Accessibility remains a ‘significant’ barrier for travellers with a disability

Travel accessibility remains a ‘significant’ barrier for travellers with a disability, according to the latest research by TMC giant American Express Global Business Travel.

A June survey of 500 UK-based business travellers with a disability (visible or invisible) found that almost three quarters (74 per cent) of respondents consider business travel crucial for career progression, yet 65 per cent said they are unable to participate in business travel due to their disability.

Additionally, 61 per cent said they’ve had to cancel crucial trips because of insurmountable accessibility issues. 

Half of respondents (50 per cent) reported having to decline a job offer due to travel requirements they felt they couldn’t meet, while 63 per cent believe able-bodied colleagues progress faster in their careers due to easier access to travel opportunities.  

These challenges reflect a spectrum of obstacles, including a lack of awareness of traveller needs (according to 48 per cent of respondents) and inadequate hotel accommodations (31 per cent). An additional 37 per cent of respondents also reported having experienced rudeness or prejudice while travelling for business.

Derek Moxam, an accessibility advocate and agent coach at Amex GBT, said, “I’ve encountered many of the challenges identified in the survey… [there’s also a] lack of standardisation and experience between airlines, hotels, ground transport and ground services.”

To support disabled travellers, respondents suggested improvements such as working with travel companies that have built-in accessibility support (29 per cent), ensuring contingency plans are in place in case of disruption (27 per cent), and providing detailed travel plans with information and pictures of accessible modifications (19 per cent).

Amex GBT in December launched its Travellers Requiring Specialty Assistance (TRSA) desk to support travellers with a disability. More than a dozen corporates have since adopted the accessibility solution into their travel programmes, according to the TMC, including the likes of IBM and Salesforce. The TRSA desk is also available for Amex GBT employees.