A dozen Skagwegians met in the Visitor Center to learn how to better accommodate travelers with disabilities. They learned that making the town more accessible benefits everyone. KHNS reporter Melinda Munson has this story.
Participants in Skagway’s accessible tourism class introduced themselves like they would to a person who is visually impaired.
“I’m Colette Hisman and I’m from the tourism department. And let’s see … what else, okay. I have short hair. I wear glasses around my neck all the time..”
This is Meredith Hisman, describing her colorful appearance.
“This is my second year working at the Visitor Center. I have long brown hair and pink glasses and I always wear a black vest with white paint splotches on it.”
The April 25 class was taught by Bridget Thomson and Cori Stennett from Southeast Alaska Independent Living. The organization supports aging adults and those with disabilities. The closest office is in Haines.
Thomson broke accessibility into three categories.
“We like to focus on how to make the world an inclusive, accessible spot for people with all types of abilities.,” Thomson says. “And we do that through, we kind of separate that into three things. We look at accessibility through our built environment, through our speech and then through our society and our values.”
When it comes to built environment, Skagway has some struggles. There are few accessible parking spaces. Many historical buildings don’t feature wheelchair ramps and cruise passengers at the Small Boat Harbor must climb up a steep ramp when the tide is low.
Thomson sees some improvements, including the library’s new automatic door and the fact that the city asked her to do an accessibility assessment. She says many places don’t take that step.
In the accessible tourism class,Thomson explained the idea of universal design. It’s design that makes the world easier for everyone, such as automatic doors. Another example is texting, originally designed for those who are hard of hearing. Thomson encourages universal design in daily life.
“You don’t have to be a construction worker to do universal design,” Thomson says. “You can think about it all the time. Just what in the world would make your little corner of this community more accessible to everybody.”
She suggests something as simple as name tags, brailled business cards or a stash of pocket readers. A pocket reader is used to amplify sound. It looks like a walkman and costs less than $200.
Another way to welcome tourists with disabilities is to use appropriate language. It’s no longer best practice to use the word handicapped. For example, instead of saying handicapped parking use the term accessible parking.
An additional change is person-first language. Person-first language puts the emphasis on the individual, not the disability. Instead of saying, ‘the blind girl,’ say ‘the girl who is blind.’
Finally, Thomson emphasizes that accessible tourism is good for everyone. She cites that one out of five people have some form of a disability. Anyone who interacts with tourists should be prepared for disabilities that are obvious, and those that are not.
Employees should practice using wheelchairs on ramps before the time comes. Never make assumptions about needs. Always ask if and how to be of assistance.
Thomson says Alaska is for everyone.
“…because a trip of a lifetime stopped by something that somebody can’t do, because we didn’t make it accessible for them, is a total thumbs down,” she says.
Skagway businesses can visit blue-path.org to enter information about their establishments such as dimensions and noise levels. This allows guests with disabilities to plan ahead.
