The
association 'Tourisme & Handicaps,'
created on 28 February 2001, aims
to raise awareness among tourism
professionals concerning services
for disabled people in tourism
and entertainment facilities and
to implement and manage measures
making it possible to promote
policies that would further these
services. The
'Tourisme & Handicap' label
was created at the nationwide
level: its role is to provide
reliable, descriptive and objective
information concerning the accessibility
of tourist sites and facilities,
by taking four types of disabilities
(auditory, mental, visual and
motor) into account. It also serves
to develop tourist services that
are adapted and integrated into
the general range of tourist services
available. The main types of targeted
facilities include accommodations,
restaurants, cultural sites (museums,
monuments, etc.) and entertainment
venues.
Bordeaux is a city full
of historical heritage,
which sometimes implies
that accessibility is limited
for disabled people. The
city is making noticeable
efforts to adapt with the
goal of facilitating access
to its treasures thanks
to significant improvements
in its different public
facilities (accommodations,
restaurants, transportation,
museums and other entertainment
venues, etc.). Since 1997,
the French Secretary of
State for Tourism has been
involved in a plan to raise
awareness among tourism
professionals and to mobilise
them to better integrate
disabled people into the
world of tourism. In 2001,
a voluntary labelling project
that concerned four types
of disabilities (motor,
mental, visual and auditory)
was undertaken at the national
level. The 'Tourisme &
Handicap' label aims to
reliably inform a group
with specific needs about
the accessibility of tourist
sites and facilities. In
addition to this label,
the 1978 regulations established
measures intended to make
new public facilities accessible
for reduced-mobility disabled
people.
