make the resorts more users friendly for us ALL to enjoy equally. Leon your advice is spot on too. Lekker dag almal and be safe.
19 Apr 2016 @ 10:18:51 am
I am busy hunting through some very old information of mine.
As most of you know, I was very involved with the Star Grading of caravan and camping resorts, and in 2010 The National Grading Council commissioned me to re-write their grading specifications. Part of the mandate was to include the grading of facilities for the physically handicaped: I.E: Disabled, blind as well as speech impidiment. I did intensive research on the topic, and I have reams of notes/research in this.
As soon as I find all my old notes, I will put something up.
19 Apr 2016 @ 11:08:52 am
Leon - Willie mis niks!!!!!!!!!!!!!
19 Apr 2016 @ 14:26:52 pm
Manne, julle is 'n riem onder die hart!!Baie dankie vir julle entoesiasme! Ek wens meer mense, en veral onse regering wil 'put their money where their mouths are!" Hulle het per slot van sake die Nasionale Aksieplan waaraan ons vir so lank gewerk het goedgekeur. En nou?! Sien iemand iets gebeur wat vordering bewerkstellig?
Leon, baie dankie, jy is doodreg en ek waardeer jou wenke. My gedagte was hoofsaaklik daarop gemik om deur my betrokkenheid op hierdie webwerf ook te probeer sekermaak dat kampeerders die kampeereienaars se sake begin werk! Die regte spesifikasies en wenke IS BESKIKBAAR, maar net 'n handjievol weet daarvan! Die res leef in onbetrokkenheid of onkunde. Ek wil graag die onkunde help uitwis. INCAR TRAVEL GUIDE gaan die maklike medium word waardeur kampeerders selfs onbepland sal weet waar hy gaan regkom met ordentlike geriewe en personeel wat weet hoe.
Kan ek asb. terugvoering kry van wat julle van ons Toeganklikheids skyfiereekse op Dropbox dink?
Ek maak nou al hierdie inligting vir 11 jaar bymekaar en het top mense wat my adviseer. Baie dankbaar daarvoor!
Leon, ek gaan jou raad opvolg.
Willie, dan is dit jou dik boek wat ons moes deurwerk tydens die opstel van die Nasionale Aksieplan! Goeie werk! Ek is bly ek kon darem ook 'n klein bydra daar maak i.v.m. Dowes se behoeftes. Help bietjie ons toerisme webwerwe se bestuurders oorreed om ook ons ACCESS LEVEL INDICATOR (ALI) deel te maak van alle gradering em terugvoering.
19 Apr 2016 @ 14:45:47 pm
Ek glo dat n ieder en elk n bydrae kan lewer,sterkte met die goeie werk.
19 Apr 2016 @ 16:27:50 pm
Dankie Karoo Klong!
Ek was beindruk met die hulpmiddels vir mense met kogniese gestremdhede (blind en Doof) by die Karoo Nasionale Park buite Beaufort Wes.
Wens tog die voorsieners geluk waar hulle uitstyg en werk die ander se sake!
Hoekom sou enige iemand ons vriende met spesiale behoeftes wou UITSLUIT!?
Toe die Amerikaners hulle sake reggeruk het jare gelede, was die ekstra toerismeinkomste uit hierdie groepe mense verstommend. Die bewyse is daar en kan nie geignoreer word nie. Dit BETAAL om by te kom! Doen dit net!
My leuse: 'n Trein loop net waar daar 'n spoor gebou is..
26 Jan 2017 @ 17:41:02 pm
I just returned to the topic of UNIVERSAL ACCESSIBILITY AT CARAVAN PARKS in order to see what happened to it over almost a year. I'm not surprised to see that it ran dry! It simply proves what People with Special Needs are up to! A flash in the pan and then.. nothing!
By all means not YOUR fault!
However, may I provide a few suggestions to ENSURE that progress could be made in the direction you, I and many other users itching to camp would like to see;
1. You mentioned that you had some notes available that you could dig up. Fantastic! I hope to hear that you found it!
2. The next issue then would be; What to do with those notes and others' reports. That's where I can really help. Please send me your email address and we can start the process.
3. The very first thing THIS SITE can do is for you to have another 5-point star added to your grading system. Call it "Universal Accessibility" or UA. With that in everybody's sight campers will CONTINUESLY be reminded to note these things as well and report on them ALSO. UA issues will never become part of our grading system as it should, if left out from our current systems.
I expect most people to immediately say: "But I know nothing or very little about it!� Your Assessment forms and my available slideshow mentioned in this forum can most certainly be the free schooling they need!
There are two files for download: UA Experience for all � UT Ervaring vir almal
Rest assure, I have been assessing thousands of ablution blocks and facilities for many years and find it very interesting - even amusing when you look at the obvious mistakes been made everywhere! Some mistakes are ridiculously cheap and easy to fix! It's much simpler than most people think, and there is absolutely no shame in NOT knowing! (Explained in our forum.) My assessments are also based on standards used by the Grading Council. You may recall that I voluntarily helped putting the UA aspects together for them a few years ago.
Where you and the Council focus on accommodation, my assessments focus on Point Of Interests (POI's) Accessibility. Surely these assessments go hand in hand when you are travelling!
My email address: piethuman@telkomsa.net.
26 Jan 2017 @ 18:01:54 pm
BLUE FLAG BEACHES IN SA.
Who have noticed how most of them is far from being PROPERLY ACCESSIBLE?
To earn a Blue Flag status, proper UA is definitely one of the criteria.
How on earth did they get their flags!?
26 Jan 2017 @ 18:04:01 pm
RAMPS AT CAMPS!
Even a 20mm step is NOT a ramp!