The Municipality of Rhodes in cooperation with the Social Cooperative Business “Asklipiades” successfully held four (4) training seminars in Rhodes aiming to build capacity of tourism industry staff and entrepreneurs on access and inclusion.
The seminars took place in October 2016 at different venues across the city: Elysium Resort and Spa Hotel, Rodos Palace Hotel, the City Hall and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dodecanese.
The content and delivery were tailored to SME’s professionals, public bodies, chambers and associations. Host speakers included Mr. Theodoros MAKOS, Employment Office Manager at the Greek Manpower Employment Organization, and Ms. Marily CHRISTOFI, Surveying Engineer and Accessibility expert for disabled people at the National Confederation of Disabled People. Moreover, experts on accessibility from the Municipality and “Asklipiades” presented the project and elaborated on relevant topics. The areas covered included the legal framework regarding the Disability Discrimination Law, Health and Safety building regulations in Greece, attitudes towards disabled people, government programs supporting employment of disabled people, good practice examples on accessibility, particularly on spatial, visual and acoustic access.
More than forty (40) people attended the seminars including representatives from the Municipality of Rhodes, the Association of Disabled People in the Province of Rhodes, the Hellenic Tourism Organization, the Commercial Association, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Dodecanese, the Travel Agencies’ Union of Rhodes and the Hotel Owners’ Association of Rhodes.
Participants were given a manual with practical information and guidance on how to identify access barriers and find solutions to remove them. The majority of participants also stated that the topics were in general interesting, relevant to their work and very useful for future improvements regarding accessibility and how they could further improve their services in terms of sustainability.
All events were greatly supported by public and private entities, who welcomed the project and contributed their resources – such as venue and printing facilities – towards the seminars.
If you want to get involved in the project in Rhodes, Greece, you can contact the Municipality of Rhodes or “Asklipiades” directly (details here: www.visits4u.eu/contact-us)
Further links:
Municipality of Rhodes: www.rhodes.gr
Social Cooperative Business “Asklipiades”: www.pwdservices.gr
National Confederation of Disabled People www.esaea.gr
Greek Manpower Employment Organization: www.oaed.gr
