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Sustainable Tourism
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The Rolling Rains Report
Usability Review: The SPOT Personal Safety Device
Ever find yourself asking, "Who designed this thing anyway?" I do. I also found someone who figured out what to do next. Her story might someday impact us all. Julie Jones is founder and CEO of Engineered Travel. Engineered...
Air Access Code: Are You Ready?
The new disabled passenger rights coming into effect in the EU mean some changes. After explaining some of these changes -- and noting that the fine for violation could be up to £5,000 they note and ask: ABTA is working...
Disasters are Always Inclusive
The Bonn Declaration makes explicit the need for inclusive reconstruction and development. The document begins: In humanitarian emergency situations, persons with disabilities are amongst the most vulnerable groups of society and tend to be disproportionately affected by the impacts of...
TripWolf is Live With 200,000+ Destinations and all MairDumont's Content
OK, this site could be a big development for sharing travel information in the disability community. Now is the time to determine that for yourself. If you like it share it with your friends. Where you see it needs...
Sri Lanka: IDIRAYA and CEAT Tyres Team up for Inclusion
Dr Ajith C S Perera has worked tirelessly to promote Inclusive Destination Development in Sri Lanka through his organization IDIRAYA. Below is an article from Lanka Business Online noting his new sponsor CEAT Tyres....
The ADA Amendments Act is Not the ADA Restoration Act
ADAWatch.org of the National Coalition for Disability Rights offers the following article on current US disability legislation. It reports on the fundamentally flawed legislation known as the ADA Amendments Act which accepts a scarcity model of social resources rather than...
Sydney: Inclusive Tourism Portal Opens
The inclusive tourism market incorporates people with disabilities and those who are ageing and who have access needs (mobility, vision, hearing and communication). Significant numbers of Australians and people from overseas have disabilities – 600 million worldwide. The Australian...
Bicycle Technology: Testbed for New Wheelchair Design
Behind the scenes (sorry, Nondisclosure Agreements in effect), some interesting "Green Wheelchairs" are in development. Take some hints from bicycle designers: Cardboard Bike http://www.cnn.com/2008/TECH/science/06/17/cardboard.bike/ Bamboo Bikes http://www.bamboobike.org/Home.html...
Accessible Hiking Trails?
Several readers specialize in outdoor access and even maintain public web sites on the accessibility of trails. The following grant offer from the American Hiking Society might be enough to convince a hiking-oriented non-profit to do something significant to improve...
Wild Iris Course: Traveling with Disabilities
Wild Iris Medical Education offers a useful course entitled, Traveling with Disabilities and authored by Anne M. Becker, MS, RN, CNS and Miriam R. Breslauer, BS, MS. The course is free through June 30, 2008 Here a description of the...
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Profile
- What is your Interest?
- Corporate Responsibility, Sustainable Development, Environment
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- What would you most like to get out of this network, for example in terms of learning or support?
- In 1999, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced the concept of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). One of its basic ideas is for highly indebted poor countries to develop their own comprehensive strategies on poverty reduction on the principle that civil society should participate in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the poverty reduction strategy (PRS).
Poverty is a cause and a consequence of disability. Although this is evident, we as people with disabilities (PwD) and our NGOs (disabled people's organizations; DPOs) had to learn that PRSPs and the proposed measures did not automatically take our needs and interests into account in the process of being written. Thus PwD and DPOs rarely have the opportunity to participate in the formulation and implementation of PRSPs. A handbook was created to address that problem: www.making-prsp-inclusive.org .
At the concrete level, infrastructure is constructed that "discriminates by design." It is inaccessible and strengthens the ties between poverty and disability by architecturally-enforced exclusion. The Disability Rights Movement invented the concept an seven principles of Universal Design to address this. The goal of Universal Design is social inclusion and full participation in civil society by PwD. This is codified in the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
Tourism is one of the major economic stimulants in many developing countries. Only since 1999 have serious studies of the travel behavior and purchasing power of PwD been done. In the US, to take only one example, in 2005 the 42 million PwD spent $13.6 billion on travel. Slowly the industry has taken note changing the design of the built environment and coming to view PwD as sources of profit central to their economic well-being. Accessible venues, travel packages customized to disability culture, and employees with disabilities have been the ongoing result. In this way the travel and hospitality industry is contributing to poverty alleviation at a systemic level.
