Let’s Talk Travel, Hotels, and Accommodations.

Here’s an upcoming webinar we will want to watch as the vacation season is upon us. After all, how many of us have stayed in hotels where we find no room number on or by our door which we can feel with our fingertips? Have we tried approaching that complementary breakfast in the morning and, though well-meaning, the front desk or janitorial worker has no clue how to assist us with getting our food? What about those business centers that many hotels have now? Do any of them have JAWS or NVDA screen readers installed on their computers?

Here’s a good opportunity to find more about the ways the Americans With Disabilities Act and the application thereof can remedy the lack of accommodations we may have encountered in the past. Of course, most of us who have traveled frequently have more positive stories to tell along with the frustrating ones. The U.S. Access Board needs to hear feedback from us on these as well. So, here’s the announcement from the email they recently sent out:

“

U.S. Access Board Webinar: Accessible Transient LodgingAs the summer vacation season is well underway, traveling and lodging is essential to everyone, including people with disabilities. The next webinar in the U.S. Access Board’s free monthly series will take place Thursday, July 6 from 2:30 – 4:00 p.m. (ET) and address requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Standards for hotels, motels, and other types of transient lodging facilities. Presenters will discuss the required number and dispersion of compliant guest rooms and suites with mobility and communication features. Additionally, they will review accessibility requirements for guest accommodations, such as sleeping areas, bathrooms, kitchens and kitchenettes, storage, signage, fire alarms, and phones. Other common amenities, such as check-in counters, fitness centers, swimming pools and spas, bars and restaurants, and conference rooms, will also be covered.  For more information or to register, visit Great Lakes ADA Center’s Accessible Transient Lodging webinar webpage. All webinars include video remote interpreting (VRI) and real-time captioning. Questions can be submitted in advance of the session or can be posed during the live webinar. Webinar attendees can earn continuing education credits. The webinar series is hosted by the ADA National Network in cooperation with the Board. Archived copies of previous Board webinars are available on the site.”