Disabled visitor web page needs new master
Time has come to hand over Niagara accessibility page to someone else
When you are a traveller with mobility impairment the word “go” takes on a whole new meaning. Immediately after you find a place you think you’d like to “go” to, you have to ask, is it accessible?
If you get from A to B using a walker, wheelchair or an electric scooter the lure of the area is what first attracts, just as it does every other tourist, but then reality hits home and you realize you have to know if the site is accessible. Is there an accessible hotel and restaurants? Are there other things to do like shopping, museums and theatre? Are they accessible? And, if you can’t take your wheelchair or scooter with you, can you rent one at your destination? And how does one travel about the area?
For the last 16 years, I’ve run the website AccessibleNiagara.com. It is visited by people with disabilities and their loved ones worldwide who want to see Niagara, and in particular Niagara Falls. In December and January, the site is fairly quiet but beginning around the middle of February it begins to get busier with people searching during their lunch hours for places to go on their summer vacation and then others relaxing in front of their computer at night looking for a holiday destination. Google statistics tells me that the site can have as few as a dozen people a day looking at it to hundreds, depending on the season. During peak travel summer months thousands visit the site.
My reason for writing about AccessibleNiagara.com is that at age 75 and with my disability progressing, I am no longer able to go out to audit new venues. I’m thinking it’s time I turned the site over to a disabled individual or couple who would be excited about offering tourists information that they badly need to enjoy their Niagara stay without constantly worrying about the limits of their disability.
There are 230 items on the site including attractions, hotels which includes bedand-breakfast (we dearly need more), dormitories, and even a retreat. It lists some 40 restaurants, wineries, art galleries, shopping, gardens, forts and museums, theatres, movies, casinos, plus a whole raft of questions answered, possible itineraries and links to other similar sites around the world.
This sounds like a lot of work but if you have a passion for helping people, enjoy the search, are interested in what’s going on around you in Niagara, and like to explore new venues, the work is satisfying fun more than anything else. The feedback from travellers is priceless and the beautiful feeling of being able to help people from around the world can’t be beat.
To take on the site you need a working knowledge of true access and be able to navigate WordPress; time to audit venues and be able to write a succinct review; the ability to get along with tourism operators throughout Niagara; empathy for people with disabilities travelling under difficult circumstances; and a desire to help above and beyond for those who email you through the site searching for that unique something needed to complete their stay. The latter might take some time but knowing that you’ve made someone’s vacation really work for them Is worth it.
You also must have patience with people wanting information already on the site or who want you to make up a full itinerary for them (you don’t); and include features for people who are vision impaired or blind and hearing impaired or deaf.
The site would be perfect for someone who uses a mobility device, has transportation, is computer literate and likes people.
The only downside is that if you’re looking for ways to make money through the site it will take some doing, but it is possible. Sponsorships and a marketplace would help it pay its own way.
In the meantime, AccessibleNiagara.com remains a free service for tourists with disabilities wanting to visit us and a valuable asset to the tourism industry of Niagara.
I will gladly work with whoever takes over the site to develop an auditing tool that will cover just about everything they will encounter.
Might you know anyone who fits the bill? Please email me at: linda@lindacrabtree.com.