"Faculty Research Series on Engaged Citizenship, program titled Disability Inclusion in Service Provision and Web Accessibility by Kwangsoo Park, Thursday October 13th, 2022 at 3 pm"
"Disability Inclusion in Service Provision and Web Accessibility by Kwangsoo Park"

View presentation here.

Dr. Kwangsoo Park: Dr. Kwangsoo Park is Head and Stegner Endowed Professor in the Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Interior Design, and Hospitality Management at NDSU. His research focuses on disability inclusion in service provision, quality of life, and web accessibility in hospitality and tourism websites. He received his Ph.D., from the Temple University. He is an Associate Editor for Family & Consumer Sciences Research Journal and the president of Korea-America Hospitality and Tourism Educators Association. He has published a total of 36 peer-reviewed journal papers and received several research and teaching awards. See  publication list of Dr. Park .

Abstract: This research examined the effect of human elements of service inclusion at a service encounter on the consumers’ perception and behavioral intentions. The results from an experiential design model indicate that an inclusive service environment for persons with disabilities elicits positive perception, attitude, and behavioral intentions by consumers without disabilities. There was a significant interaction between hospitableness and expertise. In high hospitableness condition, consumers without disabilities who observed a service employee with an expertise showed the higher degree of gratitude and favorable word of mouth than those who didn’t observe the expertise of the service employee. Especially, it is notable that expertise (i.e., disability etiquette) plays a significant role in eliciting higher degrees of evaluation and willingness to reward. 

 

Articles

Designing inclusive websites for people with disabilities as part of an event tourism strategic planning process, K Park, S Jung - Journal of Convention & Event Tourism, 2022

Web accessibility is an important aspect of creating an inclusive event or meeting. This study examined a total of 278 websites’ accessibility of various event sectors using AChecker. The findings explain the identified known problems of the websites by different event sectors (professional event management association events, convention centers, and tradeshows) based on Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) 2.0. In addition, the results contribute to the methodology of web-accessibility research suggesting that the exploratory factor analysis could offer web designers a practical improvement plan based on the unique interrelationships among the detected items of each criterion.
 
Social Entrepreneurship and Disability Inclusion in the Hospitality Industry. V Kalargyrou, E alargiros, D Kutz- International Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Administration 21, no. 3 (2020): 308–334.
The purpose of this study is to examine hospitality businesses that engage in social entrepreneurial activities and hire a significant percentage of people with disabilities in frontline positions. The study suggests that hospitality can make a significant social impact by questioning preexisting stereotypes toward people with disabilities and provide significant knowledge to startup hospitality social entrepreneurs. Furthermore, many of these social entrepreneurship initiatives are aligned with principles of blue ocean strategy. Social enterprises provide employment for individuals with disabilities, raise awareness among the public, and create a disability-friendly environment by offering a unique experience to the guests. This study is among the first to examine hospitality social enterprises with an intentional focus on providing employment opportunities to people with disabilities who serve guests.
 

Organizations

ADA National Network- Hospitality

The ADA National Network launched this Initiative to promote accessibility and opportunity for people with disabilities within the hospitality industry. Materials and services are also designed to assist lodging and food service employers recruit, hire, and retain qualified workers with disabilities.

American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute - , Elements of Service: Serving Guests with Disabilities

The newly revised online program, Elements of Service: Serving Guests with Disabilities, is ADA training with a twist, according to its co-designers, Slatin and Jason Willensky. Rather than focus on compliance issues such as ramps and parking spots, it dives deep into guest service.

“People feel much more confident and comfortable after the training,” said Slatin. “They feel armed with information they wished they’d had a long time ago. The Elements of Service themselves are really the guideposts of protocol. We lay them out and give concrete examples of how they might work in real-life situations with people who are blind or vision impaired, deaf or hard of hearing, or mobility impaired.”

Government Sources

Guide to Disability Rights Laws, U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section.
This guide provides an overview of Federal civil rights laws that ensure equal opportunity for people with disabilities.