Other crucial components are the emphasis on the experience and the connection between professional stakeholders. The model consists of three steps:
Pleasure for All – The start of the journey begins with focussing on the immersive experience of all sorts of guests. Dare to follow the innovative path towards the keyhole, which is written in the ‘Just Imagine …’ booklet (accessible via the website). From thereon you can enter the portal and realize ‘Pleasure for All’ by making a unhindered experience with silent support.
The innovative element is that the focus is on the experience of the guest instead of on the usual practical side, technical aspects and infrastructure.
The Rebel Team – In order to research the experience of guests with special needs, Joint Projects has a Rebel Team. The team focuses on what is needed to guarantee that they have fun and enjoy a magical and carefree experience with silent support. Instead of focussing on the disability (medical model) Joint Projects focusses on the person (social model). That’s why the team is made up of persons with different special needs on the broad spectrum of disabilities, age, gender or race.
The Rebel team visits leisure venues likes zoos, theme parks and museums. Joint Projects accompanies them; trains them how to approach the leisure entrepreneur in a positive way; and teaches them how to report. Staff members at the venues accompany the team on these visits so they can step into the shoes of guests with special needs. They give feedback to the management and staff on the spot so that changes can happen immediately. Afterwards all the Rebels give their reports in different ways. Either by notes, spoken messages, pictures, drawings or videos that they have made. Joint Projects combines these valuable insights, resulting in a concise practical report with pictures and a video of the visit.
The deployment of the Rebel team is as follows:
- Composing the Rebel Team (professionally educated experts by experience)
- Executing a baseline measurement on attractions/rides, infrastructure and staff
- Giving on the spot feedback so change can happen immediately
- Presenting the baseline measurement and roadmap to staff and management
- Presenting practical and low-threshold final report with photovoice and video
- This low-threshold, positive approach which starts from the wishes and needs of different kind of guests is demand orientated, which is innovative within the leisure industry.
Please read below the references from Museum Bussemakerhuis, This is Holland and Apenheul which were visited by the Rebel Team.
‘It was very valuable to receive feedback relating to the Rebel Team’s experiences directly on the spot. The Rebels personal approach made a real impact which in turn was an enormous incentive to actually do something with their advice.
The result of the Rebel Team’s visit has led to a valuable, comprehensive report, full of possibilities for small and large improvements. Sometimes remarkably easy to apply, which makes the threshold pleasantly low. The report was very practical which makes it easy to implement combined with enough background information’. – Apenheul- a Primate Zoo; Erwin Cheizoo, parkmanager
‘The visit by Joint Projects’ Rebel Team led to the insight that we have to think of all of our visitors in everything that we do. It was very interesting to hear from the experts by experience themselves about how they experienced their visit to This Is Holland. They were honest, positively critical and sincere.
The report was clear which helps us to make steps in the future, also with new locations abroad’.
This is Holland- Flying Theatre; Frankwin van Beer, former director
‘The visit by Joint Projects’ Rebel Team led to insights in the lack of physical and digital accessibility currently in our museum. We are going to invite a guest speaker to increase the awareness among the volunteers about the possibilities in the future. We have also changed our website by removing the picto that wheelchair users are not welcome in our museum’. – Museum Bussemakerhuis, Liesbeth Hassink, director
Accessible Leisure community
Another important part of the path is the Accessible Leisure community. This is a professional network of all kind of stakeholders engaged in realizing ‘Pleasure for Everyone Everywhere’; from the designer to the manufacturer and the CEO of a theme park. Together they collaborate on designing, making and offering innovative accessible leisure rides and services. In other words: Pleasure for All!
As a community they join forces as follows:
- Initiating and realizing Inclusive Projects together.
- Contributing knowledge and Inspiring
- Sharing News
- Sharing events
- Organizing and attending online and live sessions
- Joint Projects started the Accessible Leisure community in the Netherlands and is now expanding abroad. This is innovative collaboration.
Please read the reference of Vekoma Rides about the community below.
‘Passionate and Professional
Last year I used the services of Karin and her company Joint Projects to accelerate the progress of an internal task force for studying and increasing the accessibility of our existing and new rides. Thanks to her inspiring working sessions and her professionalism in leadership we made a big step in improving and attention for accessibility of our ride systems.
I continued the professional and pleasant relationship by including her in further developments and in attending initiatives, like the “Digital Wake Up”, of the Community “Accessible Leisure”. Also in these sessions you can recognize the professional involvement of Karin in the efficient managed and well organized meetings.
As consequence Vekoma is happy to join the community and benefit further from Karin’s drive and commitment to get things done in general and specific to improve the accessibility in the leisure industry’.
Results: Accessible innovation
As a result of working with the Wheels of Inclusion by Joint Projects new innovation will occur in different areas leading to more accessible leisure opportunities. Think of the innovation of products, services, collaboration, business model, organization structure, market, technology, sustainability, processes and brands. Concrete examples are adjusted manuals of Vekoma Rides with specifications for guests with protheses so not all these guests are excluded; collaboration between the community parties Het Gehandicapte Kind and Bartiméus Fonds for the development of the inclusive play forest ‘NEST’ at the Efteling. Plus podcasts at GLK castles for guests with hearing impairments.
More information can be found here.
