Black Forest Accessible

The project “Black Forest Accessible” has been created to make the travel destination Black Forest in Germany more attractive for people with disabilities. At this year’s REHACARE visitors can inform themselves about it.

01/10/2009

The project Black Forest Accessible
runs till the end of 2010.

Black Forest gateau, kirsch and cuckoo clock make holidays in the Black Forest as delightful as its woods and mountains. In future, shops, institutions and restaurants in this area are planned to be more accessible so that everybody can enjoy holidays there.

The National Coordination Point Tourism for All (NatKo) was charged with this task by the European Leader-cooperation. This largely finances the Black Forest project which runs from 2009 till the end of 2010. “It is the first project of this extent in Germany”, Nadine Rathofer from NatKo explains. “It is to serve as a model for other regions.”

In future it will be easier to find out whether your travel destination in the Black Forest is accessible or not © NatKo

Up to now, 28 communities in the Black Forest are taking part. In these communities there are advisers who are specially trained for this topic and who are contact persons even after the duration of the project. There, every institution which is taking part can get information.

“After the registration we visit the institutions to take a stock and measure, photograph and think about what could be improved,” Rathofer describes. Changes do not have to be too enormous: seats for walking disabled ones or menu cards with big letters and pictures of meals for visually impaired or learning disabled people are little aids with big effect - not only for tourists but also for all inhabitants.

Not only tourists but also inhabitants
of the region are happy about more
accessibility © NatKo

“After visiting the institutions we make recommendations what could be changed”, Rathofer continues. All accessible offers will be collected in a brochure and presented on the Internet.

Fair visitors at REHACARE 2009 can visit hall 3, booth F04, the joint booth of the BAG Selbsthilfe, to ask questions about the project Black Forest Accessible “Schwarzwald Barrierefrei”.

Natascha Mörs
REHACARE.de

- Read more about it at: www.leader-nordschwarzwald.de and
- www.leader-mittlerer-schwarzwald.de