Please help...

[michellelai_18]

Good evening to you all.
My name is Michelle Lai and I am a 3rd year university student studying Tourism for my degree at Southampton Solent University.
For my final year project I have been asked to do a dissertation and I have chosen the topic of “Disabled people and they reasons they pick their hotel when they go on holiday: politeness of staff, trained staff or quality of disabled facilities.
I would be very grateful if you could all help with my primary research and tell me and stories or past experiences (whether good or bad) you have had at a hotel whilst on holiday and if you don’t mind to leave or PM me your name and contact details if you don’t mind me contacting you!

Hope to hear from many of you soon!!

Thanks for your time

Michelle Lai

[ckalby]

This is a subject very near and dear to my heart. My twin brother & younger sister both are in wheelchairs, unable to move pretty much any muscle. Our family travels quite a lot and we have had both VERY good and VERY VERY bad experiences. I will tell you one in particular and then you can contact me for further information.

I took my brother to Tennesse for a trip just before he was in a wheelchair fulltime. He has muscular dystrophy along with being mentally challenged. We reserved our hotel room MONTHS in advance and I explained at that time what our needs were and why. Upon arrival, late in the afternoon we were informed our room was in fact not handicapped accessible and they were sorry. When I impressed upon them that I had in fact reserved our room that way they explained that those requests are just that similar to a non-smoking room for example and that they do their bes to accomodate but are not required to do so.

Needless to say I pitched enough of a fit that they found us other accomodations in another hotel nearby but what a stressor to put in our trip so early on.

I will say that for disabled travel cruising is the way to go, the newer ships are almost entirely accessible and the only part that isn't is a bar on the 11 deck.... who cares!
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Please make sure to check out my website at www.accesstheustravel.com

[jalban]

Hi there

As a disabled person myself, who, yes, has had very good, and very bad experiences with "accessible" holidays, I then decided to start my own company offering just that - a truly accessible holiday!

I think a large part of the problem from a disabled person's point of view is that often they are reliant on a support service, and that is hard enough to arrange when at home, let alone on holiday, so if you do require personal support then that can be very off putting. Also traditionally disabled people have often only been offered "charitable" holidays. Invariably run by a large charity, staffed by volunteers, etc and that is extremely offputting - I am always stating that I am not a project for a charity, a bunch of do gooders, etc and more importantly I want choice and control over my holiday. I want to be like anyone else, get some brochures, choose where I want to go, decide if I want self-catering or full board etc, and especially choose who I actually go on holiday with!

Admittedly I don't have a huge amount of choice of where I can go because the travel industry doesn't seem to have cottoned onto the fact that I like any other person does want to go on holiday! God knows I work hard enough I deserve one too!!

Anyway if you want to contact me please do. I am more than happy to share experiences and also to shed a bit of light on what people like me actually want from a holiday!

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Jacqui Alban

http://www.ineedaholidaytoo.com

Making life and holidays accessible for you!