Ferry travel in Greece is a popular way to explore the country’s islands and the mainland. Now the famous tourist destination is making significant changes to make ferry travel disability-friendly. The Greek Shipowners Association has teamed up with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities (E.S.AmeA), to make ferry travel better for people with disabilities. Scroll down for details.
Greece To Make Ferry Travel Disability-Friendly
The Greek Shipowners Association, the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and the National Confederation of Persons with Disabilities (E.S.AmeA) are aiming to make travel more seamless for disable people. They are updating Presidential Decrees from 2001 and 2011 to make travel easy for everyone, no matter their disability.
As per Travel and Tour World, the authorities are focusing on individuals with disabilities and reduced mobility by adding ramps, elevators with sound and light indicators. Moreover, they are also planning to install accessible restrooms, special cabins, and seats reserved for disabled passengers.
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What Are The New Upgrades?
To make travel more inclusive, Greek officials have prepared a proposal to install physical tools to help disabled people move easily. The authorities are aiming to install ramps at boarding points, stairlifts, and special cabins for people with limited mobility. They are also focusing on elevators with sound and visual features.
The new plan also includes a special focus to improve accessibility in restrooms. All ferry will have support bars and non-slip floors. It will be spacious enough for wheelchairs to move. For emergencies, an emergency button and signs in Braille are also added in proposal.
As part of proposal, Ferry travel will also be easy for individuals with visual disabilities. There are also plans to add high contrast colours on the door, stairs, and handrails. To guide people, they also plan to add tactile flooring.
According to Travel and Tour World, new upgrade proposal not only involves installing new tools but also training staff. The on-board staff and people at boarding will be trained to trained to assist people with disabilities. The training will cover effective communication, usage of new equipment, and important safety protocols.
This fall, the new proposal changes will be shared with people for feedback, and disabled people will share their views. After gathering the feedback, the ministry will put new changes into action.
Let us know your thoughts about these new changes in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: Canva Pro/ I.Weirink-Van (Representative Image)
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