Do you need an exciting guide to discover Berlin on holidays, and you don’t know where to start from? A walking tour is also a great choice offering a close up view of Berlin’s most visited attractions. Nevertheless, if you are desirous of developing an accessibly walking tour that is suitable for or where everyone can play a part without feeling left out there are certain guidelines that should be considered. In this ‘how to’ blog post, we will walk you through the steps to plan a disability friendly walking tour in Berlin.

1. Research and Plan

However, there are certain steps you need to undertake before you begin to design your inclusive walking tour: Read about the city’s history, famous attractions, and traditions. Constructing a plan of activities will assist you in choosing convenient areas and thinking about probable difficulties for those persons.

Compose a programme that will include such tourist entertainment objects that will be both ever-popular and mostly not visited. Large spaces, areas with ramps or an elevator and an accessible restroom may be an added advantage to selected sites. Your tour should be flexible enough to cover various interests including cultural, historical, art and others that relate to the city.

2. Meeting Point Accessibility

Select a meeting location whereby everyone can conveniently access that location. Always, prefer an area that is accessible by public transport if possible, then choose a centrally located one. Give specific directions on how to get to the point of convergence of the meeting.

3. Route Planning

Buying a bicycle for your cross country travel and choosing a route that you will be covering should also be done taking into considerations of persons with disabilities such as wheelchair users. Do not go where the ground or floor is inclined or contains any form of irregularities. What makes people prefer walking or biking along a certain route? Some of the places to mention are those with accessible rest rooms along the trail.

It also suggests that there are opportunity points along the route where participants could stop, rest and ask questions. These stops could also be good enough to allow those who might be having issues with their mobility to feet on docket with the rest of the group.

4. Work with Local Umbrella Bodies

Local organizations that are involved in the promotion of accessibility and inclusion will definitely make your walking tour much more fruitful. These organizations may also offer important information, means, and possible customers for a tour which can gives their own perspectives.

5. Offer Other Services of Assistive Devices and Materials

For the benefit of disabled persons especially the blind and the deaf, recommend the use of large fonts in the information literature or use of a speaking media guide. It is important that your guides carry along microphones and portable speakers in case your voices need to be magnified.

6. Train Your Guides

Make sure that your guides are friendly to everybody and are able to put a lot of effort towards it. Explain them simpler sign language terms and signs that one has to use when speaking to someone who is either deaf or has a hearing impairment. Further discuss the principles of disability etiquette in group and recall them to address the patient as a person before the disability.

Remind your guides to exercise tolerance, empathy and flexibility on the participants. Thus, there will be no discriminating of people and anyone can easily find a company to work with.

7. Spread the Word

Don’t forget to advertise your inclusive walking tour as a memorable and friendly experience. This should be done through online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, tourism blogs,.disabled organizations and associations. Ask travel bloggers or influencers known for wheelchair accessible travel, if they will be willing to promote your tour.

8. Get Feedbacks and Reflective Feedback for Improved Feedback

It is recommended that after each escorted walking tour it is useful to gather comments from participants. Such feedback can work toward the improvement of your future tours and guarantee that all of them are as inclusive as possible. Pay close attention to the recommendations provided by others and use them in your planning and operating procedure.

Designing an approach to initiating an ‘integrated’ walking tour in Berlin implies meticulous thinking and a promise to make the tour accessible to all the participants. Including these pro tips to your planning you can come up with an excellent tour which will let each of the travelers to have a good time in the beautiful city of Berlin.