Can you travel to Japan if you're disabled?:
OFTEN, people with disabilities or the elderly folk find it hard to travel due to the lack of facilities and services.
But with more and more people seeking good accessibility, companies are leveling up and going barrier-free to accommodate these travelers.
According to The World Bank, one billion people, or 15 percent of the world's population, experience some form of disability. One-fifth of the estimated global total, or between 110 million and 190 million people, experience significant disabilities.
And of that figure, more than 26 million adults with disabilities travel for pleasure and/or business, taking 73 million trips, according to an Open Doors Organization (ODO) study.
For many, language is already a barrier. Accessibility shouldn't be another.
(Via Travel Wire Asia)
Train stations in Japan are the worst by far for the disabled. Elevators are inconveniently placed, many stairs don't include escalators or wheelchair lifts, and there is no physical barrier at most platforms preventing someone from falling on the tracks (though that is rapidly changing.
However, Japan has several advantages for the disabled. For example, there is almost universal walking guides for the blind, audible signals for crossings, and train station agents wearing white gloves will help anyone who needs it. The further one gets outside of the metropolises the less these measures are in place.
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