What’s life like for disabled business travellers? Mark Davidson looks at the issues for road warriors with a disability or long-term illness
From Rio to Rangoon, Washington to Warsaw, companies need to retain a competitive edge by sending their workforce around the world. Of course, this is all in a day’s routine for travel buyers, but what happens if one of your best negotiators has a disability or a long-term illness?
Some employees, in order to travel, may not mention a condition to an employer due to fear of being overlooked in favour of a co-worker who may be viewed as more able-bodied, despite the fact that no organisation can discriminate, under the 2010 Equality Act, which replaced the Disability Discrimination Act as part of a consolidation of UK anti-discrimination laws.
Patrick Kuziw is global operations manager at travel risk management and healthcare specialist International SOS. He says: “It is important for both the employee to admit to a pre-existing medical condition, and for an employer to acknowledge and mitigate against any increased medical risks that might be evident from sending that employee to a particular location.
“When we assess medical risk, we consider three key elements: the endemic medical risk within a country; the infrastructure, medical facilities and expertise within that country to deal with a medical issue; and finally the condition and fitness of the employee. It’s important that all parties know what the risks are and can put measures in place to provide adequate support. This is what we help companies to do to deliver a duty of care to their employees.”
One issue can be when an employee wants to travel to a meeting abroad and needs to carry extra items as part of their condition onboard, whether it is a wheelchair, crutches or another piece of medical apparatus. Many airlines have certain allowances when travelling with medical aids. British Airways, for example, will allow passengers to take an unlimited number of wheelchairs or mobility aids in addition to the free baggage allowance. Despite this, it is also pertinent to ensure those at the other end of the journey are aware of any medical condition of your employees.
Kuziw adds: “Many organisations engage companies like ours to assist with the transportation of employees who may need medical assistance on a flight. We use our specialist knowledge and our relationships with many airline medical clearance departments to assist with the transportation of passengers who have specific medical needs. Often, organisations and travel buyers do not have the in-house resources to do this themselves.”
UNIVERSAL NEEDS
One travel buyer says: “Our travel policy encompasses the needs for all employees of the organisation; additional support is provided where appropriate and staff can travel in a higher cabin class, based on their medical condition.”
He adds: “We don’t feel disabled employees lose out when trips are offered by the company. But I think this could be the case in other organisations, when travelling to more remote locations.”
Do companies acknowledge that employees with a disability need to feel valued equally in terms of business travel? “Our company employs staff on the basis of being able to carry out the duties,” replies the buyer. “We don’t believe that impacts on whether business travel would be required or not.”
What about potential medical problems if a flight is delayed or cancelled? SOS’s Kuziw says this is an issue not only for disabled travellers. “Even those travellers who are healthy and well but are taking prescription medicine must be aware of the issues that can arise if their travels are delayed, and they’re are unable to access further supplies. During the ash-cloud crisis, this was one of the biggest issues that travellers faced. We helped several hundred clients with this particular issue.”
BE PREPARED
The majority of organisations are adequately prepared for an employee who might need medical assistance on a long flight, and most have medical emergency assistance programmes in place for their employees. In general, organisations do not tend to have budgets allocated specifically for disabled travellers and equipment, but will allocate the finance on a case-by-case basis.
Another travel buyer for a major company says: “We actively encourage employees with disabilities to travel abroad, as we feel it raises our profile. On one recent trip to India one of our area directors went with a group of employees to meet fellow workers from another company within the group. Despite losing a leg in a car accident a few years ago, it hasn’t stopped our director travelling abroad. In fact the conversation often turns to the technology of his prosthetic limb.”
ENSURING YOU’RE INSURED
However, when it comes to the tricky subject of insurance, how do the insurers feel about disability? It is a complex issue if you are travelling with any pre-existing medical condition, especially if it might affect the trip undertaken. This applies to a large section of the population who have an infirmity or illness classing them as disabled. The stigma of having a disability for many is often compounded when trying to get insurance, as they are considered to be at a higher risk than others.
Many consider the whole system unfair, and there is often the feeling that they are being penalised. Also, the degree of illness or disability will affect the type of insurance cover on offer. There are a number of companies who will not insure people with certain conditions – different types of cancers, for example, or whether the person is blind.
Direct Line offers travel insurance policies for some medical issues but not others. A spokesman says: “When a customer declares a medical condition, we go through a set of medical screening questions to understand their particular situation and to assess whether or not we can provide cover. We can offer policies to people with conditions we don’t cover – so they can have a travel insurance policy for everything else, with a clause excluding cover from claims related to that specific condition. There are specialist travel insurers, such as All Clear, who can provide cover for some conditions beyond what we can provide.”
The spokesman adds: “Travellers looking for specialist cover can also contact BIBA [the British Insurance Brokers’ Association] for advice on finding specialist insurers.”
The AA says: “All our travel insurance policies cover people with disabilities, as well as HIV/Aids, at no extra premium. In fact, there is no specific question asked about disability; whether someone relies on a wheelchair or has other mobility issues is not relevant: indeed such questions cannot be asked under disability discrimination legislation.
Restrictions may apply however, if they are travelling against, or not following, medical advice. Illnesses such as cancer can be considered under a screened policy and if cover is unavailable there are companies that specialise in such cover. It’s also possible to obtain insurance that excludes any claim resulting from a specific complaint.”
Ultimately, if an employee feels they have been unfairly treated, they can make a formal complaint to the Financial Ombudsman. Alternatively, they can contact the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
RAISING AWARENESS
Until recently, many people did not understand the realities of not only being disabled themselves, but what it was like to know someone with an impediment. However, due to the enormous success of the London 2012 Paralympic Games, a far greater section of society will now have a better understanding of disability, and hopefully this will allow those with any issues a fairer say in future.
The games have been a massive wake-up call for those who saw disability as something that did not concern them. As there has been global exposure, there is hope that being in a wheelchair will be seen as part of normal society.
TOP TIPS FOR TRAVEL BUYERS
- Attitudes to disability vary greatly throughout the world. In some cultures, people might not be used to seeing a company CEO with a disability – it may attract some stares, but bear in mind this may simply be because they are not used to meeting people with health issues.
- In the UK, it is a legal requirement for hotels – and meeting rooms for conferences – to provide full access to those in wheelchairs, although there can be limitations on availability. When going abroad, however, laws can differ.
- Always ask questions tailored to your employees’ needs – individuals need different degrees of accessibility. And different countries have different interpretations that can vary greatly.
- Foreign airports may provide free wheelchairs, but these may need to be booked in advance. When flying, ensure there is room near to accessible toilets.
- Public transport is one the biggest headaches, and unlike London’s black cabs, taxis abroad may not have the same facilities to transport wheelchairs.
- If your employee has any pre-existing medical conditions advise them to take a list of requirements translated into the relevant language. Make sure they have equipment that might be hard to purchase.