ASSISTIVE DEVICES FOR HEARING IMPAIRED HOTELS GUESTS (APPLYING TO HURGHADA RESORTS)
Abstract
Aim– People with disabilities, along with their families and friends, travel, shop, do business; engage in activities in the community just like everyone else. Hotels aiming to maximize their market share should think seriously in providing service that welcomes people with disabilities and service that could be better and satisfactory to everyone.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hotels and motels must provide effective means of communications for persons who are deaf or hard of hearing to ensure that they have an equal opportunity to enjoy the services, accommodations, and amenities offered.
People who are deaf or hard of hearing use a variety of ways to communicate. The method of communication and the services or aids hotel staff provide will vary, depending upon the abilities of the guest and on the complexity and nature of the communications that are required. This increase the role of technology when designing guests' rooms by providing built-in communication features in a certain percentage.
This study aims to identify the importance to improve using of technology Assistive communication devices while designing guests' rooms to facilitate and improve accommodating people with hearing disabilities.
Design/methodology/approach–the data were collected via a questionnaire addressed to guests in Hurghada region.
Research limitations/implications– The research focused on a sample of the five star resort hotel's in Hurghada, Egypt.
Keywords:
Disabilities, Guests' rooms design, Assistive communication telephone deviceDownloads
References
Americans with Disabilities Act (2010). Guidelines online at www.ADA.gov.StandardforAccessible Design.www.adahospitality.org
Avis, A. H., Card, J. A. & Cole, S. T. (2005). Accessibility and attitudinal barriers encountered by travelers with physical disabilities. Tourism Review International. 8, pp 239–248.
British Standards. (2008). Introduction to PAS 88: Guidance on Accessibility of Large Hotel Premises and Hotel Chains. www.accessibletourism.org.
Bryman, A. & Bell, E. (2007). Business Research Methods. 2nd ed. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Buhalis, D., Michopoulou, E., Eichhorn, V. & Miller, G. (2005). Accessibility Market and Stakeholder Analysis – One-Stop-Shop for Accessible Tourism in Europe (OSSATE). University of Surrey, Surrey, United Kingdom.
Bull, C. Hoose, J. & Weed, M. (2003). An Introduction to Leisure Studies. Prentice Hall, Harlow.
Chen, R.J.C. (2004). Uses of Hospitality and Leisure Services: Voices of Visitors with Disabilities. Advances in Hospitality and Leisure. 1, pp 89-102.
Darcy, S. (2010). Inherent Complexity: Disability, Accessible Tourism and Accommodation Information Preferences. Tourism Management. 31(6), 816–826.
Darcy, S. & Dwyer, L. (2008). Economic Contribution of Disability to Tourism in Australia. Sustainable Tourism Cooperative Research Centre, Gold Coast. pp. 15–21.
Darcy. S. & Peggb. Sh. (2011). Towards Strategic Intent: Perceptions of Disability Service Provision Amongst Hotel Accommodation Managers. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 30, pp 468–476.
Deafness Forum, & HMAA. (2005). Accommodation Industry Voluntary Code of Practice for the Provision of Facilities for the Deaf and Hearing-Impaired Sydney: HMAA.
Drabek, T.E. (2000). Disaster Evacuations: Tourist-Business Managers Rarely Act as Customers Expect. The Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. 41(4), pp 48–57.
Egger, R. (2013). The Impact of Near Field Communication on Tourism. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology. 4(2), pp 119–133.
Egyptian New Norms (2006). The Egyptian Ministry of tourism.
Fewell, A. (2008). Hotels Must Wake Up to Disability. Caterer & Hotelkeeper, pp 198, 16.
Finn, M., Elliott-White, M. & Walton, M. (2000). Tourism and Leisure Research Methods. Person Education: Essex. Flick, U. (1998). An Introduction to Qualitative Research. London, SAGE Publications Ltd.
Fontana, A. & Frey, H. (2005). The Interview: From Neutral Stance to Political Involvement. Handbook of Qualitative Research. 3rd ed. London, SAGE Publications Ltd., pp 698.
