TravelAbility Insider

The Intersection of Travel and Disability

Digital Accessibility

UK Tour Operator Becomes the First in the Country to Offer British Sign Language Interpreters

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Sign language interpreter signing in front of a background image of smiling passengers beside a cruise ship

A great tour company is all about access—access to information, expertise, and assistance when things go wrong. TUI, a leading UK tour operator, is extending that level of access to the Deaf and hard of hearing community providing sign language interpreters who connect travelers with TUI agents.  The free service is the result of a game-changing partnership between TUI and SignLive, which houses the Assisted Travel Team that is available seven days a week via an app or a browser.

“We’re delighted to be working with TUI to make travel more accessible for Deaf people,” said Fiona Mackay, COO of SignLive. “This partnership makes communication smoother and the overall experience of going on holiday much easier for British Sign Language users. Customers can travel with confidence knowing they can communicate via an interpreter throughout their journey.” Read more.

Our TakeAway: This is a major breakthrough in accessible travel that will blaze the trail for other deaf tour programs.  And it can be easily replicated as a new niche in America. Note: British Sign Language is a completely different language from American Sign Language. The two share only 30% of the signs.

Digital Accessibility Lawsuits on the Rise but Travel and Hospitality Are Rarely the Target

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Chart shows percentages of ADA lawsuits that have targeted various industries. eCommerce is at the top of the list with 84 percent followed by food service with 7 percent and education with 1 percent. Travel and hospitality are also at 1 percent.

Most digital accessibility lawsuits are aimed at eCommerce websites and widgets according to the midyear report from Usablenet.com. Only 44 out of 4500 that are projected to be filed by the end of 2023, were directed at hotels and none at destination sites. Read more.

As we reported in last month’s Insider, however, one case targeting the lack of accessible content on a hotel website has reached the Supreme Court. 

Our TakeAway: As we raise the bar on accessibility in our facilities and services, we can’t neglect our websites and online communications. Usable.net provides a range of tools to help meet the standards of the ADA, including a free website audit. However,  the case before SCOTUS revolves around the fact that the lack of accessibility information on the hotel’s website rendered the experience for disabled visitors to be discriminatory.

New Study Shows Accessible Websites Enhance SEO by 12%

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the letters SEO on a blue background

Many have asked the question: Does website accessibility positively impact SEO?  To date, there have been no conclusive answers. To see what impact, if any, accessibility has on SEO, the team at AccessibilityChecker.org, which developed an accessibility audit tool, conducted the study. They checked organic traffic to a series of websites before and after the sites were remediated for accessibility. The upshot:

“We found that, on average, the websites in the sample group had a 12% increase in organic search results most likely to be attributed to the change in the website layout following the accessibility remediation.”

Our Takeaway:  Back in 2010, Google announced that websites that were not mobile-friendly would receive reduced organic traffic, which created the concept of responsive design in which the website is coded for both desktop and mobile at the outset. We hope this study will do the same for website accessibility as businesses have a business case to justify the expense. Read More.

Watch  this Astounding Accessible Music Video by Apple

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Though about 15% of the global population is disabled, people with disabilities remain far underrepresented in advertising. But a new ad from Apple is notable for featuring an inclusive, disabled cast demonstrating their talents. Watch it Here

StreetFighter Six virtual games feature new accessibility features.

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Accessible gamers, this one’s for you. Street Fighter 6’s recent closed beta test has revealed a swathe of awesome accessibility features bound to greatly help those who need them.

The Street Fighter 6 closed beta, which ran from October 7 – 10 on PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC, let players try the upcoming fighter online with the currently announced roster of world warriors. Content publisher at Riot Games, Kurominah, shared a screenshot of the game’s audio accessibility settings. And their findings showed an impressively robust suite of options. Read more.