Expanding Florida’s Attractions To Every American
Florida offers some of the best sights that America has ever produced, from scientifically wondrous wetlands to vibrant amusement parks. However, those attractions are not always accessible to people living with disabilities, as one settlement between the Justice Department and Volusia County recently showed. A thriving tourism sector is often staked on how well it caters to people from all backgrounds, and Florida can do a little more to ensure that their services are extended to everyone.
Events planning
One area in which Florida does well is events, such as weddings and parties. Weddings are a great example in particular. As the Daytona Beach News Journal highlights, weddings are on the up in Florida with vaccine takeup ramping up. Accessible weddings, which need to include features such as ramps for guests with mobility concerns, menus that can cater to different requirements, and vendors that are sensitive to disability, are seeing their own increase in interest. Many of the best parks and resorts offer all of these features in abundance as part of the ideal of giving great service, and that’s great news for Floridians.
The wilder things
One area that doesn’t fare so well is exploration of swamps and wild areas. There are by nature barriers to access in these places, but changes are being made. The Florida Insider highlights one important change – the famous glass-bottom boat, which gives riders the opportunity to peek at crystal-clear seas from the comfort of a vessel, has finally been given accessibility adjustments to allow disabled people on board. High-profile changes like this can inspire the rest of the state into action.
Leading the way
Despite the barriers in some areas, others are providing huge adaptations for visitors of all backgrounds. When considering the requirements of a disability, it’s easy to get sidetracked by issues that are purely related to mobility, becoming fixated on adaptations such as ramps. As the American Foundation for the Blind highlights, operators such as Disney have taken a much more in-depth look at what it means to have accessibility requirements, and have spent years improving the experience of their parks for those with sensory disabilities.
Disability awareness isn’t a one-size-fits-all process after all. It requires attention to detail and a willingness to engage. Florida is doing that in many areas and there are promising signs that it will continue to do at an expanded rate.
