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Making Travel Accessible Everywhere, for Everyone

Sinead Burke

Earlier this year, disability rights advocate Sinéad Burke was the keynote speaker for our annual national Travel Counsellor's Conference. In her powerful speech, Sinéad spoke about the need for more accessible travel, talking about her own stories and experiences whilst travelling the world as a little person. We are now determined to change the travel experiences for all their clients with disabilities and ‘Make Travel Accessible Everywhere, for Everyone’.

With a huge emphasis being placed on accessibility and inclusion for all throughout the company, we arranged a two-day Accessible Travel Training Programme for our agents led by Richard Thompson. The training helped our Travel Counsellors to define 'disability' and the relevant legislation, including their obligation as a service provider and to understand, approach and service their customers with disabilities.

Travel Counsellor Gearoid Mannion was one of the Travel Counsellors to complete the Accessible Travel Training Programme:

“My two days training with Accessible Travel expert Richard Thompson was both a revelation and an inspiration. I gained valuable insights to the many obstacles differently-abled people face every day when travelling for business or pleasure. More importantly I learned how to overcome some of these obstacles – by simply using key information - but also by refusing to accept NO for an answer! For far too long the travel industry in general did not make much progress in this whole area. Airports and airlines have led the way, whereas accommodation, transfer providers, tour operators and travel agents have not stepped up to the plate yet in my view.”