ODO, Airports Council to offer workshops for US airports on reduced mobility passengers

In order to enhance services and facilities for passengers with disabilities, Open Doors Organization (ODO) and Airports Council International (ACI) said they will offer a new series of workshops in the US for aviation managers and access coordinators.

The first introductory-level workshop, Passengers with Reduced Mobility, is scheduled for 16–18 May 2016 in San Francisco. A second intermediate-level course, focusing on the roles and responsibilities of airport access coordinators, will launch in the third quarter of 2016. Additional workshops are to come in 2017.

These new training offerings represent a growing partnership between ACI and ODO, the aim of which is to help the aviation industry better accommodate travelers with disabilities or reduced mobility. At certain US hubs, airlines provide more than one million wheelchair assists per year. An eLearning course from ODO, Disability Sensitivity Training, has been offered at the ACI Online Learning Centre for several years. Moreover, speakers from ODO regularly share their specialized knowledge at ACI events worldwide.

The Passengers with Reduced Mobility workshop will provide an introduction to US disability rights legislation, architectural accessibility standards, adaptive information technology and how to appropriately accommodate a wide range of passengers with disabilities.

The interactive course will conclude with a walking tour of the airport, and will focus on accessibility elements such as how travelers with disabilities function and navigate within this complex environment. Additional details on this course, as well as the intermediate-level course focusing on the roles and responsibilities of airport access coordinators, will be available shortly.

Open Doors Organization (ODO), a non-profit organization based in Chicago, IL, was founded in 2000 for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability market and make their goods and services accessible. ODO focuses primarily on travel and tourism and has developed numerous training programmes for airports, airlines, airline service companies and ground handlers.

Airports Council International was founded in 1991 with the objective of fostering cooperation among its member airports and other partners in world aviation, including the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization.