A Universal Design Approach for the Hospitality Industry

Program Description:
Talk about a game-changer: this session will change your view of universal design forever. Noted speaker and trainer Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. understands the hospitality industry from the perspective of someone who uses a wheelchair. Guided by her personal experiences, extensive travels, and keen insight, take a roll with her through sample hospitality facilities to see common problems and challenges that design, layout, and materials present to people with disabilities and people of all abilities. Come away with solutions that provide more accessibility, greater independence, and increased safety for guests. Go beyond the ADA requirements and learn about inclusive design for all guests, regardless of their limitations.

Targeted Audiences: This session is custom designed for interior designers, hotel and motel owners and developers, builders, remodelers, and architects.

Goal: The goal of this program is to assist hospitality industry professionals and designers as they integrate universal design in their future projects.

Learner Objectives:

1. Identify the size of the population of people with disabilities in the United States and the significance of their purchasing power of hospitality services.
2. Recognize universal design features in hospitality facilities that provide for accessibility, independence, safety and comfort.
3. Recognize problems in existing homes that limits accessibility and provide solutions to improve accessibility.
4. Provide solutions to improve accessibility in hospitality facilities.
5. Utilize the latest information on the Americans with Disabilities Act regulations, the United States Access Board accessibility guidelines and standards regarding hospitality facilities.
6. Utilize universal design features in future commercial design projects in the hospitality industry including: hotels, motels, cruise ships and restaurants.
7. Identify proper lighting levels and controls for guestrooms relative to safety and visual acuity.

Duration of Program: 45-90 minutes as a keynote. A training program can be extended to a half day or full day.

Learning Outcomes: At the conclusion of this program, the audience members will be able to:

• Incorporate universal design features into the hospitality industry.
• Recognize universal design features in the guest rooms, lobbies, dining rooms and meeting rooms to provide for accessibility, independence, safety and comfort.
• Recognize problems in existing hospitality facilities that limit accessibility and provide solutions to improve accessibility.
• Bring up the subject and conduct conversations about utilizing universal design to future clients who are building or remodeling hospitality facilities.
• List the benefits of universal design.
• Identify fundamental components of universal design hospitality facilities.

Multimedia: The presentation is enhanced with an interactive handout and high quality graphics and slides which serve to illustrate the main points. Audiences are better able to retain the core messages by having visual illustrations.

Click here to contact Rosemarie and learn how this program can be customized for your next event.