Delighted to be raising the agenda of Accessible Tourism in the heritage sector. Understanding the visitor journey for those with access needs is a starting point to developing a strategy to meeting the expectations for all visitors to your attraction.
Great day out at Conisbrough Castle with Katie! When Katie and I first got to Conisbrough Castle we had actually arrived slightly early and the visitors centre wasn’t open as it opens at 10:00am however the lovely staff had invited us in as we were there for business, they escorted us to their staff room where they offered us tea or coffee and made sure we had everything that we need while we waited for the lady we were meeting. A lovely young girl who was a volunteer was going on the tour with us, she explained her role and how she helped out on a weekly basis. Once the visitors centre opened the school trip which we were following on the tour of the castle arrived, the castles staff immediately assisted the staff and students and made sure that they had everything they needed, they showed them all the facilities (toilets, gift shop etc.) and made them feel comfortable.
Once the tour began the staff got everyone together and explained the castles history with a poem and then asked the children questions about the poem to see if they were paying attention and also to get them involved. The staff then took the group up to the castle and explained the next activity they were going to do, they split up into three groups and took them to different parts of the main area to do a little investigation with a bag that had objects in that the children to could look at, smell and touch that helped the children understand what it would have been like 850 years ago, it was a great sensory activity that got all the children and staff involved. The staff got all three groups back together and got them to explain about each of their areas to the rest of their group.
We then went into the castle itself, the first area was about the keep and ask the children what they though was kept in there, the volunteer girl explained that on some days there would be a short film shown. We then moved up a floor to the main chamber where the lord of the castle would plan and discuss issues, the staff got the children to go and see different parts of the room and asked them what they thought the areas where used for and got them to see if they had the same areas in their homes and how they were different if they did, once again they got the children to explain what they had seen to the rest of the group. We then moved to the next floor to the lord and lady’s sleeping chambers where there was a chapel attached and the staff explained about the activities the lady would have done. After all this we had lunch and then spoke to some of the staff about what other activities they did and what they thought could be improved to make it better for disabled visitors.
The second part of the visit was an activity that got all the children to get involved in the story about the history of the castle by getting them to dress up and do some of the work that the workers would have done in the castle, it lasted a good couple of hours and I must say I think Katie and I enjoyed it more than then children, the young male staff member who was telling the story, Liam, was incredible!! I’d highly recommend going just for the second have!! Well at the end of the day it was time to go home, we had a lovely time, met some wonderful people and it’s safe to say that our day out to Conisbrough Castle was the best work day I’ve had and I will definitely be going again!!
To find out more about great days out at Conisbrough Castle, click on the link.
http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/conisbrough-castle/
Hi I’m Adrienne and I’ve just had my first week at Visits Unlimited and it was absolutely amazing! Matt and Katie are wonderful, lovely people and run a really great business which I’m so happy to now be apart of and I look forward to a great year working with the team!
Over the past twelve months there have been significant steps forward within the tourist economy in addressing accessibility. Research undertaken to assess the nature and value of accessible tourism have been conducted, highlighting the benefits in making accessibility a priority issue for estate managers in planning the visitor experience.
I’m sadly of the age now when I fail to recall what I had for dinner last evening and such ‘senior moments’ are becoming more regular! The mundane routines of daily life are easily forgotten but childhood memories, with family and friends on a day out or holiday, remain vivid in the memory. As a boy I recall vividly the first sight of a truly terrifying German two-handed sword held at Bamburgh Castle, the strangely tiny suit of armour worn by Henry VIII, the water sprinklers moisturising the timbers of the Mary Rose, the 15 inch naval guns stationed outside the Imperial War Museum and ‘Dippy’ the Diplodocus residing in the central hall of the Natural History Museum – unforgettable.
Of course back in early 1980’s most objects could only be peered at by pressing my face to the glass cabinet, viewed from a distance behind a rope and studied by reading a plaque positioned on a pedestal in front of the object in question.
