As a society that structurally seems to exclude a significant proportion of its human resources (10%) can’t be described as efficient, much less fair, and also since exclusion on the grounds of functional limitations imposes onerous cost on the society.

We have since the declaration of the International Year of the Persons with Disabilities in the early 80s witnessed the formation of different kind of organisations for/of the persons with disabilities with the ultimate goals of complementing the government efforts in alleviating the plight of the persons with disabilities and harnessing their potentials for national development.

At present, the persons with disabilities community and their sympathizers are proud of The Gambia Association of the Physically Disabled – (GAPD), The Gambia Organisation of the Visually Impaired – (GOVI), The Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing – (GADHOH), National Union of Disabled Youths – (NUDY), Tourism-for-all The Gambia Charter – (TAG) just to name a few.

Strongly believing in the fact that alleviating the plight of persons with disabilities is a collective responsibility and the fact that "there is no such thing as a disability, only a disabling environment," I feel it is very important we look at what these organisations are, what they are doing and what you can do in building a "Gambia fit- for-all."

What are these Organisations, What are they Doing and What can You Do?
Tourism-for-all The Gambia Charter – (TAG)

Introduction
Tourism is a rapidly growing industry. Looking at the world wide picture, tourism now a days is one of the biggest industries on the planet with international tourism receipts of 27 billion pounds a year in Europe and 130 billion pounds a year world-wide. The worldwide growth representing 12% per annum over the last ten years and the competition for this valuable growth market is increasingly demanding across all international frontiers.

In Europe for example, Britain in particular, the tourism sector is claimed to be extremely large and is certainly one of the key areas for growth over the next few years. It currently employs 1.75 millions persons in the businesses. It presents one in every six new jobs created over the last ten years. It is worth 53 million pounds a year and it has brought in 25.6 million overseas visitors to Britain in 1997 with an expectation that this will rise to 27.5 million people in the coming years.

Tourist today are not only content with staying within the confines of a resort hotel compound, being bussed to individual sites and entertained in places that mainly cater for tourists. Instead, tourists are increasingly interested in experiencing the diversity of the holiday environment in all its aspects, including its people, culture, architecture, nature and way of life. This trend will be even more marked as consumers become more informed about the options and entitlements, and more sophisticated and less willing to accept poor quality facilities and services that entail discomfort and stresses. Tourists want access to everything that a city or a country has to offer.

The natural and cultural heritage is a material and spiritual resource, providing a narrative of historical development. It has an important role in modern life and should be made physically, intellectually and/or emotively accessible to the general public. Therefore, at broader level, the natural and cultural heritage belongs to all.

Persons with disabilities and older persons/senior citizens are a growing group of consumers of travel, sports, and other leisure-oriented products and services. However, for the tourist industry to fully tap this growing market, accessible transportation, resorts, museums, restaurants, shops, hotels, to name a few, are of paramount importance. With regards to physical access, families with young children, who are also becoming part of this increasing tourist market, have similar needs like those of persons with disabilities and elderly persons.

Problems in Tourism
In one way or another, new environments handicap all travelers who move out of their familiar surroundings, the exciting aspects notwithstanding. Persons with disability have a right to, and want to enjoy travel and leisure experiences. Tourism is a mean of broadening horizons and developing friendships for social groups, which increasingly is less willing to remain segregated from mainstreams society.

Persons with disabilities wish to enjoy travel just like everyone else. However, their travel experiences are still characterised by transportation constraints, inaccessible accommodation within tourism sites, and inadequate customer services.

Transportation
While air travel in general has become easier and airlines increasingly provide friendly services to the average travelers, persons with disabilities still encounter some inconveniences when traveling by air. For example, wheelchair-travelers often face difficulties in boarding and disembarking from the aircraft, changing flights and accessing aircraft restrooms.

For visually impaired persons, identifying and retrieving luggage becomes an additional obstacle in the course of their already difficult journey. The pain of long-haul travel in an economy-class seat for someone with stiff limbs or arthritis, the sheer size of modern airports for those with mobility problems and endless forward planning for all are some of the challenges still facing travelers with disabilities and some senior citizens/elderly persons.

Most travelers negotiate the structural constraints associated with air travel by using other modes of transportation for example, cars, buses, or trains. Private automobiles equipped with customized features have the advantage of providing schedule flexibility if used for pleasure travel. However, only a small group of affluent persons with disabilities or senior citizens/elderly persons can afford such cars. In some countries, modern technology greatly facilitates bus travel by persons with disabilities or senior citizens/elderly persons.

For example, in the developed countries, persons with physical disabilities or senior citizens/elderly persons can now journey by buses equipped with hydraulic lifts, which help them to board easily. Thus, the so-called "low-floor" buses are gradually becoming the standard for intra-urban public transportation in a growing number of countries more especially in the developed world.

These buses have a floor of some 50cm above street level, and feature a hydraulic "kneeling" function, which reduces the step to some 25cm. However, in most developing countries, the availability of such special designed buses remains limited. While trains could better accommodate the travel needs of persons with disabilities or senior citizens/elderly persons, in many cases the gap between the door and platform is too wide; access to toilets and compartments remains a constraint, especially for persons with physical disabilities and wheel chair users.