Undoubtedly there has been a positive increase in the level of awareness surrounding mental and physical disability in recent years. Inclusive sporting events such as the Paralympics and Invictus Games have helped, and wide spread media commentary is increasing understanding and support for mental illness. Yet disability both physical and mental can still be a real challenge for business travellers. Oversights – and therefore discrimination – take the form of ill-conceived ‘accessible’ facilities in hotels and neglecting those with hidden disabilities such as autism, dementia and anxiety.
In an article in The Business Travel Magazine, disability consultant Ross Smith, who is a wheelchair user and travels with a PA to help him, highlighted the difficulties he encounters. Showers alone are a minefield. “There is a big disconnect between a walk-in shower and a wet room,” he says. “A walk-in shower can mean a shower in a cubicle you can’t get a shower chair in and you have to step up over the threshold, which can be inaccessible. You have to say wet room, roll-in.” One walk-in shower/wet room he booked had a bath. Travel managers need to discuss their requirements with disabled travellers and convey these to bookers, including how to describe accessible facilities, to remove any possibility that the traveller cannot use them.
Travel managers need to discuss their requirements with disabled travellers and convey these to bookers, including how to describe accessible facilities, to remove any possibility that the traveller cannot use them.
If the culture of a company is all embracing, there should be a travel policy that follows suit, but this may require greater thought and analysis than might at first be apparent. A truly diverse company that reflects the huge variety of human life on the planet is not only realistic, it is a positive culture that boosts recruitment and aids retention. It also leads to higher individual performance, adding up to a healthier bottom line; in short, it is a commercial imperative. But as Dave Leonard says: “One day we shouldn’t have to be talking about this, that’s the goal.”
Virgin Atlantic's Accessibility manager, Geraldine Lundy has recently launched Virgin's hidden disability scheme, to support travellers who do not have an obvious disability. She says "In the UK, approximately 19% of people have a disability, and yet statistics reported by Heathrow airport in 2017 suggest that only 1.68 in 100 passengers declared a disability. Some will have a disability and choose not to declare it, but many also choose not to fly". The amount of disabled individuals choosing to fly is increasing but there is work to be done to provide greater support to these individuals and not all airports are as ready as they should be. For instance, ensuring you have the right type of wheelchairs available so that people can move independently is key and failure to do this landed one UK airport in the center of a media storm recently.
Lundy continues "there are legal requirements that airlines have to follow, for instance, for an aircraft for over 60 people you must have accessible toilets and an accessible aisle chair". At Virgin Atlantic however they are going beyond the legal requirements. Feedback from disabled passengers revealed that frustrations were born out of providing extensive information to airlines at point of sale and then receiving no help as part of the actual travel experience.
Virgin Atlantic opted for a discreet symbol that can be worn as a badge or included as a marker within your passport, or on your phone based on feedback from other schemes. For instance, the green and yellow lanyard scheme adopted in some airports and supermarkets was a strong identifier, but customers wanted something more discreet. "If it's our symbol, whether as a badge or on your phone, then all Virgin staff, absolutely anyone in uniform is trained to help you". continued Lundy.
Part of knowing how to help is knowing not to make assumptions. Virgin's crew are trained to ask how they can help, rather than assuming they already know, "within the same disability are huge variations. If you've met one person with autism, then you've met one person with autism" says Lundy. For instance, one Virgin Atlantic client travels with high functioning autism. They travel alone and the only point at which they require help is at baggage collection. "They struggle with things that go in circles, so it's important for someone to take their luggage off the conveyor belt for them". says Lundy.
Change is clearly on the horizon. For the first time the UK Aviation Strategy for 2050 includes accessible air travel stating "One in five UK adults has a limiting disability or health condition and over half of those with such conditions say they find accessing or using airports difficult and/or find flying difficult in general. In addition to being the right thing to do, there is a clear commercial case for the industry to do more to make it easier for disabled people to fly."