Poor Entrances Example 2/25/2010 Even Small Steps Block Many People From Entering Photo: shows an entrance to a building showing an approximate 2" lip (shown wiith an arrow). A man carrying a coffee urn is about to open the door. Photo: shown is the entrance to a historical red brick building. There are two steps at the entrance and a handrail on on side of the steps. 2/25/2010 The Path Of Travel To The Level Entrance Is Very Important Photo: A person is struggliing to push a male wheelchair user up a rocky slope to an outdoor restroom. The restoom has two wide doors, lever handles and a level landing in front of the doors. 2/25/2010 Level Entrances Allow Everyone To Enter Photo: Level entrance to an interpretive areaPhoto: Interpretive center showing a level entrance, with a wide concrete path leadiing up to it. The main entrance looks like an entrance to a mine. Located besid it is a replica store front. Studies Show Barriers Source: Attitudes of People with Disabilities towards, hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars'. Research conducted by Caterer & Hotelkeeper in association with AVF Marketing Ltd, October 2005. 2/25/2010 2/25/2010 Problems WithSeating, Access To The Bar, Signs, And Menus .Table placement was inadequate for 23.9% of disabled customers. An example of seating difficulties is that wheelchair users invariably find they cannot place their knees under the table and have to sit too far away from the table for comfort. Photo: Shows an older man in a suit, sitting at a table with a menu and a coffe cup and saucer on the table 2/25/2010 Parking and Restroom Barriers .34.6% highlighted the fact that accessible car parking was either unavailable or had been occupied by non-disabled drivers. .By far, the largest barrier was access to an accessible toilet. 48% stated that this was poor in restaurants. Photo: shows an accessible parking stallPhoto: a white toilet 2/25/2010 Visitor Opinions About Parks .Barriers: .Narrow width of doorway in restrooms .Lack of grab bars in restrooms .Lack of accessible trails .Lack of appropriate urinal height .Lack of accessible restrooms .Source: National Center on Accessibility and National Parks Service (2001) Photo: Scene of a lake wiith a mountain in the distance. A branch of a tree is in the fore-ground 2/25/2010 Attitudes Are Key .Study showed that attitudes and visitor etiquette was a problem .Source: Attitudes of People with Disabilities towards, hotels, restaurants, pubs and bars'. Research conducted by Caterer & Hotelkeeper in association with AVF Marketing Ltd, October 2005. So, Who Is Visiting Your Byway? What Are Their Needs? .Physical .Auditory .Visual .Cognitive (Many disabilities are hidden!) Some are born with a disability. Others acquire it later in life. 2/25/2010 Photo: Several people (8-9) are located on an overlook lookng at a vista of a range of mountains. They all have their backs to us. One man is a wheelchair user. The Economic Imperative Are You Ready for the Market? 2/25/2010 There Are Two Groups To Understand: Persons With Disabilities And Older Adults .Both can be considered to be untapped markets, but definitely not “niche” markets .They seldom go alone: Multiplier Effect Photo of man on a beach sitting in a wheelchair made for outdoor water activities. The chair has large yellow wheels and has a metal framePhoto of older man repairing a bicycle2/25/2010 Travelers With Disabilities Photo: shows a male wheelchair user fishing in a stream. He is located on what looks like a pile of rocks. Another man is sitting on a rock beside him.•Spend more than $13 billion year; 17 million hotel visits; 9.4 million airline flights •Adventure travel increasing in popularity (Who wouldn’t want these travelers?!) 2/25/2010 Source: Open Doors Organization, Chicago, IL www.TheDisabledTraveler.com Older Travelers Are A Growing Market .Our population is aging .Soon nearly 20% of the population will be older than 55. .And this trend is the same for our international visitors 2/25/2010 Photo: shows two older adults (male and female) who are facing forward, embracing and smiling. We Would Travel if it Were Accessible .About 48% have stated that they would travel more frequently if more accessible services were available. .BMWA -Federal Ministry of Economic and Labour (2004) Economic Impulses of Accessible Tourism for All. Cited in OSSATE Accessibility Market and Stakeholder Analysis 2005 2/25/2010 Many Travelers Want An