The thought came to me at the time, no doubt, that I could take my children to see such wonders one day? When I was blessed with Annie, born prematurely, it became apparent that this ambition might not be quite so easy to achieve. So it begins.
Before we set off….
Our family ‘visitor journey’ is a little more challenging than what I recalled as a child. I’m sure dad pawed through the AA Road Atlas the night before we set off for ten minutes at most. Planning our family day out takes many hours, much of it completed late at night when children aren’t requiring attention. Navigating websites for information is part of the planning process with an eye on suitability for Annie. Researching transport connections, parking for our family ‘bus’, suitable toilets for three adults (Annie uses a full size wheelchair) to manoeuvre her, what help we can expect if we need it when we arrive, where to store all our gear? What about somewhere to eat that offers more than cup cakes, brownies and tiffins that maybe a temptation for mum, dad and eldest but offer a significant health risk to Annie who can’t burn the calories so easily as a wheelchair user?
When we book we’d prefer to speak to someone rather than book online – many families like ours feel the same way. Our questions can be answered and ideally the person on the other end of the line has knowledge of the physical access limitations of the attraction and features and services that meet Annie’s needs and aspirations.
Setting off…..
It didn’t take long for myself and three siblings to jump in the Austin Allegro and idle up the empty A1 heading for Scotland. It was a fact none of us contemplated buckling up and so it seemed a speedy process leaving the drive. When embarking my family has a routine with everyone having a task to perform in setting off in our adapted van. It takes about five minutes minimum for us to work together in securing Annie in safely and it’s a physical activity that we all benefit from. Upon arrival we do everything in reverse of course.
Katie, my colleague at Visits Unlimited, states families who arrive at a venue ‘deserve a medal.’ That’s right! So we expect a warm welcome when we arrive and an open question such as ‘How can I help you?’ Annie likes to have her opinion sought too.
The visitor experience…..
My lad is a bright boy, studious and well behaved…but I’m not too sure he’d be totally enamoured if he were to be transported to the 1980’s museum experience I recall – looking into a cabinet and reading a paragraph. Young people expect to engage, explore, interact and question. Contrary to media opinion, teacher training and pedagogy practice has progressed in the classroom. Teachers are judged in demonstrating and exploring the way children learn, identifying learning styles and then developing resources to meet the needs of all learning styles. Children understand their learning styles as a result, raising their expectations as visitors to attractions. Adults too have such expectations. Fail to address learning styles and fail to engage with the visitor.
Has Fraser’s Xbox and PS3 posed a threat? Actually developments in technology hardware and software now offer fabulous low cost solutions to engage your audience. The Apple or Kindle could offer an alternative learning solution for visitors who cannot get up the staircase at your Grade 2 listed building…including Annie using her wheelchair. Annie also loves the opportunity to demonstrate her prowess to others in using and engaging with her ipad.
What constitutes a ‘reasonable adjustment’ shouldn’t be a term that strikes fear into the Finance Officer at the attraction. This term is often mistakenly associated with solely the need to invest significant budget into a capital project to install a lift. Investing in replica artefacts to handle for the kinaesthetic learner (and visually impaired visitors use their hands to see), developing learning resources with inclusion in mind, training employees as a pair of helping hands if required or perhaps as trained guides for visually impaired visitors, hearing loops, appropriate signage….there are so many low cost reasonable adjustment quick fixes. It is estimated only 6% of disabled visitors are permanent wheelchair users. You can be accessible though physical access barriers exist. Physical access limitations are not an excuse for failing to keep accessibility off the management action plan as Emma Manners, Fountains Abbey Learning Officer remarks.
“We understand that accessibility at venues must start with management buy-in. We recognise that all our Project planning needs to include disability access and awareness. Management training will be crucial in rolling out a programme of change. From event planning to playground development, signage and pre-information, disability access and awareness needs to become a part of all our projects to transform equality and the visitor experience for the long term.”
So what’s the biggest access barrier that families like mine face?
In a word, attitude. When we at Visits Unlimited asked our families on social media this question, the number one answer was ‘poor attitude in understanding and meeting our needs.’ Physical access barriers and inadequate toilets were other significant barriers after this.
