Friday, March 16, 2018

Edinburgh Airport to launch new App to facilitate easy assistance for passengers with disabilities

Dear Colleagues,

Edinburgh Airport has announced launch of an innovative 'Welcome App' to make the airport more welcoming to those living with disabilities. Created by Neatebox, the app is designed to allow passengers to personalize the assistance they require and request assistance from the airport in advance. 

The Edinburgh Airport passengers with Reduced Mobility team will then receive a notification letting them know that guests are on their way and will be sent extra tips on how best to aid the individual.

As per the Edinburgh Airport, the app is yet another provision they offer to ensure the airport is open and accessible to all, regardless of their needs. This Airport recently became the first airport in Scotland to be recognized as autism friendly. 

Speaking to Insider, Mr. Gordon Dewar, Edinburgh Airports Chief Executive, said, “It’s also good to work with local businesses and implement innovative approaches to passenger needs – we pride ourselves on being innovative and we are confident our accessibility will continue to improve with the introduction of Neatebox.” 

Research carried out by Euan’s Guide showed 92% of disabled people do not feel confident visiting new places due to concerns about accessibility. Neatebox want to help improve lives through the use of smart technology. They hope that the ‘Welcome’ app will help promote Scotland as the ‘epicenter of innovation’.

Gavin Neate, Co-Founder of Neatebox, responding to a question by EN4News about the inspiration behind the innovative app and why it is so important in a customer service environment, said, “When it comes to disability, we need to have so much more information now. Everyone likes to be interacted with differently. If you go up and you were instantly happy and friendly towards someone with autism, that might not actually be what they need. Therefore if we knew what somebody’s needs were before we met them, then that would be brilliant.  70% of people who are disabled have hidden disabilities. We generally think about providing service for people who have obvious disabilities – a blind person, a wheelchair user, someone with a walking cane. Things like autism, epilepsy and dyslexia – these are all disabilities a person has to self disclose. If you’re standing at a bank or if you’re in a hotel or a Starbucks queue, the last thing you want to do is talk to the person behind the counter and explain.” 

Neate added, “We don’t just want to help a disabled person get better service, we want to help the customer service person give better service.”

Read more  at EN4News 

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