Accessible Destination .In the U.S., 16 million travelers (or 9% of all American travelers) indicated that an accessible travel destination was highly importantto them when choosing a destination .Another 32 million (or 18%)indicated it was somewhat important to them. 2/25/2010 Baby Boomers Often Seek Out Certain Features .While they may not think of themselves as having disabilities, people 50+ often seek out businesses that accommodate those changes offering better lighting, less ambient noise, and fewer stairs. Source: U.S. Dept of Justice .Fast food restaurant chains are widely used because there is consistency in their design. The consumer knows their level of accessibility before they enter. 2/25/2010 Photo of a Wendy's restaurant We Have To Prepare Our Byways And Ensure They Are Accessible We must prepare for the future or we won’t have many visitors coming to our byway! 2/25/2010 So What Should We Do? Evaluate and Plan! 2/25/2010 Evaluate: If You Went For A Drive With A Person With A Disability Or An Older Adult Along Your Byway… What Would They Tell You About Their Experience? 2/25/2010 Go For A Drive Down Your Byway 2/25/2010 Attractions Visitor Centers Marketing Interpretive Outdoor Recreation We must think about all aspects along our byways, and also how we are marketing their level of accessibility and inclusion Who Needs To Come Along? .Bring along people who have the lived experience: people with disabilities and older adults. .Get input from a wheelchair user, a person with a visual disability, and one with a hearing disability: itwill open up your eyes! .Get input from parents with young children. .If you have an accessibility specialist, bring them along too. They will know correct dimensions. 2/25/2010 Photo of three people with disabilities taking measurements along an urban street. There are two wheelchair users holding measuring tapes and a woman with a white cane. The woman and one man are assessing a trash receptacle. Take Your Camera And A Clip Board Along Clip art of a happy face wearing a hat and holding a camera2/25/2010 Clip Art of a clip board 2/25/2010 Ensure That You Have Accessibility Liaison(s): .Works with Byway Coordinator .Ongoing .On your committee .Community liaisons: Person with a disability and older adults .Will assist with evaluation and planning Photo of three women chatting on an outdoor wooden walkway. One woman is a scooter user, one is a white cane user and one is sitting down on the walk way What Do We Need To Look At? .Outdoor recreation areas .Roadside exhibits .Interpretive centers, museums .Main attractions .Trails and access routes .Wayside pullouts .Information that is provided .Pre-trip marketing materials: websites, brochures, etc. .Historical properties 2/25/2010 Scenic Photo: Shown is a fountain with a concrete pillar in the center and approximatly 12 bronze geese flying. the fountain is circular with a circular wooden walkway apron. It is set on a point overlooking a large body of water with a large vehicular bridge in the distance. .Observation platforms .Overlooks, viewpoints .Telescopes .Parking .Pullouts 2/25/2010 Cultural .Dining options .Viewpoints .Public events .Museums .Visitor centers .Interpretive displays Photo: shown is a crab or lobster trap setting on a dock. In the background we see a numberof motor boats docked. 2/25/2010 Hooper’s Island, MD Chesapeake Country Scenic Byway Archaeological .Trails and pathways .Access to artifacts, dig sites .Interpretive signage, displays .Visitor centers .Benches, rest areas .Viewpoints 2/25/2010 Bandelier National Monument Jemez Mountain Trail Scenic Byway Recreational Photo: shown is a campsite with 14 people sitting around a campfire. All are sitting on lawn chairs and one man is standing. .Hike / Bike trails .Fishing .Skiing .Rafting .Birding .Gardens .And more … 2/25/2010 Historic Photo: shown is an old mill building. A sign is shown "Old Wye Mill". We see three large mill stones resting against the building. There is a red brick walkway along the perimeter of the building. There are two entrances shown: one on the side of the building looks like it is elevated with a small deck and does not appear to be accessible. Another door is located at the foundation level and is open. There are steps in the grass leading down to it. .Museums .Historic structures .Interpretive signage .Interactive exhibits .Docents .Parking /access routes 2/25/2010 Historical Properties .Balance between