This is timely because Article 30 of the CRPD establishes the right to physical access to and programmatic participation in tourism.
Application of Universal Design to the field of travel and hospitality is known as Inclusive Tourism and Inclusive Destination Development.
The need continues for research, training, product & policy development, and marketing.
- What is your current job and/or what field are you studying?
- I consult for several organizations including UNESCAP and the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development
- What knowledge, skills and experience do you have that you would be happy for people to contact you over?
- My work in development revolves around the disability community and the travel and hospitality industry.
- Website Address
- http://www.RollingRains.com
The Centers of Excellence in Inclusive Tourism project proposes establishing three centers in strategic tourism destinations to promote inclusion in tourism and destination management. A description of the project is posted at Changemakers. Recent discussion appears in the window to the right. Add you own comments by posting here.
Thailand's progressive thinking on sustainable tourism has produced a public restroom project featured in this slideshow below. Although tourism can place a strain on existing infrastructure public sanitation is a very important but infrequently discussed topic.
Universal Design is the "social sustainability" solution complimenting green design in this project. We are working on refining and replicating similar projects: Find more photos like this on Article 30 Network
Scott Rains's Blog
An Example of Inclusive Sustainable Development in the Southern Cone of South America
In South America we have a dynamic network ("Rede" in Portuguese; "Red" in Spanish) Turismo para Todos (Tourism for All). It flows from a series of international, continental and local conferences on Universal Design, tourism, development, and disability and was convened by the Inter-American Institute on Disability and Inclusive Development.
The foundational document establishing the connection between Universal Design and sustainable development is known as the… Continue
Tourism, Development, and Disability
In 1999, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) introduced the concept of Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP). One of its basic ideas is for highly indebted poor countries to develop their own comprehensive strategies on poverty reduction on the principle that civil society should participate in the formulation, implementation, monitoring, and evaluation of the poverty reduction strategy (PRS).
Poverty is a cause and a consequence of disability. Although thi… Continue
Posted on April 9th, 2008 at 10:00am —
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Bangkok Recommendations on Accessible Tourism in Asia and the Pacific from ICAT 2007
Bangkok Recommendations on Accessible Tourism in Asia and the Pacific
We, the representatives of Governments, tourism business sector and tourism-related professional organizations, accessibility experts, disabled people's organizations and other civil society organizations, met in Bangkok, Thailand from 22 -24 November 2007 at the Second International Conference on Accessible Tourism,
Appreciate the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, Ministry of Social Development and Human Secu… Continue
Posted on March 11th, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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Inclusive Tourism: A New Strategic Alliance for the Disability Rights Movement
Below is the text of the opening keynote of Presentation to ICAT 2007 held at the UN in Bangkok, Thailand. My appreciation to the various ministries of the Thai government, UNESCAP, and several disabled peoples' organizations (DPOs) including Disabled Peoples International - Asia Pacific (DPI-AP) and the Asia Pacific Disability Forum (APDF).
Dedication Before I begin I would like to dedicate my comments today to my friend Topong Kulkanchit. I met Topong in 2005. We decide… Continue
Dedication Before I begin I would like to dedicate my comments today to my friend Topong Kulkanchit. I met Topong in 2005. We decide… Continue
Posted on February 11th, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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The Global Reach of InclusiveTourism: IATC 2005 Keynote Address
Below is the text of my opening keynote presentation at the 2005 International Conference on Accessible Tourism in Taipei, Taiwan.
In March of this year Steve Fossett made history when he took off from Salina, Kansas in the USA and flew his airplane, the GlobalFlyer, for 67 hours nonstop in a solo around-the-world flight. I have only one half hour to take you all the way around the world and tell you about accessible tourism. Fasten your seatbelts. This will be a very quick flight!
The… Continue
Posted on January 11th, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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eddie mendes commented on the blog post Xenophobia in SOUTH AFRICA - Dangerous in the air 12 hours ago 
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It is so great to hear from you! Thanks so much for your comment!
If there is anything I can do for her from Lijiang, just please feel free to let her to contact with me! I also love to be in touch with her soon!
Thanks!
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Thanks for the comment and email. Looking forward to connecting and reading your website further. All the best.
Tell me about travel and outdoor sports opportunities for people with disabilities in Bulgaria.
Find more photos like this on Article 30 Network
For good, for EVER.