Assessing Airport Programs For Travelers With Disabilities And Older Adults

"The travel experience can vary greatly for people embarking on the same journey. In particular, travelers with disabilities and older adults usually experience more challenges journeying through the airport. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 239: Assessing Airport Programs for Travelers with Disabilities and Older Adults provides the industry with resources and tools to enhance existing programs and services and develop new ones. The report also provides effective assessment tools to evaluate, monitor, and improve different aspects of the customer experience for these two target groups. An associated online tool, ACRP WebResource 14: Tools to Assess Airport Programs for Travelers with Disabilities and Older Adults, supplements the report. A PDF file with alt text descriptions for the graphics is available upon request from [email protected]." -- from publisher's website.

The airport industry has adopted specific design codes in response to state and federal regulatory requirements--including the Americans with Disabilities Act--to accommodate employees and travelers with disabilities. These design codes include general architectural guidelines and technology adapted for transportation facilities. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Research Report 210: Innovative Solutions to Facilitate Accessibility for Airport Travelers with Disabilities outlines innovative solutions to facilitate accessibility for passengers with a variety of physical, sensory, and/or cognitive challenges. The report also includes additional materials, including case-study highlights in Appendix A, a user-needs survey in Appendix B, and a Wayfinding Accessibility Audit Checklist.

TRB.s Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Research Report 177: Enhancing Airport Wayfinding for Aging Travelers and Persons with Disabilities provides guidance to assist aging travelers and persons with disabilities to travel independently within airports using pedestrian wayfinding systems. The guidebook addresses travel by people with cognitive, sensory, and other mobility challenges.

"Access to relevant, precise, and timely information is crucial for a pleasant experience in air travel. Travelers with cognitive and sensory disabilities, aging travelers, and travelers with limited English proficiency need alternative approaches to those provided for general travelers for accessing and communicating air travel information. The TRB Airport Cooperative Research Program's ACRP Synthesis 101: Communication Strategies for Airport Passenger Access and Mobility details how airports and airlines are leading the way in developing new and creative services to provide information and thus enhance passenger access and mobility. Among the report's findings are the following. Airports' current efforts to improve passenger access and mobility follow three key trends: commitment to seamless customer experience, development of a sense of place at airports, and improvement of efficiency and personalized service using technology such as biometrics, robotics, and artificial intelligence." -- Provided by publisher.

"TRB's Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP) Synthesis 51: Impacts of Aging Travelers on Airports describes the challenges of wayfinding, fatigue, technology and equipment, and needed amenities, as well as the practices that airports are enacting to accommodate and improve the airport experience of aging travelers. The report is designed to help users better understand the aging demographic, and define issues and implement effective practices to accommodate aging travelers at airports." -- Publisher's description.

The future of disability in America will depend on how well the U.S. prepares for and manages the demographic, fiscal, and technological developments that will unfold during the next two to three decades. Building upon two prior studies from the Institute of Medicine (the 1991 Institute of Medicine's report Disability in America and the 1997 report Enabling America), The Future of Disability in America examines both progress and concerns about continuing barriers that limit the independence, productivity, and participation in community life of people with disabilities. This book offers a comprehensive look at a wide range of issues, including the prevalence of disability across the lifespan; disability trends the role of assistive technology; barriers posed by health care and other facilities with inaccessible buildings, equipment, and information formats; the needs of young people moving from pediatric to adult health care and of adults experiencing premature aging and secondary health problems; selected issues in health care financing (e.g., risk adjusting payments to health plans, coverage of assistive technology); and the organizing and financing of disability-related research. The Future of Disability in America is an assessment of both principles and scientific evidence for disability policies and services. This book's recommendations propose steps to eliminate barriers and strengthen the evidence base for future public and private actions to reduce the impact of disability on individuals, families, and society.

Since airlines have different policies and practices relating to passengers with special needs, this guide provides information about what questions to ask to have special needs met. Geared for travelers who experience reduced mobility because of wheelchairs or other special medical conditions, this book will help prepare for a comfortable air travel experience. Produced in extra-large type for easy reading, every stage of the special needs traveler's journey is covered, including transportation to the airport, check-in and baggage claim.

This book provides comprehensive information needed to assist with all aspects of designing, delivering, or evaluating transportation systems for use by older adults, and presents the necessary background on aging and human factors issues as well as practical guidelines needed to accommodate older adult transport users. Features Presents clear design guidance aimed at improving usability among older adults, a too often neglected but fast-growing segment of the transportation system population Includes comprehensive coverage of transportation systems, including the notably important issue of older drivers, but also additional transportation forms including public transportation via bus and subway, air transport, rail, bicycle, and even pedestrians Offers numerous examples throughout of best practices based on both the scientific literature and the content expertise of the authors Discusses practical implications of incorporating the recommended design principles for both older adults and other transport system users Provides useful background about normal age-related changes in sensory, cognitive, and physical abilities that impact older adults and how they interact with transportation systems