Annie was the driver for my decision to join Visits Unlimited in offering clients in the heritage sector face-to-face and in-depth training focusing on visitors with additional needs and supporting attractions in strategic planning on accessibility issues to improve the visitor experience and of course, increase footfall.
VisitEngland commissioned us to lead the face-to-face training element for their ‘Access For All’ programme in support of their efforts to meet their accessible tourism 5% annual growth forecast in the coming years. Certainly VisitEngland think it’s a necessity to offer attractions accessibility training. The ‘Purple Pound’ research data suggests families like mine – parties with a disabled travelling companion, spend £12.4bn annually, a figure that makes everyone take note.
Significantly there is a reported £1.8bn per month ‘latent spend’ – potential spending power sat at home and not playing out because of barriers stopping UK visitors experiencing our wonderful heritage. There is much work to do in encouraging disabled visitors to our wonderful heritage attractions. Informed choice, engaging experiences and great service on a heritage visit broadens horizons and creates memories for all of us. Annie is no exception.
The access training element of VisitEngland’s project ‘Access For All’ (co-funded by the European Commission) is now reaching conclusion. Access Unlimited, the collaborative partners of the face-to-face training element of the programme made up of Visits Unlimited, The Accessible Training Company and Access Solutions, are on the last leg of their England tour with six of the seven regions involved in the project now trained.
Katie Clarke of Visits Unlimited has led the training and has toured Lincoln, Birmingham, Nottingham, the Peak District, Brighton and yesterday, Kent. Businesses from hotels, Premier League football clubs, theatres and restaurants all came together to form regional ‘Accessible Destinations’ with the common aim to work together in understanding accessible tourism and becoming more accessible and appealing to all visitors.
Northumberland businesses make up the seventh ‘Accessible Destination’ to receive this training on the 10th June. Katie and Matt Riley will be delivering this final session and concluding this phase of the project.
A snapshot of feedback in Kent shows the power of face-to-face disability awareness training led by the people who live with or have a disability.
“The strongest point of the training was the personal insight and the stories.”
“ l learned today how important it is to make things as easy as possible for disabled visitors and their families.”
“The most important thing I have taken away with me today is to ask “What can I do for you?”
“Learning from first-hand experience is invaluable. Now I really, really understand that your experience starts way before you even get here.”
“Our welcoming is going to be even more welcoming.”
“I now have the confidence to ask the person what their access needs are and if there is anything I can do to meet those needs.”
“I am definitely going to make sure that we improve our website and I have learned today how important the pre-planning and information is.”
“Don’t pigeon-hole people. Ask the local community what it is they want.”
“ Now we have a greater understanding of what it takes to go through each day. It is my responsibility to make sure that the trip goes as good as it possibly can and is as relaxing and stress free as possible.
“I am going to make sure that our website is much more family-friendly with more pictures and imagery, better worded and more appealing.”
“I learned today that we are only a small part of the whole visitor experience and that the very tiny details are the things that can make a big difference.”
“You don’t need to spend a lot of money – it is much more than putting a lift in. It doesn’t have to be a huge outlay, increasing business and revenue can be achieved with a very small investment.”
The training modules covered in the one-day course was jam-packed with the latest information on Accessible Tourism, legislation found with the Equality Act 2010, customer service tips and action planning support – all delivered by inspirational trainers with personal insight and expertise on the subject.
Well done to The Accessible Training Company and Access Solutions for coming together with the team at Visits Unlimited and putting together an excellent course for the programme.
Huge thanks to Ross Caladine and Hannah at VisitEngland, Brian Seaman for all the prior work including access statement audits of the businesses signed up, each of the seven ‘Destination lead’ project managers and the businesses that have taken part.
Well done to Katie also. You will be able to reacquaint with your family again after the final session!
Thank you Katie & Angie so much for the session on Friday. I was really inspired by the day & thought you delivered the session in a great way – it had impact, was memorable and also really practical!
