Accessibility in Tourism - Focus 2000

The Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission announced today the Commission's education objective for this fiscal year will be to promote and raise awareness of the importance of accessibility and human rights, with particular emphasis on tourism. The Commission's aim is to increase compliance with human rights legislation governing accessibility of services, facilities and accommodations so everyone can participate without fear of discrimination due to a disability.

The Prince Edward Island Human Rights Commission has identified three main areas of concern: the number of accessible tourist facilities on Prince Edward Island; information in the Visitor's Guide on accessible tourist facilities; and the conflict between the Provincial Building Code Act and the Prince Edward Island Human Rights Act. A recent Commission survey of the Prince Edward Island 2000 Visitor's Guide, found that out of 1,047 tourist accommodations, only 22 claim to be accessible.

When providing services to the public, business owners and service providers are required by law to accommodate individuals with disabilities to the point of undue hardship. There are at least three factors which are to be considered in assessing whether a requested accommodation would cause undue hardship: cost, outside sources of funding (if any), and health and safety requirements (if any).