Disabled Guests No Barrier to Hotel
Sunday, June 9, 2002
By Anita Creech
The Morning News/NWAonline.net
ROGERS -- When the Embassy Suites hotel opens its doors at Pinnacle Hills in
Rogers next year, the staff will have more than just the usual hospitality to
offer. They'll also be trained in how to make disabled guests feel welcome,
thanks to a program developed by a Virginia organization.
Called Opening Doors, the program is designed to
help hotels, restaurants and other businesses go beyond the American with Disabilities
Act to attract disabled customers -- America's largest minority group, according
to W.C. Duke Associates of Woodford, Va., which started the program in 1990.
Scott Tarwater, vice president for sales and marketing with J.Q. Hammons Group
in Springfield, Mo., developer of Embassy Suites in Rogers, called Opening Doors
"an eye-opening" program.
"When I went to the training, they blindfolded me and escorted me first
to the front desk and then to the rest room saying, 'Check yourself in and go
to the men's room.' You talk about lost," Tarwater said.
He had to think about where things were located, he said, giving him a "whole
new appreciation" for what disabled people have to go through. "And
it never fails. The whole employee base, their appreciation for our physically
challenged guests goes up tremendously," Tarwater said.
The program also was used to train staff at the Holiday Inn and Hampton Inn
in Springdale, also owned by Hammons. Eventually, around 1,200 employees who
work at Hammons-owned hotels will undergo the training, Tarwater said.
W.C. Duke and Associates also counts Mictrotel
Inns and Amerisuites among its clients, said Cheryl Duke who, with husband Bill,
founded the organization. "We've been doing this since the program started
in 1990." In addition to training hotel staff, Opening Doors has worked with
employees at restaurants such as Denny's and Long John Silver, Cheryl Duke said.
Duke said her company's program teaches employees
practical skills in how to help disabled guests, such as handling money and
credit-card transactions with those visually impaired, communication tips on
understanding guests with speech impediments and how to overcome other physical
handicaps.
"For example, if you have a customer who is in a wheelchair, the counter
at the front desk can be a barrier for them checking in," Duke
said. Besides the customer service skills, the training program also
deals with safety and emergency situations. So with the events of 9/11 we were
ahead of the curve," she said.
While the prime focus of the ADA was to help businesses avoid discrimination,
Opening Doors deals with attitudes, Duke said.
"What makes our program (unique) is it's not about sensitivity or awareness
training. People with disabilities, they don't want the 'I feel-your-pain approach.'
Opening Doors is more of a disability etiquette and skills on what people need
to know," she said.
Duke is familiar with the frustrations of many
disabled people as she and her husband both have physical limitations. Bill
Duke has a hearing impairment, while Cheryl has degenerative arthritis. In addition,
their son, Paul, has muscular dystrophy and uses a motorized wheelchair.
Tarwater said Hammons Groups Inc. alone serves many disabled people at its 56
hotels. "It would not stretch my imagination to think we have 35,000 to
40,000 disabled guests a year," he said. "And the feedback from our
guests has been very positive. The most important thing is the attitude -- knowing
you're doing the right thing without guessing."
Duke said the training program normally costs $179 per property and includes both hotel and food service. More extensive training can cost up to $3,000 a day, she said. "Our goal is to be the Wal-Mart of disability training (in that) it's affordable and effective," Duke said.