I have already reflected many times on the content & your stories – and what we can do in Lincoln to ensure we are supporting families like yours who just want a great day out/holiday.
On behalf of Visit Lincoln & all of our partner businesses – a huge thank you.
Emma Tatlow, Visit Lincoln Partnership Manager.
Becky Frall, Policy and Development Manager for Marketing Birmingham attended our recent ‘Access For All’ training day and has fed back to us.
“I will let fellow destination practitioners and hospitality businesses know that the understanding resulting from this training will generate a desire to implement practical solutions to access needs and empower all staff to attend with kindness and courtesy to the inclusion of disabled visitors, resulting in the very apex of quality in customer service. Getting this right will generate a loyal repeat market and strong word of mouth recommendations, impacting positively on their bottom line. I will highly recommend your training services to our network in the city, and to fellow destination managers. Thank you so much for such a well-rounded, enjoyable and enlightening day. I look forward to seeing you and Matt again.”
We look forward to meeting up soon, Becky!
A fantastic response from delegates attending our ‘Access for All’ Visit England training programme yesterday held at Le Tour Hotel, central Birmingham. Representatives attending were:
Marketing Birmingham, Le Tour Hotel, Aston Villa Tours, Selfridges, Think Tank Science Museum, Alfie Birds and Birmingham Hippodrome. They all collaborated enthusiastically, working towards offering truly accessible and amazing experiences for disabled and non-disabled visitors to their venues.
Visits Unlimited were delighted to meet with Access Champ’s Arnold Ferrell this week. Sharing ideas and knowledge is the key to progress.
The accessible tourism market is growing and changing at great pace. It’s essential to work collaboratively with partners to create the most robust business model and offer great services that will stand the test of change and meet the needs of the customers we serve.
Visits Unlimited are delighted to be presenting at the Changing Places Conference 2015.
We believe there is a need for a collaborative approach in tackling access issues. We are keen to support and work with industry experts in the field to move the access agenda forward. There is much work to be done. Great to speak and connect with Martin at IDACs.
In the most treacherous of wintery conditions, a snow blizzard in full swing, Katie and I arrived at the Shay Stadium, Halifax at 8.30am Saturday last, in readiness to deliver our Short Course in Disability Awareness to Shay Stadium Stewards.
With the likelihood of the match being postponed we didn’t expect many of the thirty to attend. We were wrong! Nearly all stewards turned up on foot – braving the elements and yet arriving in time for a prompt 9am start.
And what a great morning we had with them. We try to make our sessions fun and interactive whilst addressing some pretty serious and emotive topics including challenging prejudice and stereotypical attitudes, how to offer outstanding customer service, understanding and meeting the needs of disabled visitors and complying and benefiting from the protection stated within the Equality Act 2010.
Our quiz was rowdy like Monday night at your local, our discussions livelier than Question Time on the television. Yet at times the atmosphere could be cut with a knife, you could hear a pin drop, as Katie read parent’s poems and statements about the Visiter Journey and the life of a carer. It was so powerful.
Visits Unlimited are so proud of the delegates in their determination to put into practice what they learnt and really hope to support them in making The Shay Stadium a truly accessible venue for every visitor and sports fan. All we need now is the fans to enjoy the experience down The Shay.
Following on from another highly successful year for Changing Places, there is now over 700 Changing Places registered in the UK which include major Airports, Premiership Football Clubs, Supermarkets and Hospitals as well as a range of Changing Places successes overseas in the USA and Australia.
Changing Places are an essential facility for users with profound and multiple learning difficulties and their carers where a standard accessible toilet does not provide the correct equipment required by the user. A Changing Places toilet (if compliant with BS8300:2009) is fitted with a Hoist, Changing Bench, Peninsular Toilet, Grab Rails and a Wash Basin as well as enough space for turning and carers. Changing Places make a substantial difference to thousands of people’s lives each day by offering the correct facilities for changing and toileting to enable more people the opportunity to plan days out and use a safe and reliable facility.
