ABSTRACT
Introduction: Accessible tourism is becoming an increasingly recognized domain for
occupational therapists. Universal design focuses on planning the environment so that it will
be useful and adapted to the widest possible range of users with the purpose to include and
perform activities or occupations. The universal design also plays an important role in the
planning of tourist products in accessible tourism. We were interested in the universal
accessibility of the mobile home in Terme Čatež. Purpose: Based on legal requirements,
recommendations, and a review of the actual situation, we analyzed the accessibility of the
mobile home. We designed potential adaptations that would make the facility usable by all
persons with reduced abilities. When making recommendations for adaptation, we took into
account the guidelines and principles of the universal design of accessible tourism.
Methods: Following an agreement to cooperate with the provider of a mobile home in
Terme Čatež, we assessed the actual condition of the facility with the help of a prepared
assessment form for assessing universal accessibility. Based on the collected findings, we
created a proposal for potential adaptations of the mobile home based on the pattern of six
steps of universal design. Results: The facility is not universally accessible for people with
reduced abilities. Significant deviations from legal requirements and recommendations were
evident mostly in the area of the entrance and interior of the facility. We proposed
adjustments that would make the facility more universally accessible. Depending on the
degree of intervention, we divided them into two groups. The proposals are mainly related
to the universal accessibility of the mobile home in terms of the ramp, the width of the door,
and the size of the interior spaces of the building. Discussion and conclusion: Despite the
commitment to an equal society, the tourism offer in Slovenia is still largely unadapted. We
ascertained that the inaccessibility of such tourist facilities is manifested by unorganized
access routes and inadequate entrances to the facilities. As for the interior of the facilities,
they are often too small. By adapting the mobile home according to the principles of
universal design, the building could be made more accessible and suitable for people with
reduced abilities. However, the adaptation would require major intervention. The market of
mobile home manufacturers already offers the possibility of purchasing a home already
adapted for such people. However, they are more difficult to be accessed financially. In all
stages of planning, the adaptation and functionality of mobile homes would be greatly
contributed by an occupational therapist with knowledge who often uses the principles of
universal design in the process to achieve these goals.
Keywords: persons with reduced abilities, adaptation, mobile home, accessible tourism
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