Tourism celebrates inclusio n

Run by Spinal Life Australia, the EnABLED Business program is funded under the Queensland Government’s Growing Workforce Participation Fund and provides one-on-one mentoring and disability awareness training, as well as connections to potential employees with a disability.

Moreton Bay Region Industry and Tourism (MBRIT) Tourism and Industry Development manager Renee Gusa says the timing couldn’t be better, with the State Government declaring 2023 the Year of Accessible Tourism.

“It’s an opportunity for businesses - including tourism and hospitality operators - to think about how they can welcome an area of the market that’s been under-serviced,” Renee says.

“It’s about changing perceptions, really, and understanding that when we think about the word ‘disability’ we have this icon which is a wheelchair, which only represents four percent of people with a disability.

“Spinal Life recognises not all disabilities are the same, but accessibility for wheelchair users also enables access for people using walkers, frames, trolleys and prams. The program considers all disability types and access needs.”

Renee says she and Spinal Life Australia Business Inclusion and Diversity officer Brendan Somerville are talking with businesses about improvements they can make.

“As an industry, we were ignoring a whole user group - one in five domestic travellers has a disability."

“It’s not just focusing on wheelchairs - there’s also the vision-impaired and hearing-impaired market and we’re talking to cruise vendors about how to make their vessels more accessible.”

Renee says there’s a focus on catering to the needs of people with unseen disabilities such as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) - from both a consumer and employment perspective.

“Many families with kids on the spectrum don’t travel because of sensory considerations.

“But knowing what it’s going to be like and what it’s going to smell like can break down those barriers.”

She says the needs of an ageing population are on the agenda, as well as those of residents with disabilities who have family come to visit.

“People have families to stay and send their families to tourism experiences while they stay home, because they don’t want to be a burden.”

Renee’s focus on accessibility was sparked about six years ago when she received an email from a North Lakes resident whose parents were due to visit from the UK.

“My dad is a wheelchair user, can you recommend places they could visit that would be accessible for him?” the email asked.

“I thought it would be easy to find information, but when I started to search there was none,” Renee recalls. Since then, she’s worked with Moreton Bay Regional Council Access and Inclusion officer Andrew Monaghan, disability advocate the late Matt McCracken and Spinal Life Australia to change that.

“Our Visit Moreton Bay website has an accessibility portal, which also has new accessibility software to ensure people of all abilities can use it,” Renee says.

“Among the features are the ability to convert content from text to speech, change text and background colours to assist with dyslexia and translate to over 100 different languages.”

Sister site Visit Moreton Bay Region For All is a comprehensive guide to the region - with tips on the best spots to park, location of toilets and seating and sensory considerations.

Brendan from Spinal Life Australia says EnABLED Business is an opportunity for owners to seek advice about being more accessible.

“It’s all about businesses in the region becoming more confident to welcome customers with disabilities and helping them consider people with disabilities as they’re recruiting,” he says.

“Some of the changes so far have been things like signage in the wrong place - like too high or a contrast of the wrong colours making it difficult for people who are colour-blind - or websites that are not accessible.

“People have good will, they want to be more accessible, they just don’t know how to achieve it.”

EnABLED Business runs until September, with participants receiving a comprehensive report after working with Brendan, who says good accessibility is good business.

Moreton Bay Regional Council Mayor Peter Flannery says the region has long been a friendly place for people of all abilities to call home and feel welcomed without discrimination, but there’s always more to do.

“Twenty per cent of people in Moreton Bay live with some form of disability and many parts of our region have a significant proportion of elderly residents, so providing accessible infrastructure for everyone is (important),” he says.