A Call for Cool Accessible Tourism Photos - Get Published, Get Exposure!

As outlined yesterday, we are finally about to publish two books on accessible tourism, one on concepts and issues, and the other on international case studies. Both these have been under preparation for some 2 to 3 years where calls went out for contributors. All up there are some 40 chapters.

However, I am still looking for contributions for photographs to include on the front covers.

The frontcover concept that we are considering is four images that best represent the dimensions of disability being mobility, hearing, vision and cognitive that would be arranged as postcards on the front cover.

While there are plethora of images around mobility (wheelies doing all sorts of cool holiday activities), images of people with vision, hearing and cognitive impairments are a little more difficult to obtain.

Probably for the vision image we would be looking for a visually impaired or blind person who person who uses a guide dog or white stick doing something in a holiday scenario. I have a reasonably good one of somebody boarding an airline with their guide dog but would like something more active.

For people who are Deaf or have a vision impairment the image would probably entail some sort of interpretive service where a sign language interpreter is present.

From the cognitive perspective, it will probably be an image of somebody with a visible intellectual or developmental disability like down syndrome who is enjoying a active recreation/holiday experience.

Do you get what I mean?

These images must be your own where you could grant permission to use the images, must be high resolution and in exchange your photography will be credited within the book. If you have other people who you think could contribute such images please do not hesitate to forward this blog post to them.

For the second book, we are also on the outlook for images that consider the supply side such as accessible transport, attractions, hotels, outdoor infrastructure, signage, guidebooks etc. Of course, if we can get a wide geographic spread of iconic images then this may also be a consideration. For example, Photo 1 is of the Sydney Opera House that we took for a research project we were doing that shows an accessible pathway down to one of the wonderful restaurant/bar areas.

Photo 1:  Accessible pathway at the Sydney Opera House that winds down to the wonderful Opera Bar & Restaurant areas

Source: © Simon Darcy 2007

Of course we need the photos ASAP.

Please email any contributions directly to me on simon.darcy@uts.edu.au and identify in the email:

1. A description of the photo e.g. Shirley Jones, a Deaf woman, enjoying a sign language interpreted visit to the Smithsonian

2. Country and city where the photo was taken

3. Photographer

4. A statement that it is your photo.

Thanks in advance.