Sunday 6 November 2011
Wednesday 2 November 2011
The Chosen Concept
As I have introduced in the Customer Need section the two major needs of the deaf and hard of hearing people are effective communication with the providers of services during their trip and independent travelling. If these two needs are fulfilled the customers will be likely to make the most of their journey. Using modern technologies it is possible to meet these expectations and it would not only enable deaf people to travel without interpreters, but would also let them gain amazing experiences out of their trip.
First of all, travellers with hearing impairment often face issues concerning the communication with the providers of services. In the ‘‘Healthy Travel: Don‘t Travel Without It!‘‘ handbook for travellers I have read a statement: ‘‘Any traveler who is deaf or hard of hearing should, of course, always carry a notepad and a pen or pencil to communicate in writing whenever necessary.‘‘ (Zimring and Iannucci, p. 26 ). However, in the 21st century, smartphones could replace such old ways of communication with the providers of services as probably the majority of people are always carrying their telephones anyway. In the following way, this would make communication much more convenient and modern as deaf people would not need to ask individuals to write on a paper or print symbols on their palms. Especially it would be useful when the deaf or hard of hearing people travel alone and without an interpreter. There is a number of different situations when this type of communication would help during the journey, for example, when checking in a hotel or choosing and experiencing tour or excursion.
In November 2007, in the United Nations, Bangkok, Thailand an event called "International Conference on Accessible Tourism" was organized. The author was Muhammad Akram who is a deaf person himself and he provided a presentation with a title of "Accessible Tourism from the Perspective of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People". During the event he shared various problems and experiences from his personal travels. For example, he indicated that deaf customers staying in hotels can not contact reception from their rooms and if they need anything they have to go to the reception themselves. In contrast, any other customers can use telephones provided in the rooms and call the reception (Danishkadah, 2007). Nevertheless, using the smartphones text and email messaging is available which could be applied in this type of situations in order to improve deaf consumers‘ experiences while staying in a hotel. What is more, if a hotel offers special services for deaf customers, for example, a person in staff who knows sign language, video calls could be used. For instance, Apple iPhone 4S can offer convenient video calls as there are two built-in cameras, one on the front and one on the back (Apple, 2011).
Secondly, a lot of people want to take tours around the place they are visiting. However, people who have problems with hearing or are deaf might often feel disappointed as they feel that their expectations of a tour were not fully met. ‘‘A guided tour experience for deaf people would require the tour operator to provide a sign language interpreter or a printed copy of the commentary.‘‘ (United Nations, 2003). When deaf or hard of hearing people are taking excursion in a group they often face various problems. For instance, not all people can clearly see a guide telling information about the object or place in sign language. This issue often occurs when a certain visited place is very crowded. Thus, the usage of a smartphone and a special mobile app with an integrated augmented reality option would make the most significant contribution to improving holidays during the tours and excursions. Particular objects and places could be recognized by the augmented reality and the information about them could be provided by watching a video where a guide tells about that object or place in sign language. Facilities like this would make a tour or excursion much more convenient and interesting. People with hearing impairment would no longer need to follow the guide and always be tense. They could enjoy their tour with family and friends. Moreover, it would allow deaf and hard of hearing people to experience much more flexible excursion as they could plan the route of the tour by themselves. It also means that they have a choice either they want to know the whole detailed story of the place/object or just to watch a short video which contains basic facts.
Personally, if I could choose I would like that someone else tell me information during the tour rather than reading facts in a brochure or a guidebook. That is why I consider that video information for deaf people would be more interesting if they prefer to travel alone or can not afford a tour guide who knows sign language. Reading the brochures about famous places or objects during the tour might not seem very appealing to many people. In addition, it definitely would not have that strong effect on remembering information.
To sum up, if deaf and hard of hearing people are willing to use modern technologies they have much more independence when travelling. They can explore the places around individually and fully enjoy the tour. Individuals are able to plan the route and time by themselves and in the following way feel independent and flexible. What is more, they can communicate with the providers of services in a much more convenient way. Finally, deaf or hard of hearing would not feel left out or feel uncomfortable due to the hearing impairment. In other words, they can enjoy their independent travel and make the most of it.
