Act now

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 will be enforced in October 2004. It seems a long way off now, but will you be ready when the time comes? Rob McLuhan reports.

The fact that the hospitality industry is under pressure to provide access to disabled people isn't new. But in three years' time, steps that so far the industry has been merely urged to take will be compulsory.

The impetus for change comes from the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), which makes it unlawful for employers and service providers to treat disabled people less favourably. The legislation has been implemented in stages, with the provisions for service-providers having the status of recommendations until 1 October 2004, when they come into full force.

That has big implications for hospitality firms, especially those in older properties with steps and narrow doorways that can be hard to negotiate. Some face structural changes that could be costly and will certainly require planning.

For those businesses that haven't already done so, now is the time to start preparing for the changes, recommends the Disability Partnership, a charity founded to provide strategic intervention. "Don't wait until 2004 to get hit by a disabled person complaining you aren't providing them with a service," advises development and liaison manager Chris Grace.

Some companies are playing ostrich, hoping there won't be any problems, Grace says. But a few are already making useful adjustments, which is not only sensible but could increase their business.

That's because as many as 11.7 million Britons are officially classed as having impaired functions of one kind or another. That's 20% of the population, and represents a substantial proportion of the paying public. "Make it easy for these people," Grace points out, "and you could gain a competitive edge."

What it means for hospitality owners is being spelt out by Individuall, the rebranded Hoteliers Forum. An initiative of the Disability Partnership, this is an organisation of major hotel chains whose members include Accor, Jarvis, Queens Moat Houses and Millennium & Copthorne. The first step is an access audit that will identify areas of concern (see below).

Reasonable adjustments

Like much similar legislation, the DDA is vague, requiring that firms make "reasonable adjustments". The word "reasonable" is crucial in this context, Grace agrees - clearly businesses are not expected to make changes they cannot afford. For instance, a platform lift to raise wheelchairs could cost thousands and would be justified only if turnover were sufficient.

And a typical bed and breakfast in town, with five steps to the entrance from the street, might in any case find it impossible to get planning permission for a ramp. If this has been refused then no disabled person can expect it. "Most disabled people are pragmatic about where they go, particularly where small hotels are concerned," Grace points out.

However, this is far from the only set of issues companies face. About 600,000 people are confined to a wheelchair, compared with 1.7 million who have a serious sight problem and 8.7 million with some form of hearing impairment.

For deafness, a ready solution presents itself in the form of an induction loop - a microphone and coil that transmits the input to a hearing aid when switched to a particular setting. That is already used in conferences and could be made more widely available.

Hotels can do a lot to help blind people by thinking about their interior decor. Contrasting colours can help the partially sighted to make out shapes, particularly the approach to doorways. Yellow is a particularly good colour to use (Caterer, 16 August, page 26).

Complex and expensive solutions may not be necessary. Only 3% of blind people read Braille, for instance, which means there is limited usefulness in hotels having registration forms in that format. Audio cassettes or computer disks are a more practical alternative, being simple to use and much cheaper.

"I would advise the hotelier to provide what is easiest," says Grace. "A blind person who needs to know what is on the menu will in most cases be satisfied to have it read out."

Many problems facing disabled people simply require help and support. That means training, and the Disability Partnership recently produced a CD instruction package to show staff how to take care of disabled guests.

Instead of getting impatient with a guest who is taking a long time to fill out registration forms, reception staff could recognise a case of learning difficulties and go to their assistance. And if someone asks for help carrying light luggage it is not necessarily because they are too lazy to do it themselves but because they suffer from a bad back.

What is clear is that doing nothing is not an option. A disabled person who feels discriminated against will have recourse to the courts, but is more likely to complain to the Disability Rights Commission. This can take up cases on their behalf, and so far has a 100% success rate, achieving an out-of-court settlement or winning costs.

But there is also a commercial incentive that makes it pay to take the issue seriously. Grace, himself wheelchair-bound, once worked for an organisation that regularly used large hotels as venues for training. In one case, a hotel gave assurances that it had facilities for the disabled, but Grace checked it out first. He discovered that in fact there were several single steps and tight turns to doorways.

What was worse was the manager's attitude, which was that it didn't really matter and that there was nothing that could be done. As a result, the hotel lost not just that job but any chance of repeat business, which could have been substantial.

Ground-floor access
Most large companies are already a long way down the road to complying with the DDA. For instance, Hilton already has rooms specially fitted for the disabled, which include ground-floor access, specially designed shower cubicles, and low beds. It is running a nationwide audit of its properties to determine what more needs to be done.

And in what Hilton believes is the first scheme of its kind among UK hotels, it aims to have 10,000 of its staff fully trained in disability awareness within the next 12 months. Its policy is being extended to its LivingWell health club organisation.

Meanwhile, Thistle has made significant alterations to its Mount Royal hotel in Marble Arch, London, adapting bedrooms and providing a deaf-alert system, Braille menus and a low-level reception desk.

