Accessible Tourism Book now published

Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the publication of Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues that I have co-edited with Prof Dimitrios Buhalis of Bournemouth University and published with Channel View Publications.

http://www.channelviewpublications.com/display.asp?isb=9781845411602 

The book brings together the underlying concepts and issues relating to accessible tourism so as to provide a foundation for industry, government and the not-for-profit sector understanding of the area. A foundation of the book explores accessible tourism from the perspective of the experiences of people with disability whether they have a mobility, vision, hearing or cognitive disability. As Photo 1 shows this begins with front cover of book where a photo was selected depicting an all ability trek.

Photo 1: Book Cover features an all abilities trek to the summit of Mount Kosciusko that is Australia's highest peak

The book consists of 19 chapters:

• Chapter 1 – Introduction (Darcy and Buhalis);
• Chapter 2 – Conceptualising Disability: Medical, Social, WHO ICF, Dimensions and Levels of Support Needs (Darcy and Buhalis);
• Chapter 3 – Accessibility: A Key Objective for the Tourism Industry (Eichhorn and Buhalis);
• Chapter 4 – Disability Legislation and Empowerment of Tourists with Disability: The UK Case (Shaw and Veitch);
• Chapter 5 – Understanding Tourist Experience through Embodiment: The Contribution of Critical Tourism and Disability Studies (Small and Darcy);
• Chapter 6 – Tourism in the Leisure Lives of People with Disability (Foggin);
• Chapter 7 – Travelling with and beyond Depression: Women’s Narratives of Recovery and Identity (Fullager);
• Chapter 8 – Encounters of Disabled Customers on the Tourism Stage (Arola – Edited by Cooper, C.);
• Chapter 9 – Blind People’s Tourism Experiences: An Exploratory Study (Poria, Reichel and Brandt); Chapter 10 – Demographic Drivers of Change in Tourism and the Challenge of Inclusive Products (Shaw and Veitch);
• Chapter 11 – Ageing Travellers: Seeking an Experience and not just a Destination (Patterson and Pegg);
• Chapter 12 – Ageing Travel Market and Accessibility Requirements (Wang);
• Chapter 13 – Attitudinal and Experimental Differences of Disabled and Ablebodied Visitors to Heritage Sites (Pearn);
• Chapter 14 – Economic Contribution of Tourists with Disabilities: An Australian Approach and Methodology (Darcy and Dwyer);
• Chapter 15 – Developing a Business Case for Accessible Tourism (Darcy, Cameron and Pegg);
• Chapter 16 – Stakeholder Analysis (Michopoulou and Buhalis);
• Chapter 17 – Webdesign, Assistive Technologies and Accessible Tourism (Puhretmair and Nussbaum);
• Chapter 18 – Technology Platforms and Challenges (Michopoulou and Buhalis);
• Chapter 19 – Conclusion: A Call towards Universal Approaches to Accessible  (Darcy, Ambrose, Schweinsberg and Buhalis)

The book is available in a variety of formats and is available for purchase please see:

http://www.channelviewpublications.com/display.asp?isb=9781845411602

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.

Accessible Tourism book due for Publication

Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues

It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce an advanced publication notice for a book that I had co-edited with Prof Dimitrios Buhalis of Bournemouth University and published with Channel View Publications - 

http://www.channelviewpublications.com/display.asp?isb=9781845411602 

The book titled, "Accessible Tourism: Concepts and Issues" seeks to bring together the underlying concepts and issues relating to accessible tourism so as to provide a foundation for industry, government and the not-for-profit sector understanding of the area.

The book consists of 19 chapters that examine:

• Chapter 1 – Introduction (Darcy and Buhalis);
• Chapter 2 – Conceptualising Disability: Medical, Social, WHO ICF, Dimensions and Levels of Support Needs (Darcy and Buhalis);
• Chapter 3 – Accessibility: A Key Objective for the Tourism Industry (Eichhorn and Buhalis);
• Chapter 4 – Disability Legislation and Empowerment of Tourists with Disability: The UK Case (Shaw and Veitch);
• Chapter 5 – Understanding Tourist Experience through Embodiment: The Contribution of Critical Tourism and Disability Studies (Small and Darcy);
• Chapter 6 – Tourism in the Leisure Lives of People with Disability (Foggin);
• Chapter 7 – Travelling with and beyond Depression: Women’s Narratives of Recovery and Identity (Fullager);
• Chapter 8 – Encounters of Disabled Customers on the Tourism Stage (Arola – Edited by Cooper, C.);
• Chapter 9 – Blind People’s Tourism Experiences: An Exploratory Study (Poria, Reichel and Brandt); Chapter 10 – Demographic Drivers of Change in Tourism and the Challenge of Inclusive Products (Shaw and Veitch);
• Chapter 11 – Ageing Travellers: Seeking an Experience and not just a Destination (Patterson and Pegg);
• Chapter 12 – Ageing Travel Market and Accessibility Requirements (Wang);
• Chapter 13 – Attitudinal and Experimental Differences of Disabled and Ablebodied Visitors to Heritage Sites (Pearn);
• Chapter 14 – Economic Contribution of Tourists with Disabilities: An Australian Approach and Methodology (Darcy and Dwyer);
• Chapter 15 – Developing a Business Case for Accessible Tourism (Darcy, Cameron and Pegg);
• Chapter 16 – Stakeholder Analysis (Michopoulou and Buhalis);
• Chapter 17 – Webdesign, Assistive Technologies and Accessible Tourism (Puhretmair and Nussbaum);
• Chapter 18 – Technology Platforms and Challenges (Michopoulou and Buhalis);
• Chapter 19 – Conclusion: A Call towards Universal Approaches to Accessible  (Darcy, Ambrose, Schweinsberg and Buhalis)

For further information please see:

http://www.channelviewpublications.com/display.asp?isb=9781845411602