Accessibility is a bare necessity – part 4

A series of 4: Accessibility is a bare necessity. Part 4: TIME MANAGEMENT

Accessibility is a bare necessity – a series in ‘Awareness First’​

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4: TIME MANAGEMENT

In a series of 4, we will share some tips and insights. How easy it can be to implement accessibility in all its variety of do’s and don’ts in your business, and how to make a start.

the biggest issue of all: Time Management. That is what this last article, in this Awareness series of 4, is all about.

Awareness is necessary, and starts with a change of mind or SWITCH, as we call it. When AccessibleTravel.Online was founded after years of working towards a working solution in travel planning for travelers with a disability, we had 2 building stones to start with.

One is the absolute need for reliable accessibility information, and two is to save energy and time, two precious and important life elements that people with a disability do not control as they need to adjust to their level of energy and following available time on a daily basis.

BUILD GLOBAL WORK LOCAL

Building global, working local is one of our companies motto’s. In the online world it is very, very difficult to know for sure if accessibility information is reliable or correct.

In fact, you cannot check it unless you go there yourself.

ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL PROFESSIONALS

Because TO KNOW FOR SURE is the number one priority for travelers with a disability, we had set up an accessible travel network with local offices. These accessible travel specialists or associates know their city, the region.

They have local connections with transport, repair and medical services companies. They know what restaurants or attractions are accessible.

This is key when it comes to saving energy and time. We carefully select our partners to be sure to recommend professionals who can help you plan your holidays, saving you lots of energy and time to sort things out.

SUPPORT

As we advocate for change in the travel world, we need support from the community as well. You cannot expect change to happen, and be able to book your holidays without worries if you continue to approach the huge travel websites where numerous things still go wrong.

APPS – change is a 2 way street

The same goes for the all these wonderful apps that have been developed, like the Lazarillo app (for blind or visually impaired people), or the Welcome app (to make sure any arrival is royal and worriless).

Change is a 2 way street: if there is a huge demand, companies will use the app for their customers. However, if people download the app, but never use it, or expect to have a choice in at least 500 locations first, all efforts and improvements will fade in silence.

Besides knowing if there is a ramp available (something you can check at AccessAdvisr in Europe), accessibility is so much more than that. Knowing if you can visit a place in advance, avoiding disappointment and arrival anxiety is a huge time and energy saver.

So, we always look for professionals to work with and encourage property owners, attractions and tourist highlights executives or accommodation managers to check their time management and schedule priorities in another way.

INVEST AND STAY AHEAD

If you want to improve your customer services, and stay ahead of the competition you simply need to invest in saving time and energy for your customers.

That includes sharing detailed accessibility information (online and in other media) and:

the important acknowledgement that investments need to be made only once, serving many customers for years to come.

Accessibility is a bare necessity, a series in ‘Awareness First’ 1: FINANCIAL

Accessibility is a bare necessity, a series in ‘Awareness First’ 2: PERSONAL

Accessibility is a bare necessity, a series in ‘Awareness First’ 3: TECHNICAL

Accessibility is a bare necessity, a series in ‘Awareness First’ 4: TIME MANAGEMENT

Publication date 17 January 2020

These 4 articles in the series Awareness First are free to share using the following credits: written by Marlies van Sint Annaland, Founder Accessible Travel Online.