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Accommodation & catering accessibility for disability

The research conducted by FIRR in 2009 indicated that there were significant barriers in accessibility of hotel/accommodation and catering services to people with various disabilities. Only 2% of examined hotels employed person using sign language. None of them offered information or other material printed in Braille. In case of catering services, more than half of them were inaccessible for people with physical disabilities because of architectonic barriers. Only in case of 2% of restaurants the special training in disability issues was conducted and none of the hotels had such training so far. The conclusion of the research was that the staff of hotel and catering services did not have skills necessary to provide adequate services to clients with disabilities what was a consequence of certain lack of coverage of that subject in available vocational training offer. The provision of full access to hotel and catering services for all clients without discrimination on the ground of disability is one of obligations of modern European society. The necessary condition for that is to prepare qualified human resources to provide proper services in mentioned sectors. Great experience of Action For Blind People from Great Britain and National Youth Association For Family Action from Portugal as well as efficient project management of Foundation for Co-operation Fund gave enormous opportunity for improvement of hotel and catering services in Poland. The Foundation Institute for Regional Development since its establishment has promote inclusion of people with disabilities in all areas of social and economic life. The experience of all four partners ensured the realistic assessment of needs and practical implementation of best possible solutions. Among hard results of the projects are: training frame curriculum for personnel and management staff of hotel and catering services, pilot training of 40 employees of hotels and restaurants, qualification assessment mechanism for staff of addressed sectors in relation to services to clients with disabilities, elaboration of manual for hotel and catering services.The outcome of the project certainly includes raised awareness, developed specific skills and expertise of addressed sector and development of qualifications of their staff. The benefits from project activities and results for target groups (for example increase in the number of clients because of clients with disabilities) will encourage others. The Opening of hotel and catering sector to clients with disabilities will rise social awareness and increase level of social inclusion of that disadvantaged group. For hotel and catering sector, it gives the chance to widen their offer, increase of the competitiveness both of addressed services as a whole and position of particular employee involved in the project on the European labour market.

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