To feel sorry for places who try to be inclusive but can never win z

[2024givemeabreak]

I am fully ready to be jumped on but a few days ago I was involved in a social media debate about the inclusiveness of a well known uk holiday company.
the women who is a parent of a child work autism has basically tried to start a movement about making more inclusive with lots of emails / social media posts.
from what I can tell it’s about being able to enjoy the place as its too busy.
so the requests are things that Include not one but Multiple SEN hours in the pool a day- as an example of one of the requests.
disclaimer - I have a DC with Multiple needs including SEN, health and physical abilities. We have been to this place as well as many UK destinations and for DC it is a place we choose most because it suits her needs and they are very good at “ trying “ to adapt when possible. I am very pro being accessible - as in the need for disabled toilets, bus spaces, accessible accommodation etc however over the last 10 years I have realised and sort of accepted that DD does have limitations and we choose things that suit her needs / abilities. There is so many different kids of disabilities and difficulties in one life that varies across the board that I feel like sometimes it’s impossible to make everything accessible and do able for every person.
although overall their could be strides to make certain things better and tbh genuinely most places - not all are trying.
i was told that I had just lost energy and care about what DD can access but it’s not that I have - like I will fight for education, the ability of freedom to get around etc but yes I accept that she can’t do a wall climbing activity or if I go somewhere I choose places I know she will cope with.
I do believe that a lot of these places are trying and have move forward over the years but I do feel it’s impossible to meet everyone’s needs ?

I see lots of posts that are like "this ONE simple change would make EVERYWHERE accessible to EVERYONE" but then the change is something which would make it actually more difficult for others.

Think "everywhere should be ramped access only" - there are conditions which find ramps harder to access
Or
"Quiet hours should be the norm" - when shops in the sort of silence Quiet hours create can be unsettling and anxiety inducing in others

Places need to do the best they can. But it shouldn't be at the detriment to other users. And sometimes it does end up like the place cannot win.

I've seen the post you are refering to. I believe the lady is still on her acceptance journey for her DC with SEN. It's hard seeing things their peers cope with and your child doesn't. It's a long journey to acceptance and making peace with the diagnosis and presentation of a child's SEN. She is still full of fire and energy to fight, whilst also still figuring out what is an absolute no go for her DC. Many parents of older DC with SEN are so worn down by fighting the education system and everything else that campaigning for a holiday company to be more inclusive is very low on the priority list.

There are some very good points raised in the comments and things the holiday park could do - the one about more accessible spaces on the train is a good point and something that could be easily done. Same with higher frequency of the train, even NT DC struggle with a wait for more than 1 train. The point about having safer accommodation is valid (I have a toddler who can escape out of the doors) and I have suggested this to them myself.

Raising awareness of the quieter times in the pool is another thing they could do and is easily done, IMO SEN sessions in the pool will be a difficult one and will be open to abuse, it also puts pressure on SEN families to be ready for that session which causes more stress. They will have a general idea of when the pool is quieter and should be advising people of these times. They can definitely invest in more pool equipment to help with people getting in and out of the pool safely. They really should have more accessible changing rooms and toilets than they currently have. More seating that is free so people can take rests easily. The biggest factor is how busy the pool is, as one of the few free activities it is incredibly busy. The pool footprint itself hasn't been expanded, even though there are a few new slides there isn't really anything extra to take the pressure off the main areas. Lots of the tucked away spaces have been reclaimed, there used to be a little nook that was quieter off the main pool that now has Starbucks on top of it. The old lane pool which was a quieter area of the pool has been turned into private hire cabanas. Years ago there used to be little sunbathing spots tucked away, now flumes exit here or they are busy walk ways. These little quiet nooks are invaluable for a SEN family. They allow a quieter place just to wind down and regulate a bit without having to leave the facility. These nooks have now gone.

Expanding the activity offer is another one they could do fairly easily. They are very popular with lots of SEN groups, charities and homes who come to visit so the demand would be there for a few SEN specific sessions. It doesn't even require reinventing the wheel, maybe running an extra session of some of the activities but with no age limit. So they can still run the normal session with an age limit, but put on another session but with no age limit. E.g. run the current sensory session (under 2s) then run an additional sensory session after that but for all ages.

The park has expanded it's occupancy but has not expanded it's facilities to match. It does feel very very busy nowadays, purely because there is a lot more accommodation and no more added facilities. They pretty much run at full capacity all year too. It also feels much busier in the "free" parts (swimming, play areas, nature centre) as COL comes into play. The cheaper activities are also busier. It is not a particularly cheap holiday to start with and activity prices can get very steep very quickly - especially with multiple DC.

The massive expansion of accommodation has cut into the quieter parts of the holiday park. Years ago you could cycle around wooded parts, this is all accomodation now.

I know quite a few SEN families and the holiday park is one of the more inclusive by far. That's why it is so popular with many SEN groups and SEN families. You really cannot accommodate everyone and what works for some will not work for others. However, there are a few things that can be easily implemented that require very little in the way of change for the "normal" holiday park guest.