Introduction to the e-Learning TAD platform
TAD is the acronym for “The Ability Advisor” a course to prepare consultants in accessible tourism; making tourism accessible for all visitors, including those with disabilities or specific access requirements.
TAD introduces the professional profile of an “Ability Advisor” who will help Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism field to develop their business and improve their services for the accessible tourism market.
To enhance access to training and qualifications for all, the project’s training material is released as an “Open Educational Resource”. This means it is available for use by all training and educational organisations.
The course will be widely disseminated among VET providers and other stakeholders, both at local, national and European levels.
In the first part of the TAD project, we produced a database of tourism SMEs at local and regional levels, with a mapping of 30 SMEs operating in the four participating countries. We have looked at how SMEs address accessibility in their businesses and how the Ability Advisor can work effectively in these companies.
In the second part pf the project we have developed a training course for VET learners or graduates aged 20 to 35, designed to give them the knowledge and skills to start a self-employed activity as external consultants or to be employed as an internal service provider in a company or as a consultant, able to carry out accessibility assessments, inspections, consultations and access audits. After training, The Access Advisor will be able to analyse and inform SMEs managers and owners about how accessibility can be integrated in their businesses.
We hope that learners will enjoy discovering “Accessibility in Tourism” and developing new skills that can improve their employment prospects.
For business owners, we encourage you to read our materials and test your knowledge on how to improve customer services and win a larger share of the growing accessible tourism market.
And for destination managers and tourism policy-makers, we hope that you will take note of the importance of accessibility in local tourism development – and eventually include an Ability Advisor (or two) in your team, to raise awareness and help you deliver accessible tourism in your town or region!
The training course is made up of 6 modules, with text, videos and many additional references, which are briefly introduced as follows:
Module 1 – Introduction to accessible tourism
Module 1 introduces the concept of Tourism for All, based on comprehensive and shared experience and data emerging from recent studies of the supply and the demand for accessible tourism.
It introduces the background of Tourism for All and the most significant experiences undertaken in the specific area and analyses the legislative framework at European and international level.
The concepts and methods of Design for All or “Universal Design” are explained, showing how they can help to achieve inclusion and mainstreaming in the area of accessible tourism services.
Module 2 – The access requirements of tourists with disabilities and others
Module 2 examines the diversity of tourists with access requirements including people with various types of disabilities, referring to their specific requirements, and indicating ways to provide appropriate services/products for each customer.
Module 3 – Customer Service
Module 3 explains in more detail how to serve customers with particular access requirements. It provides examples of ways to better serve, inform and communicate with the customers.
Module 4 – How to measure accessibility of tourist environments and services
Module 4 explains how to ensure a consistent and appropriate level of service for customers with specific access requirements, a range of accessibility checks or “audits” must be carried out at various points in the whole service delivery chain. It refers to these four main headings:
- Information provision,
- Transfers and transportation;
- Built environment and facilities;
- Services and activities at the venue.
Module 5 – Accessibility of information in the tourism sector
This module highlights the importance of accessibility in the provision of information. It is divided in 3 sections explaining the basic principles of accessible information:
- Why accessibility of information is important to customers and businesses in the tourism sector.
- How to design and implement accessible information in different formats; and
- Where to find additional resources to enable the learners to make their own in-depth studies in this important field.
Module 6 is about the Ability Advisor role: entrepreneurial skills and job opportunities for the TAD advisor
It looks at the role and mission of the Ability Advisor supporting Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in the tourism field helping to develop their business and improve their services to the Accessible and Inclusive tourism market.
All modules include a quiz for the learners to check their knowledge. After answering all the Quizzes successfully, learners may download a Certificate, showing that they have completed the TAD E-Learning course.