accessibility and historical preservation .Changes can be minor or major .Often programmatic changes will be allowable .See Case Studies .See: Resources: Preservation Brief 32 2/25/2010 Photo of a heritage building showing an addition at the back/side and an accessible entrance. A yellow arrow points to the entranceTechnical Preservation Services, National Park Service: Dept of the Interior: http://www.nps.gov/hps/tps/briefs/brief32.htm Natural Photo: shown is a grassy walkway along a small lake. Also shown is a small sign on a pole that is not legible. Photo: shown is a trail head. Shown are a trail head sign, a gate with with a large opening toward the trail. The trail through the woods is level and looks like it about 10-12 feet wide, and looks like a hard packed surface. .Trailheads and trail information .Interpretive signage .Facilities and features .Overlooks, viewpoints 2/25/2010 2/25/2010 How Do Visitors Of All Abilities Connect To YOURByway? .Ensure you are marketingyour great universal design features in all your brochures, websites, etc. .Also ensure your websiteis accessible! 2/25/2010 Are Your Websites Accessible? Federal websites or any websites using Federal dollars must be 508 compliant Image of the America's Byway Resource Center Website front page To Learn More About Web Accessibility .WC3 Web Accessibility Initiative .Intro to web accessibility .How people with disabilities use the web .Developing a web accessibility business case for your organization .See: http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/accessibility.php 2/25/2010 Image of the WC3 Web Accessibility Initiative home page Identify Good Features, Problems and Possible Solutions Also gather information from visitors Photo of an accessible parking stall with a palm tree and a pole in the middle of it2/25/2010 Next Step: Plan! .Develop an accessibility/universal design strategic plan .Incorporate universal design planning into your corridor management plan .Re-evaluate and plan periodically 2/25/2010 Clip Art of pen beside check boxes with top one checked Finally: It Takes A Team Approach To Make Changes .The byways team must now work together to make changes .All team members and stakeholders must be involved: coordinators, users, designers, architects, builders, tourism, economic development, planners, grant seekers, etc. 2/25/2010 Photo of many hands (12) on the sand forming a circle. We see various sizes and colors of hands Summary .You have now had a very brief overview of universal design .Why it is important to our byways .Why we need to be savvy about the aging and disability markets .Some of the barriers our visitors are facing .Some ideas on making a more friendly byway experience .See the Resources Handout for further information 2/25/2010 Want To Learn More? .Ask me about our Full Day Workshops .Visit our website: www.bywaysresourcecenter.orgfor resource information 2/25/2010 Full Day Workshop: Some Things You Will Learn 1.Disability and Aging Awareness 2.Common Barriers Along our Byways 3.What is Universal Design? 4.The Economic Imperative 5.Evaluating Your Byway for Universal Design 6.Planning Our Byways for the Future 7.Learning Through Case Studies 8.Learning Through a Site Visit 2/25/2010 Our Goal is to help YOUenhance the VISITOR’Sexperience! Byways are about the Visitor’s Experience… Think about how can you work to connect alltravelers to the intrinsic qualities of your byway. 2/25/2010 Resources .US Dept of Agriculture Forest Service (2006). Accessibility Guidebook for Outdoor Recreation and Trails. http://www.fs.fed.us/recreation/programs/accessibility. .Zeller, J. (2004). Byways for Everyone: Making Sure Your Byway is Accessible. America’s Byways Resource Center: http://www.bywaysresourcecenter.org. 2/25/2010 Questions? 2/25/2010 Photo of a sunset showing mountains, a sliver of the moon against a purple and pink sky 2/25/2010 Disclaimer .America’s Byways Resource Center is a division of the Arrowhead Regional Development Commission (ARDC) in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration(FHWA). This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration and Arrowhead Regional Development Commission under cooperative Agreement No. DTFH61-08-H-00007. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the Federal Highway Administration and /or Arrowhead Regional Development Commission. Workshop Content Developed by: Laurie Ringaert, DSL Design Consulting, Apex, NC