And London's Cop-thorne Tara hotel provides interconnecting rooms, extra-wide doors, and emergency flash lighting, as well as mechanical aids in some of the rooms.

Companies can take advantage of the audit provided by Individuall's Holiday Care Service. This grades properties in three categories - those accessible to wheelchair users travelling independently, those where they require assistance, and those where they would have little mobility.

The service has been used by Queens Moat Houses, which so far has had 35 of its 43 hotels examined for potential improvements. Only two offer easy access, while seven are in category two. The majority are in the most restricted category, and will require structural changes. The company has an ongoing programme of upgrades and many of its hotels already have features for the disabled, such as Braille on door signs and lift buttons, and vibrating pillows to enable the hard of hearing to receive phone calls.

At the other extreme, small businesses with old properties are used to receiving disabled guests, yet face practical limits in what they can offer. The Fox Inn near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, occasionally welcomes people in wheelchairs for meals. "We always make sure someone is around to give assistance when they leave and arrive," says owner Kirk Ritchie. It would be difficult for them to stay in the bedrooms, though, because of the tight doorways and the structural impossibility of installing a lift, he adds.

At 16th-century Ynyshir Hall in Machynlleth, Powys, owner Joan Reen says she has worked hard to provide disabled access. This includes adapting bedrooms to ensure there are no steps, and providing grab handles.

"A lot of it is about being helpful," Reen says. "We get elderly people who may have heart problems that make it difficult to manage stairs. With blind people it's about being mindful of the fact that they can't read the menu. When you are fully able yourself it's difficult to put yourself in the position of someone who isn't."

What you can do

Commission an access audit, an on-site inspection that will provide a run-down of the building's access weaknesses and suggest improvements.

The audit can be carried out by Holiday Care Service, a consultancy working in partnership with Individuall and tourist boards. It costs £125 plus VAT and travel expenses for properties of up to 19 bedrooms, and £200 for those of 20 or more.

Holiday Care will also put owners in touch with suppliers of specialist construction and equipment.

Structural changes for wheelchair users could include automatic doors, disabled toilets, ramps and lifts, and widened doorways. Also consider changes to bedrooms, including low beds and mechanical equipment in bathrooms.

Measures for the hard of hearing could include induction coils that transmit directly to hearing aids and vibrating devices to alert them to ringing phones.

For the partially sighted, consider changes to the decor to provide greater contrast, and large-print signage. The blind will benefit from Braille signs, information leaflets and forms.

Make sure you train your staff to be aware of the needs of the disabled. Individuall supplies a CD learning pack.

Care and attention that make the disabled feel looked after will often make up for lack of facilities.

What it might cost*

Potential changes to a city-centre hotel, a 90-year-old listed building with 260 bedrooms on six floors:

• Automatic doors and front entrance ramp, £15,000.
• Dropped reception counter and induction loop, £15,000.
• Alter door widths, £10,000.
• Modification of emergency exits, £5,000.
• Alterations to enable people with sensory impairments to control lifts, £120,000.
• Upgrade 5% of guest bedrooms for wheelchair users, £200,000.
• Upgrade signage to accommodate people with learning difficulties, £8,000.
• Wheelchair access to toilets in public areas, £15,000.
• Portable vibrating alarms for people with hearing impairment, £10,000.
• Staff training in disability awareness, £2,000.

Total, £400,000
** Compiled by Stuart G Roberts, associate at property company GVA Grimley*

Disabled employees

Employers with 15 or more staff are obliged by the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) to ensure that discrimination does not occur in the workplace or in relation to recruitment and dismissal. This includes structural changes that make it possible for the disabled to carry out their duties on the same terms as colleagues.

Examples include moving a workstation to a more accessible location, improving access routes and ensuring that they are free of clutter, and providing better contrast in the decor to help those with a visual impairment.

Some disabilities require modifications to equipment, for instance a telephone with text display for use by a deaf person.

The DDA also includes people with progressive diseases such as HIV or cancer. Procedural changes could mean arranging for an outdoor employee who develops mobility problems to move to a desk job. Others include:

• Flexibility on working hours to fit in with the availability of a carer, or to avoid rush hours.
• Allowing absences during working hours for rehabilitation, assessment or treatment.
• Providing appropriate training,eg, helping a visually impaired person to use a computer with speech output.
• Making instructions and manuals more accessible, eg, providing a Braille version for a blind person.

Contacts

• Advice and information: Individuall (the Disability Partnership) 01273 464518; mobile 07776 258266 e-mail:chris.grace@ir.gsi.gov.uk
• Disability Rights Commission (DRC) 08457 622633
  www.drc-gb.org(provides codes of practice)
• Access audits: Holiday Care Service 01293 771500

Have you had difficulties with the DDA? E-mail:rosalind.mullen@rbi.co.uk

Additional information provided by Huw Dixon, chartered surveyor with Lambert Smith Hampton, and Stuart G Roberts, associate at property company GVA Grimley.