Accessible Accommodation in Hampshire

National Accessible Scheme in Hampshire

To help disabled people decide if accommodation is suitable for them, the National Accessible Scheme (NAS) is the national UK recognised scheme which has graded accommodation by their criteria for disabled accessibility. Hampshire and Isle of Wight accessible accommodation graded by NAS will have a symbol to show how accessible it is. Ratings are divided into three categories including Mobility impaired and disabled people, Visually impaired and blind people and Hearing impaired and deaf people. The scheme is outlined in full on the Visit Britain webguide at www.visitbritain.co.uk.

Level one accommodation on the National Scheme for the physically impaired is suitable for a person with sufficient mobility to climb a flight of stairs but would benefit from fixtures and fittings to aid balance. Level two accommodation is typically suitable for a person with restricted walking ability and for those that may need to use a wheelchair some of the time and can negotiate a maximum of three steps.

Level three accommodation is suitable for a person who depends on the use of a wheelchair and transfers unaided to and from the wheelchair in a seated position. This person may be an independent traveller. Level four accommodation is typically suitable for a person who depends on the use of a wheelchair in a seated position. This person also requires personal or mechanical assistance such as a carer or a hoist. Level five accommodation has exceptional access and provides for all levels of mobility impairment listed above with reference to the British Standard BS 8300:2001.

The accommodation must achieve the standards above for either independent wheelchair users or assisted wheelchair users and also fulfill additional more demanding accessibility requirements. For blind of deaf guests, level one accommodation provides key services and facilities for visually or hearing impaired guests and level two means that the accommodation provides a higher level of additional services and facilities for guests with vision or hearing impairments.

Disabled Accessible Tourist Attractions in Hampshire

Most of the main Hampshire and Isle of Wight attractions including main museums, galleries and cathedrals offer good disabled access. Check with each individual Hampshire attraction on the extent of access as many of the oldest of Hampshire's and the Isle of Wight's historic buildings and castles, gardens and stately homes have good disabled access to parts of the attraction, but limited access to historic buildings that just cannot be adapted fully for disabled access. Where possible interpretation is provided in accessible places or audio tours can help find out more about sites even if not all can be accessed.

Disabled parking across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight main towns and villages and for National Trust and English Heritage attractions across the region is excellent. You'll find designated Disabled Access parking for National Trust properties.

Blue Badge parking privileges operate across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight (see www. iwight.com and www3.hants.gov.uk for more details on the Blue Badge Disabled Parking access scheme on the Isle of Wight and in Hampshire). Attractions including museums, historic buildings and art galleries do vary in terms of what facilities they offer disabled people so it is always good to plan before you visit. More information and advice on access and facilities for disabled visitors is available at www.direct.gov.uk. Both the National Trust and English Heritage have a strong emphasis on improving access. For more details on accessibility to their attractions see www.nationaltrust.org.uk and www.english-heritage.org.uk.

Rights of Disabled People

The Disability Discrimination Act gives disabled people important rights of access to everyday services including hotels and all other types of holiday accommodation. Access to services is not just about installing ramps and widening doorways for wheelchair users in hotels - it is about making services easier to use for all disabled people, including people who are blind, deaf or have a learning disability.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) says that it is unlawful for service providers to treat disabled people less favourably than other people for a reason related to their disability. Accommodation providers now have to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to the way they deliver their services so that disabled people can use them. Examples of reasonable adjustments include putting a ramp at the entrance to a hotel as well as steps, providing larger signs for visually impaired people and providing staff with disability awareness training. What is considered a ‘reasonable adjustment’ for a large hotel chain will be different to a reasonable adjustment for a small guest house.

Accommodation providers are not required to make changes which are impractical or beyond their means. This means that some accommodation in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight such as Grade II listed hotels, traditional thatched holiday cottages, stately homes or rustic guest houses which may have great difficulty in making adjustments such as installing ramps or wide doors are not obliged to do so by law. All modern hotels and newly built accommodation should have disabled access but you should still check with the hotel to make sure that your particular needs are met, whether you need an access ramp, hand rails, wide doors, a wheel in shower or a hoist in the bedroom. For comprehensive details on the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the National Accessible Scheme see www.direct.gov.uk.

Modern new large Hampshire and Isle of Wight hotels and older large Hampshire and Isle of Wight hotels in main centres such as Southampton, Portsmouth and Winchester generally offer good disabled access. You will find flat level promenades at seaside resorts at Milford-on-Sea, Lee-on-the-Solent and Gosport with good access to beaches.