top of page
Search
Erica

Accessibility guidelines for hotels & guest houses for persons with hearing disabilities in SA


Parking Area & Entrance door:

  1. Speech-to-text facilities.

  2. Induction loop where applicable.


Reception area:

  1. Counter loop and loop receivers for assistive listening

  2. No backlight to reduce glare

  3. Good acoustics

  4. Good general lighting and illumination.

  5. Speech-to-text facilities

  6. Individual booking process accommodations

  7. Sensitivity Training for staff

  8. Alternate communication methods (SMS, WhatsApp, email, mobile apps, etc.)

  9. Visual alarm strobes for emergency evacuation

  10. Access to television by means of loop system

  11. Access to video material by means of op captions or subtitles.

  12. Clear signage

  13. Access to interpreter, lip-speaker and/or note-taker services

  14. Access to wake-up-call facilities


Bedrooms:

  1. Portable hearing-impaired access kit

  2. Bed shaker alarm

  3. Visual alarm for doorbell

  4. Visual alarm for emergency evacuation

  5. Phone with amplification/loop and visual indicator

  6. Option to register guest's hearing loss and contact info for emergency evacuation

  7. Access to television by means of loop system/headphones/loop receiver.

  8. Access to video material by means of op captions or subtitles.

  9. Access to written information


Conference facilities:

  1. Induction loop system

  2. Good lighting and illumination

  3. Good aural (acoustics)

  4. Speech-to-text/captioning services

  5. Good sound system with roaming microphones

  6. Access to television by means of loop system

  7. Access to video material by means of op captions or subtitles

  8. Access to interpreter/lipspeaker and or note taker services

  9. Access to written information

  10. Visual alarm strobes for emergency evacuation


Bathrooms:

  1. Visual alarm strobes for emergency evacuation


Lifts:

  1. Visual alarm strobes for emergency evacuation


Additional Recommendations:

  1. Available and accessible where applicable documentation

  2. Staff training on basic communication techniques

  3. Interpretation or video remote interpreting services

  4. Accessible website and online booking systems

  5. Clear emergency evacuation procedures in accessible formats

  6. Access for service dogs ( Hearing-ear-dogs)


Call to Action for South Africa:

  1. Our Building Regulations Part S must be revised to align with international accessibility standards.

  2. Authorities and other roleplayers in the field of Universal Access must consult with experts in the field of hearing loss, as well as persons with hearing disabilities when developing the minimum standards for access.

  3. Raise awareness and advocate for accessibility in the hospitality industry.


All of these above will significantly enhance inclusivity and accessibility for persons with hearing loss.


Sources:


This information is freely available but kindly credit source when using elsewhere.

11 views0 comments

Recent Posts

See All

コメント


bottom of page