Speaker Biograghy: Sophie is Terminal Manager Customer Care at Larnaka International Airport. Since 2008 she has managed the PRM service provision contract, accessibility issues and the Disability & Equality Awareness Training Programme at Larnaka and Pafos International Airports. She has worked closely with local disability organisations and is highly committed to and passionate about providing exceptional customer care to disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility travelling through the Cyprus airports.


Day 2 - 21 March
Session: Airport Design, Planning & Development

16:45 - 17:15 - Panel Discussion: Rethinking for an inclusive approach to people with reduced mobility
Synopsis: This paper challenges the assumed definitions and likely impacts of increasing PRM numbers, offering possible strategy and design solutions to address the emerging challenge and attitudes. We are getting slower, needing more time but not necessarily a wheelchair, and we need to accommodate the increasing needs of sensory and mental health issues as well as mobility. Moral and economic demands on airports and designers require us to challenge the attitudes of standard and minimum ratio-driven regulatory provision and the quality of design, and in doing so we will demonstrate the benefits of a more integrated approach.

Audience will learn:

• The potential benefits of an increased focus on the PRM population for airports and airlines
• How we can help airports to avoid restricting the equality, independence and spontaneity of travel
• How a growing older, slower, sensory or mentally challenged population will be better integrated within the overall design
• An approach to creating better places, more customers, more satisfaction and ultimately better operations
• How designers and airports can benefit from better insight into the more extreme needs of passengers