ACCESSIBILITY AND ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS ENCOUNTERED BY TRAVELERS WITH PHYSICAL DISABILITIES

Abstract

With the passage of the Americans with Disability Act (ADA), civil rights protection was expanded for the 54 million Americans with disabilities. Tourism falls under Title III of this legislation. Yet, more than a decade after the passage of the ADA, people with disabilities still encounter barriers in travel and tourism industry sectors, both accessibility and staff attitudinal barriers. This study examined four industry sectors within US travel and tourism in terms of the accessibility and attitudinal barriers that travelers with physical disabilities encountered. The four sectors were transportation, accommodations, eating/drinking establishments, and attractions. Further, comparisons were conducted on gender, age, types of assistive devices used by travelers, income, and accessibility and attitudinal barriers. Results indicated that the four tourism sectors may not universally comply with the ADA and that tourism providers are not meeting the attitudinal needs of travelers. Gender, age, assistive devices, and income were not good indicators of accessibility barriers travelers encountered, but gender and age provided some indication of attitudinal barriers they encountered.