The very first Changing Places Conference will take place on February 21st 2015 at 10am at Chesterfield FC’s Proact Stadium. The Event will be an informative and collaborative day which will include interactive workshops, awards and a number of experienced and respected guest speakers including Accessible Derbyshire, The Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity and Visits Unlimited and many more! Changing Places and Aveso welcome campaigners existing, new or future to join the event to find ideas, support and information on how the Changing Places Campaign can and will continue to grow and how everyone can get involved to achieve this. After all, Changing Places would be nowhere without the hard work and support of the campaigners and experienced families.
Rossanna Trudgian, from Mencap, and Co-chair of the Changing Places consortium commented; “Since the campaign launched, we have seen hundreds of Changing Places toilets installed across the UK, including at key transport hubs like Heathrow airport and Kings Cross station, stadiums like Wembley and the Emirates, as well as hospitals, concert arenas and city centres. The availability of Changing Places also helped make the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games the most accessible games to date! So much of this success is because of Changing Places campaigners like those attending on February 21st. Champions of our cause. The Changing Places Conference is about honouring and celebrating everything they do to help spread awareness and recognition of the true value of and need for Changing Places toilets.
However, whilst progress has been made, more are needed if we are to meet the demand for Changing Places toilets and to see them in all public areas so that nobody every has to be changed on a toilet floor. We hope that the Changing Places Conference marks the first of many events like this so that we can continue to spread the word about Changing Places far and wide.”
The Changing Places Conference is taking place in partnership with the official sponsor Aveso who provide technical advice and equipment for Changing Places. The Proact Stadium, which is the chosen venue for The Changing Places Conference 2015 is fully accessible and has a full Changing Places fitted by Aveso.
As experts in the patient transfer and care industry, OpeMed and Astor Bannerman form the joint venture; Aveso as the official sponsor and manufacturer of The Changing Places Campaign. Please click on the links above for more information on Changing Places equipment including Ceiling Hoists, Changing Tables and Washbasins.
How to Attend: Registration for the event is completed online and must be received by Wednesday 18th February for entrance to the conference. For full details of Changing Places and the Changing Places Conference taking place on February 21st at Chesterfield FC’s The Proact Stadium (The Hub) please contact info@aveso.co.uk 01242 822979 or via twitter on @CP_Consortium @AvesoCP @OpeMed @AstorBannerman #CPConf2015.
You can book online at whoozin?
The government is calling on disabled sports fans to share their experiences of viewing live sport at stadiums and sports grounds across Britain.
The government is calling on disabled sports fans to share their experiences of viewing live sport at stadiums and sports grounds across Britain, in what it hopes will be the largest ever survey of its kind.
Ministers are hoping thousands of Britain’s 12 million disabled people will give their views on everything from wheelchair access and disabled parking to accessible toilets, hearing loops and treatment by other supporters at live sporting fixtures. Organisers want to hear from fans of all sports – and in particular rugby, cricket, football, hockey, basketball, cycling and motor-racing.
Earlier this year the government called on Britain’s football leagues to take urgent action to redress some of the “woeful” lack of appropriate support and space for disabled spectators, reminding them of their legal obligations to provide adequate room and adjustments for disabled fans.
Research showed nearly half of Premier League football clubs don’t offer even half the wheelchair space they should for disabled people.
Mark Harper, Minister of State for Disabled People, said:
For too long in this country disabled sports fans have been treated like second class citizens at many sporting venues. And yet 1 in 5 of us have an impairment, and disabled people and their households have a spending power of over £200 billion.
We know the situation in football is unacceptable and it’s not only wheelchair access that falls short, but adjustments for people with all kinds of impairments. We encourage all sports fans with a disability to tell us of their experiences at sporting venues, so we can get a clear picture of whether disabled sports fans are being treated fairly.
Meanwhile, evidence from Level Playing Field has revealed that as many as half of Premier League football clubs operate season ticket policies which could be deemed as discriminatory against disabled sports fans.
Evidence has emerged of clubs operating complex pre-registration systems for disabled supporters to qualify for season tickets which are not applied to fans without disabilities. Level Playing Field have also uncovered that many clubs allocate disproportionately small numbers of season tickets to wheelchair users and exclude disabled people from using their online ticketing services.
