The Provincial Tourism Office of Negros Oriental has welcomed the participation of the Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) sector to the 2012 Buglasan Festival this month.
Through the efforts of The Great Physician Rehabilitation Foundation (GPRehab), the PWD sector will join the opening parade on Oct. 12.
On Oct. 13, another activity, the Pagpa-apil 2012: A Fellowship for Disability, will be held at the Sidlakang Negros Village in Barangay Daro.
“We want this year’s celebration to be more meaningful with the participation of the different sectors in the community. We are happy to note that the PWD sector is joining us. This will surely create an impact in making Negros Oriental’s tourism more attractive especially to tourists with disabilities,” expressed Myla Mae Bromo-Abellana, senior Tourism Operations officer of Negros Oriental.
The opening parade will include PWDs from the different cities and municipalities of Negros Oriental, parents of children with disabilities, advocates, and organizations working for and with the PWD sector.
On the other hand, the Pagpa-apil 2012: A Fellowship for Disability is a whole day affair that will offer varied initiatives to educate the community about disability. These will include assessment of children with disabilities, consultations on accessibility and creating a Barrier Free Environment, advocacy booth for disability, aerobics for disability, inclusive games and a disability sensitivity workshop. The one-day activity will culminate in a disability fellowship program which will showcase the different talents of some members of the sector.
“GPRehab sees this as an initial big step towards making tourism in Negros Oriental more inclusive. This will surely highlight the province’s initiative in making sure that PWD are included into the mainstream of tourism development,” shared Analou Suan, GPRehab executive director. “We earnestly hope that more programs will be formulated to realize this aspiration.”
Inclusive tourism takes into consideration the needs of all travelers: children, senior citizens, families, PWDs. It does not exclude anyone because of “special needs”.
It means providing infrastructural features and services that will benefit everyone, including those with disabilities.
In this context, a ramp now becomes a path not only for people in wheelchairs but also for those in crutches, old people who now move slower, pregnant women who find it tiring to use the stairs.
It is a concept that is now slowly becoming more popular especially because of travelers, like older people and PWDs who have more time and more money to spare but who have limited options because of their physical or even intellectual limitations.
Accessible features, more PWD-friendly services and, more importantly, a more universally welcoming attitude by the local community, are some of the important aspects of Inclusive Tourism.
