Radio SRF 1 reports on OK:GO
What does Accessible Switzerland Association stand for? And what does this association have to do with the OK:GO initiative? In the podcast at SRF, Carol Muggli, Managing Director of FVBS, provides an insight into the OK:GO initiative.
For many travelers, trips and holidays require precise planning. For senior citizens, families with strollers or people with disabilities as well. Accessible Switzerland Association is a coalition of tourism and disability organizations which aims to simplify this planning.
“There is a misconception that accessibility and a commitment to more inclusion are only the responsibility of a few companies. We believe that every tourism provider has an offer which appeals to people with disabilities and limited mobility. After all, accessibility is very individual and situation-dependent.” Carol Muggli, Managing Director FVBS
This is why, in 2019, the FVBS launched the OK:GO initiative. The origin of the OK:GO initiative was the collaboration between Swiss Youth Hostels and the Denk an mich foundation.
“The idea for OK:GO came out of a project with the hostels. This project showed us that accessibility information is important and that a great deal can be achieved with just a little effort. However: it has to work for everyone and you have to be able to motivate all tourism service providers to take part. Only then will we have inclusion.” René Dobler, CEO Stiftung Sozialtourismus
The OK:GO initiative is attracting more and more attention in the tourism industry. René Dobler points out that it is an easy start and gets rid of the belief that the issue of accessibility is very costly. “The OK:GO initiative also encourages many tourism businesses to think more about accessibility and inclusion.”
By participating in the OK:GO initiative, any tourism service provider can publicize their accessibility information. It doesn’t matter whether the locality is wheelchair accessible or not – because the information is reproduced objectively and localities are not given a score based on what they have or don’t have. “For the service provider, the publication of accessibility information can be regarded as a service to the guest,” says Carol Muggli. “That way the guest can decide in advance whether a hotel or restaurant is accessible to him or her – or not, as the case may be.” The service provider then publishes this information on accessibility on its own website using the OK:GO emblem so that the information is public and available to all.