First of all, travellers with hearing impairment often face issues concerning the communication with the providers of services. In the ‘‘Healthy Travel: Don‘t Travel Without It!‘‘ handbook for travellers I have read a statement: ‘‘Any traveler who is deaf or hard of hearing should, of course, always carry a notepad and a pen or pencil to communicate in writing whenever necessary.‘‘ (Zimring and Iannucci, p. 26 ). However, in the 21st century, smartphones could replace such old ways of communication with the providers of services as probably the majority of people are always carrying their telephones anyway. In the following way, this would make communication much more convenient and modern as deaf people would not need to ask individuals to write on a paper or print symbols on their palms. Especially it would be useful when the deaf or hard of hearing people travel alone and without an interpreter. There is a number of different situations when this type of communication would help during the journey, for example, when checking in a hotel or choosing and experiencing tour or excursion. 
In November 2007, in the United Nations, Bangkok, Thailand an event called "International Conference on Accessible Tourism" was organized. The author was Muhammad Akram who is a deaf person himself and he provided a presentation with a title of "Accessible Tourism from the Perspective of Deaf and Hard of Hearing People". During the event he shared various problems and experiences from his personal travels. For example, he indicated that deaf customers staying in hotels can not contact reception from their rooms and if they need anything they have to go to the reception themselves. In contrast, any other customers can use telephones provided in the rooms and call the reception (Danishkadah, 2007). Nevertheless, using the smartphones text and email messaging is available which could be applied in this type of situations in order to improve deaf consumers‘ experiences while staying in a hotel. What is more, if a hotel offers special services for deaf customers, for example, a person in staff who knows sign language, video calls could be used. For instance, Apple iPhone 4S can offer convenient video calls as there are two built-in cameras, one on the front and one on the back (Apple, 2011). Secondly, a lot of people want to take tours around the place they are visiting. However, people who have problems with hearing or are deaf might often feel disappointed as they feel that their expectations of a tour were not fully met. ‘‘A guided tour experience for deaf people would require the tour operator to provide a sign language interpreter or a printed copy of the commentary.‘‘ (United Nations, 2003). When deaf or hard of hearing people are taking excursion in a group they often face various problems. For instance, not all people can clearly see a guide telling information about the object or place in sign language. This issue often occurs when a certain visited place is very crowded. Thus, the usage of a smartphone and a special mobile app with an integrated augmented reality option would make the most significant contribution to improving holidays during the tours and excursions. Particular objects and places could be recognized by the augmented reality and the information about them could be provided by watching a video where a guide tells about that object or place in sign language. Facilities like this would make a tour or excursion much more convenient and interesting. People with hearing impairment would no longer need to follow the guide and always be tense. They could enjoy their tour with family and friends. Moreover, it would allow deaf and hard of hearing people to experience much more flexible excursion as they could plan the route of the tour by themselves. It also means that they have a choice either they want to know the whole detailed story of the place/object or just to watch a short video which contains basic facts.
Personally, if I could choose I would like that someone else tell me information during the tour rather than reading facts in a brochure or a guidebook. That is why I consider that video information for deaf people would be more interesting if they prefer to travel alone or can not afford a tour guide who knows sign language. Reading the brochures about famous places or objects during the tour might not seem very appealing to many people. In addition, it definitely would not have that strong effect on remembering information. To sum up, if deaf and hard of hearing people are willing to use modern technologies they have much more independence when travelling. They can explore the places around individually and fully enjoy the tour. Individuals are able to plan the route and time by themselves and in the following way feel independent and flexible. What is more, they can communicate with the providers of services in a much more convenient way. Finally, deaf or hard of hearing would not feel left out or feel uncomfortable due to the hearing impairment. In other words, they can enjoy their independent travel and make the most of it.
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