As part of its new National Disability Strategy, the UK government is appointing Kate Nicholls as Disability and Access Ambassador for the hospitality sector.
The strategy comprises an agenda and set of commitments supported by £1.6bn of funding to ‘transform the everyday lives of disabled people’.
Seeking support from the private sector to help implement the strategy, the Minister for Disabled People, Disability and Access is appointing Disability and Access Ambassadors who will ‘use their influence in business to encourage and support changes in access for both disabled consumers and employees’.
UK Hospitality’s chief executive Kate Nicholls was named ambassador for the hospitality sector. She commented “Our sector has always striven to welcome team members and customers from all backgrounds and levels of physical or mental ability but today’s announcement will hopefully provide the basis to improve yet further our ability to do so.”
32% of disabled people in the UK find hotels fail to meet their accessibility requirements, according to research published in March 2021 by accessible travel company Handiscover.