Children need to share experiences and have fun together and I think it’s more important for existing attractions to focus on being more inclusive, rather than focusing on building new attractions aimed exclusively at disabled people.

Being able to go on rides and play with other children is an essential part of growing up. Visitor attractions should aim to include rides which offer lift access, equipment which gives space for wheelchair users and stimulating activities which are based on what you feel when you take part, rather than on what you do. These are all important to enable and allow social interaction and to foster play relationships. 

Site layout is important too. Visitor attractions need to have appropriate seating, waiting areas and queue systems. Allowing seats to be removed to provide access for a wheelchair – or space for an assistance dog – could greatly improve things for everyone involved: carers, support workers and the child's family and friends.  

In order to become more inclusive, I suggest ­visitor attractions carry out an access audit and perhaps engage an access consultant to help inform a plan to remove barriers. In the UK, for example, the National Register of Access Consultants can help.

Staff should be trained in disability awareness and be confident to offer help to those who need it. Attractions should also get feedback from disabled ­customers about their experiences and talk to suppliers about new inclusive play equipment options.

proudlockassociates.com

@TraceyProudlock

I 'd love to talk to Katie Price about ­developing another theme park. Morgan’s Wonderland, which we opened in 2010 and was inspired by my wonderful daughter Morgan, was designed for people with special needs, but we also made sure it would be a park for everyone. Many theme parks require ­people in wheelchairs to sit and watch everyone else ­having fun, whereas at our theme park everyone can do everything.

We worked with Chance Rides to develop rides which people can go onto in wheelchairs and these are now beginning to be incorporated at other theme parks.

But, it’s not just about the rides, it’s about the culture of inclusion which we've ­created.

Morgan’s Wonderland looks like any other park, but there are subtle differences: we don’t have fluorescent lights or latex, for example. That's because fluorescent lights can be overstimulating for children with autism, and many children with special needs have an increased propensity for allergies – latex is one. Children with spina bifida in particular can have severe allergies to latex that can be life threatening. We also limit the number of visitors because if the park gets too crowded and loud it can also become overstimulating.

The park has developed beyond what we set out to do. We thought we'd be lucky to get 50,000 visitors a year but, without advertising, we’re getting over 100,000. Visitors have travelled here from 50 US states and 49 countries.

We'll be extending the park with an ultra-accessible waterpark in 2016. We're just finalising the design phase and we'll start construction within six months. We want to take this concept elsewhere. Of 6.5 billion people in the world, 1 billion have special needs.

Being accessible means much more than building ramps. It’s about developing the environment and culture of inclusion. Inclusion is so important to people with special needs – it increases their self-esteem. Then they try harder to participate, which leads them to do more and is a major plus in their lives.

morganswonderland.com

@MorgansWndrlnd

Disabled people and their families generally want to do the same and be treated the same as everyone else. They make up a huge section of society, but at the moment only 20 per cent take a holiday. This could be much higher if they felt confident about venues’ accessibility.

There's a lot of fear around accessibility. Many venues assume it’s too costly or fear negative feedback. But small, simple improvements can make a huge difference, for example, hanging a door to open out rather than in, or having better signage.

Talking to disabled people and taking on their feedback is an obvious place to start.

Publicising information about ­a venue's accessibility is a good idea – which areas are accessible, and where the accessible toilets and disabled parking are located.

While disabled toilets are required by law, the reality is that a number of venues and attractions don't provide them. Toilets can make or break a visit for a disabled guest.

Some theme parks in the US are introducing rides where you don’t need to transfer from a wheelchair to go on them, while the Eureka! Children’s Museum in the UK runs clubs aimed at disabled and non-disabled children, and offers a helper service to make families’ visits easier.

Chessington World of Adventures – also in the UK – has introduced a hi-tech toilet, which has space for two carers, a changing table and a hoist. Hopefully more attractions will follow this example. 

Having staff provide a warm welcome and give details about navigating the attraction, such as how to get around the site or where to find the toilets, is hugely helpful. Many sports events do this well too, by employing Access Buddies to assist disabled visitors.

euansguide.com @EuansGuide

One of the main things attractions can do to be more inclusive is to adopt a blanket policy financial concessions for disabled visitors and their carers.

Good accessibility, disabled toilets and having mobility equipment on site for guests to borrow is also important. Theme parks can be big and exhausting places, so even some who don’t usually rely on a mobility aid might need it for a day at a theme park.

There should also be some specific experiences aimed at disabled people: being able to take wheelchairs onto rides would be helpful for those who struggle to transfer.

Providing an access guide which can either be posted or downloaded from the website is always hugely helpful.

Giving staff disability awareness training is also important: if I go to a place where the access isn’t easy but the staff go out of their way to help me, then I'm more likely to go back.

Some visitor attractions invest in accessibility and then don’t promote it. In the UK, if businesses become members of the Tourism for All scheme, we help promote them to disabled customers.

Finally, think of ways you can take the stress out of the day. Sandcastle Waterpark in Blackpool, UK, which has a Gold Award for accessibility [from UK tourism organisation Visit England], employs water ambassadors to provide one-on-one support. This means a family of mixed abilities can leave their disabled child with a member of staff while they take other children to other areas. There are places for wheelchairs and the pool is easily accessible. Evening sessions for autistic children are offered, with lights dimmed and music turned off, making it less stimulating and crowded. These are things we'd like to see offered more broadly across the industry.

tourismforall.org.uk

@tourismforalluk