Abstract
Developments in accessible tourism and the provision of information and communication technologies (ICT), mobile, and assistive technologies have arguably not resulted in equitable opportunities for vision-impaired people. This chapter outlines accessible information needs of vision impaired tourists, drawing upon a small-scale project of nine telephone interviews conducted by Wales Council of the Blind. It considers user experiences in the context of ICT to help vision impaired tourists navigate information systems such as travel apps, social media, and websites, assessing how these technologies meet user needs. Interviews focused on information provision, pre-planning and travel stages of the tourism system, and the challenges for universal design. Designers and tourism providers have roles as facilitators of accessible tourism, enabling vision-impaired tourists to feel included in experiences. This requires collaboration across the tourism ecosystem from digital developers and marketers alongside disabled people as active stakeholders.
TopBackground
Tourism is characterised as a period of fun, free time and of escape, yet it is an activity that requires work and preparation (Richards, Pritchard, & Morgan, 2010). It encompasses pre-planning, negotiating travel and in-destination tourist activities (attractions, transport and hospitality experiences). Buhalis and Darcy (2011) in adapting Leiper’s tourism system added accessibility to five areas of amenities, attractions, ancillary services, activities and available tourism packages. Hence, tourism is more than an access issue (Yau et al., 2004). The foundation of any tourism experience is the combination of an accessible destination (Israeli, 2002), appropriate accommodation (Darcy, 2010) and accessible and appropriate information. Darcy and Dickson (2009, p.41) suggest that ‘destinations must have knowledge management in place that presents information in a way that allows individuals with access considerations to make informed decisions for their needs’. Here there are very specific issues for people with vision impairment as information is a point of access to the outside world and is evident in all aspects of daily life.
By comparison to other people with disabilities vision impairment creates an additional barrier in that information is often not in an accessible format. For instance, the Wales Council of the Blind (cited in Richards, 2013) reported that 85% of people with sight problems in Wales cannot read their own post. Yet regardless of the advancements in technology, vision impaired people are still relying on a sighted person to read information for them which according to Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) research proves is ‘clearly a problem, both in terms of privacy and people’s right to live as independently as possible’ (RNIB, 2015).
According to the State of the Nation Eye Health Annual Review (RNIB, 2017) every day 250 more people start to lose their sight in the UK and one in five of us will live with sight loss in our lifetime (RNIB, 2017). Presently although the prevalence of blindness worldwide has decreased as a result of screening, access to low vison services and treatment (for example through international charities such as Sightsavers), there are 36 million people with some form of sight loss (World Health Organisation, 2020). The WHO has estimated that this could treble due to population growth and an ageing population to 115 million people; 4.1 million of these will be in UK by 2050 (including 1000,000 adults with learning disabilities).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Servicescape: A man-made built environment in a tourism space.
Design for All: Design for All is the intervention into environments, products and services that aim to ensure that anyone, including future generations, regardless of age, gender, capacities or cultural background, can participate in social, economic, cultural and leisure activities with equal opportunities.
Abilism: As discrimination by the ‘able-bodied’ of the ‘non able-bodied’.
Residual Vision: Remaining useful vision.
Disablism: Discriminatory, oppressive, or abusive behaviour arising from the belief that disabled people are inferior to others.
Low Vision: Various degrees of vision caused by numerous eye conditions and circumstances.
Assistive Technology: An umbrella term for any device or system that allows an individual to perform a task they would otherwise be unable to do.
Vision Impairment: Term for blind, partially sighted, sight loss, visually impaired.
Orientation: The ability to use one’s remaining senses to understand one’s location in the environment.
Mobility: The capacity of facility of movement.