alarm for seniors
Presentations on "good practices" in Georgia commenced with IHG and adescription of the company's increased concentration on web accessibilitysites and other technological undertakings for reaching out to the disabledconstituency, both domestic and international. According to Karen Bennett, manager of user experience at IHG,
everythingfrom grass roots pressure to upper management and financial support iscrucial in the hotel industry's adoption of accessibility standards. Inorder to spearhead accessibility innovations for the Holiday Inn and HolidayInn Express sites, IHG has worked on thoroughly
educating planners anddevelopers about the needs of the disabled. She cited the ongoing challengesof these site changes and re emphasized the importance of consistentlyeducating the company's staff. In his discussion on Delta's Disability Program, David Martin from theairlines department for disability services and customer advocacy alsohighlighted the value of educating employees on the subject matter andtraining them to ensure "good practices. " He continued by depicting Delta's commitment to making "Delta the carrier ofchoice for customers with disabilities. " The strategies used to do thisincludeproviding operational excellence, anticipating complaints, offering helpfulresponses to feedback, and seeking advice from experts. He defined experts as disabled individuals themselves, since they hold themost insight regarding problems and improvements. Delta works with the Shepherd Center, the Center for the Visually ImpairedCVI, and other non profit groups on its "experiential outreach program" inorder to connect with these experts. Delta encourages those with blindness, deafness, or physical disabilities,such as spinal cord injury, to confront the difficulties that they face withair travel by going through a guided tour of Atlanta's Hartsfield JacksonAtlanta International Airport. This is an opportunity for each individual to undergo the steps of travelfrom check in, to security, to gate arrival, to enplaning, deplaning, andmaking connections, so that he or she can express concerns and overcomefears.