Minister for Sport Helen Grant said:
We know that lots of clubs, like Arsenal, are making improvements but more can still be done across sport to make stadiums more accessible and the match-day experience better for disabled fans. This is what this survey is all about – giving disabled sports fans the chance to air their views so that we can help make watching live sport fantastic for them.
The Commonwealth Games this summer showed what is possible and how sport can cater brilliantly for disabled fans and I am confident that sports governing bodies will step up and deliver on this.
Joyce Cook from Level Playing Field said:
The experience of disabled sports fans varies across the country. Our research shows that many clubs are operating what seem to be discriminatory policies when it comes to season and away tickets. And if you can actually get there, the inability to sit with your own fans, poor sight lines and the lack of accessible provisions can be so bad that you would have had a better experience watching it on TV. That’s not acceptable and it’s time all clubs and venues took their legal obligations seriously – and recognised the value of the purple pound.
Click on the link below to complete the survey.
Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/bid-to-improve-disabled-access-at-sports-stadiums?utm_source
Visits Unlimited are delighted and proud to be working closely with the Changing Places campaign team in 2015. We are excited to be one of the guest speakers at the first official annual Changing Places conference on the 21st February at Chesterfield Proact Stadium.
For people with a passion for the Changing Places campaign, we’d love to see you there! This is great opportunity to receive support and information, whether a family or an organisation, on matters relating to accessibility.
Great start to the 2015 planned by Visits Unlimited in collaboration with Euan’s Guide’s Disability Awareness Day 2015.
We’d love disabled people, their families, carers and friends to get out and visit somewhere new and have a great time at a place they haven’t been to before and take a photo then send it to us. The best snaps in the categories we have selected will be shortlisted by our panel of judges representing the UK Heritage Sector and esteemed artist Bryan Harford! FABULOUS PRIZES are up for grabs.
Click on the link on our Home Page News “Get Out There.”
The team at Visits Unlimited wish all our families, colleagues in the field of Accessible Tourism and organisations we have worked with in 2014, a very Merry Christmas and New Year.
Here’s to an Accessible 2015!!
We are delighted to be linking up with Aveso and Changing Places in offering venues advice and facilities that make for a truly accessible experience for disabled visitors. Thank you for such a great show of support Aveso. (see below)
DECEMBER 2, 2014
As the Changing Places Campaign strengthens and grows in the UK, we are developing a greater understanding of the considerations surrounding Changing Places and the venues they are situated within so that we can offer the right level of support.
One of our roles as the sponsor of Changing Places has come to focus on the relationships surrounding the campaign. We believe that in order to uphold a successful facility there needs to be an understanding from the venue of the importance of a Changing Places room, training within the staff on the facility and an encouragement of signage and promotion. In order to do this we are building relationships with Changing Places advocates and professionals who have built years of expertise in the importance of accessibility and what it means not only to the users but also the positives for a venue too.
As a team of professionals with passion and experience; not only in the commercial benefits of accessibility but also of the real life challenges disability, Visits Unlimited and Aveso have joined forces. We are working together to further enhance the power of a Changing Places by education, training and encouragement. Visits Unlimited are a community interest company with over 35 years experience of personal insight in disabled visitor experience. Katie and Matt from “VU”, work tirelessly within the tourist industry to develop the visitor journey and what it would mean for that venue to offer an adaptation or facility for disabled users. This is where Changing Places facilities play a part; within the fantastic work of Visits Unlimited fits the growing demand and necessity for a Changing Places.
We hope to develop and build our relationship with Visits Unlimited to better understand the tourism industry, provide top quality education to providers and their teams, and learn where Changing Places can really make a difference.
I delivered a presentation to Calderdale Council Heads of Services in 2011. They all cried in the isles and said change must happen to improve the lives of families with disabled children. The situation hasn’t improved judging from the evidence in the article link.
http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/nov/25/disabled-children-cuts-no-conscience-austerity