Explore Georgia
Improving Accessibility for Visitors in Georgia
Explore Georgia wanted a disability, inclusion and accessibility audit and report of all Visitor Information Centers (VICs) across the state. Our goal was to benchmark the current status of each VIC and create an action plan to better incorporate ways for disabled travelers to access memorable information and experiences during their travel to Georgia. Our evaluation looked at communication opportunities, programing and procedures and facility updates.
The Opportunity
Explore Georgia wanted to use the visitor center experience to welcome all visitors. Disabled travelers add to the tourism revenue of destinations. By evaluating the current state of visitor centers across Georgia and re-imaging future states that could be more accessible for disabled travelers, opportunities for improvements were able to be documented in a way that can transition to an actionable plan.
We began with foundational research and education around understanding the various types of disabilities. By designing experiences for those with disabilities, there are benefits for everyone.
We defined 3 main goals in order to conduct our evaluation. These goals took a holistic approach in improving the visitor experience for travelers whether they were in route to another destination, looking for places to enjoy in Georgia or in need of a quick stop and restroom break.
Customized Report
By working with visitor information center staff, we were able to document each facility to be able to provide a customized report for all visitor centers that catered to their facilities and unique destination experiences. Some challenges include newer facilities may already have more accessible exteriors and lower desk levels. Older facilities may require more resources to address some of the structural issues documented. However, there are also small strategies that can be implemented at little cost across all centers.
Project Team: Josh Loebner, Global Head of Inclusive Design at Wunderman Thompson; Mary Blair, Account Director