Winning Track

Organising travel for Britain's Paralympic team has its own unique set of challenges, says Beverley Fearis

TANYA CROOK HAS a busy few months ahead of her. In September, she will be responsible for taking a group of 450 people from the UK to Hong Kong, Macau and then on to Beijing. And if that wasn't challenging enough, around half of these travellers have disabilities. Crook is the chief operating officer for Britain's zoo-strong Paralympic team who will be competing in the Beijing Paralympics.

"All our athletes, and some of the support staff, have different kinds of disabilities," she says. "Some are in wheelchairs, some are visually impaired, others are amputees. A lot of these guys are used to travelling and so it's no different to organising a trip for an able-bodied person. But, for others, you need to think about extra luggage, wheelchairs, getting on and off flights and positioning on flights. "

Of course, few travel managers will have the job of organising a trip for such a large group of disabled travellers, but many are likely to encounter a time when they must consider the travel needs of an employee with a disability.

More than 10 million people in the UK have a disability, of which 6.8 million are of working age - that's the equivalent of 19 per cent of the population.

However, only around half (3 million) are in employment, compared to 81 per cent of non-disabled people of working age.

Recognising the need to create a more equal workforce, many companies, such as Marks & Spencer, and Lloyds TSB, as well as public sector organisations, have put in place initiatives to employ more people with disabilities.

Under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), employers and service providers must make appropriate and reasonable adjustments to allow employees to work more efficiently and without substantial disadvantage. This legislation extends to jobs that involve travelling for business, whether that means taking a taxi or train to a sales meeting, or attending an overseas industry conference.

Frequent traveller and wheelchair user, Philip Friend, knows only too well the trials and tribulations of travelling with a disability. Friend is a partner at Minty & Friend, a firm providing training and advice to companies that want to improve their understanding of disability and diversity, both for employees and for their customers.

"I spend a lot of time travelling, doing training programmes and consultancy across the UK, Europe and the US," says Friend. "I try to avoid flying at all costs. Planes are not wheelchair-friendly. Even if you can get off and on OK, you can't use the toilet. I've had to sit for 11 hours, dehydrated, not able to drink anything because I can't get in to the cubicle."

Able to recall countless bad flying experiences, Friend said he has often arrived at a destination without his wheelchair. "I once flew into Glasgow and my chair came off the plane in bits. They put me in a Dickensian wheelchair and, while a member of the airport staff went off to find some assistance, he parked me in a corner, facing a wall! I was not impressed."

In a well-publicised case in 2004, disabled traveller Bob Ross was awarded £1,336 damages after he refused to pay an £18 charge to Ryanair to take him to his flight at Stansted. The judge ruled that airport operator BAA and Ryanair were jointly responsible for providing the service at Stansted.

As a result, Ryanair now charges a levy on all tickets booked to cover the cost of providing wheelchairs.

But as of July this year, changes to European legislation are due to come into force, making airport authorities responsible for providing services to passengers with disabilities. Under the first phase of this legislation, which has been in place since July 2007, no-one can be "refused carriage on a commercial flight starting or finishing within the EU on the basis of their disability or reduced mobility, subject to legitimate considerations of air safety".

Although there is no UK legislation governing air travel, the majority of UK airlines have signed up to a voluntary Code of Practice called Access to Air Travel for Disabled People, produced by the Department for Transport.

Services offered vary according to the airline, but the majority provide safety cards in large print and Braille, and do not charge for the carriage of basic mobility equipment or for assistance in transferring passengers from check-in to the aircraft seat.

Most airlines require at least 48 hours' notice if a passenger has any additional needs so they can inform airport authorities. British Airways passengers can now book some wheelchair services online rather than phoning, but in more complex cases a call is necessary.

Lufthansa says: "What is important are details about the disability, about necessary assistance, for example if a wheelchair is required, if another person must accompany the passenger or if the disabled passenger is accompanied by a seeing-eye or guide dog."

Like many travellers with disabilities, Philip Friend finds it easier to travel by train where possible. Not only are toilets more accessible, some train operators offer rail cards that give people with restricted mobility free upgrades to First Class. On the downside, ramps and assistance to get on and off trains have to be arranged a few days in advance and not all stations have lifts.

However, wheelchair users such as Friend represent only five per cent of disabled people in the UK. Buyers and suppliers also need to consider the needs of travellers with other types of disability, including those who are blind or deaf, have multiple sclerosis, have a limb amputated, back pain, repetitive strain injury or cancer.

While some travel suppliers offer these travellers just the basic services set out in government guidelines, others have chosen to use their facilities for disabled people to differentiate themselves from the rest of the market. InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG), for example, claims to be the only large UK hotel chain to install ceiling track hoists in some of its properties, enabling a carer to lift and transfer a person from their wheelchair on to the bed or in to the bath, and vice versa.

Such specialised facilities are now provided at several Holiday Inn properties, including Birmingham M6 (Jct. 7), Cardiff City Centre, London Kensington Forum, and Bloomsbury, and at the Crowne Plaza London Heathrow.

Christopher Rawstron, IHG's vice president operations UK and Ireland, explains: "We are excited about our development in this arena and feel confident that, as the only large hotel chain to offer ceiling track hoists in a number of its hotels, we are now better positioned to welcome a wider range of disabled guests.

"Furthermore, the hoists will undoubtedly attract more conference business, especially from those public sector organisations with a duty to promote disability equality."

IHG initiatives also include large print menus, meeting rooms that can accommodate wheelchair users, auxiliary aids for guests with sensory impairments, evacuation chairs, vibrating pager alarm, grab rails, fixtures and fittings at accessible height, and open plan wardrobes with lowered hanging rails. In meeting rooms, it can provide seats with and without arms, turning circles for wheelchair users, and AV equipment that can be operated from a seated position.

Meanwhile, all purplehotels have rooms equipped for travellers with disabilities.

There's easy access to wet room bathrooms with grab rails and bathing aids, and strobe lights and vibrating pillows linked to the hotel's fire alarm.

But, even if a hotel, venue or transport supplier claims to be geared up for travellers with disabilities, it's vital to ask the right questions.

"It's not just about providing ramps for access," says Crook. "You have to look at how thick the carpet is, do bathroom doors open inwards or outwards, how many wheelchairs can you fit in a lift? "Likewise, you have to understand the needs of individual travellers and ask them what they want. Nothing can be presumed."