Genoe, R. & Singleton, J.F. (2009). World Demographics and Their Implications for Therapeutic Recreation. In Stumbo, N.J. (Ed.), Professional Issues in Therapeutic on CompetenceandOutcomes.31-42. Champaign, IL: Sagamore.
Grady, J. & Ohlin, J.B. (2009). Equal Access to Hospitality Services for Guests with Mobility Impairments under the Americans with Disabilities Act: Implications for the HospitalityIndustry”. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 28, pp 161-9.
Gröschl, S. (2007). An Exploration of HR Policies and Practices Affecting the Integration of Persons with Disabilities in the Hotel Industry in Major Canadian Tourism Destinations. International Journal of Hospitality Management. 26(3), pp 666–686.
Harris Interactive Market Research (2005). Research among adults with disabilities – travel and hospitality. Open Doors Organization, Chicago.
Hotel Association of India (2009). Activities, available at: www.hotelassociationofindia.com/activities.html.
Huh, C. & Singh, A.J. (2007). Families Travelling with a Disabled Member: Analysing the Potential of an Emerging Niche Segment. Tourism and Hospitality Research. 7, pp 212-29.
Kaplan, H. (1996). Assistive Devices for the Elderly. Journal of the American Academy of Audiology. 7(3).
Kaufman-Scarborough, C. (1998). Retailers' perceptions of the Americans with Disabilities Act: Suggestions for Low-Cost, High Impact Accommodations for Disabled Shoppers. Journal of Consumer Marketing. 15, pp 94-110.
Lane, M. (2007). The Visitor Journey: the New Road to Success. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 19, pp 248-54.
Marvin., B. (2006). Restaurant Basics- Why Guests Don't Come Back and What You Can Do About It. Hospitality Masters Press Washington.
McKercher, B., Packer, T., Yau, M.K. and Lam, P. (2003). Travel agents as Facilitators or Inhibitors of Travel: Perceptions of People with Disabilities. Tourism Management. 24(4), pp 465–474.
National Deaf Education Network and Clearinghouse. (2013). Basic Etiquette: People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing. www.nad.org
Neumann, P. & Reuber, P. (2004). Economic Impulses of Accessible Tourism for All. Study commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology & Federal Ministry of Economic and Labour (BMWA), Berlin. 526
NIDCD Fact Sheet: Assistive Devices for People with Hearing, Voice, Speech, or Language Disorders. December 2011.
Ozturk, Y., Yayli, A. & Yesiltas, M. (2008). Is the Turkish tourism industry ready for a disabled customer's market? The views of hotel and travel agency managers. Tourism Management. 29, pp 382-9.
Pegg, S. & Stumbo, N. (2010). Creating Opportunities and Ensuring Access to Desirable Heritage and Cultural Tourist Services and Leisure Experiences. New York, USA, pp 250–256.
Poria, Y., Reichel, A. & Brandt, Y. (2010). Dimensions of hotel experience of people with disabilities: an exploratory study. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management. 23(5), pp 571-591.
Preece, R. (1994). Starting Research. London, Pinter Publisher.
SAiF (Scottish Accessibility information Forum) (2009). Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Rights of Access to Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises. SAiF, Glasgow, available at:
Siniscalco, M. & Auriat, N. (2005). Quantitative Research Methods in Educational Planning: Questionnaire Design [Module 8]. UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning. Paris, pp 22-29.
The Egyptian Hotel Guide. 33rd ed., (2013-2014). Published by the Egyptian Hotel Association-Egyptian Ministry of Tourism.
Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) (2012).
United Nations (2006). Draft Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Available at: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/rights/ahc8adart.htm
Veal, A. (1997). Research Methods for Leisure and Tourism: A Practical Guide. 2nd ed. London, Pearson Professional Ltd.
Woods, M. (1998). Semi-structured Interview: Mechanics and Analysis. Institute of Geography & Earth Sciences. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2017 International Journal on Recent Trends in Business and Tourism (IJRTBT)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
