Santiago Airport (SCL) in Chile Makes the Passenger Route Easier for People with Autism
In order to combat discrimination against people with disabilities, Santiago Airport (SCL) is continuing its “Invisible Disabilities” programme. Launched in 2018 with the support of the Descúbreme Foundation, the Apoyo Autismo Chile Foundation and the company SOCATRI, this initiative aims to improve the airport’s facilities for people suffering from autism.
The “Airport for All” plan consists of delivering a lanyard or necklace, with a distinctive design, which is free of charge and to be picked up by passengers at the airport information offices. It will allow customer service assistants to know that the person needs special support either by guiding them, reading the information on the screen or signage, or clarifying any doubts about airport processes.
To this end, the teams at Santiago Airport (SCL) have also just finalised the printing of a pictorial guide to help those affected by invisible disabilities to better understand all the stages of the passenger journey (arrival, check-in, security inspection, customs clearance, boarding).
To help customer service agents know how to understand and support each visible or invisible disability, the Descúbreme foundation, the Apoyo Autismo Chile foundation and the company SOCATRI have organised training for people with Alzheimer’s disease, autism (SSA), asperger’s disease, partial visual or hearing impairment, speech difficulty and refractory paralysis. A large part of this program focused on training and sensitizing agents so that they can provide adequate support to passengers requiring these services. The training at SCL was carried out by the Descúbreme Foundation, which promotes the full inclusion of people with cognitive disabilities, and by the company SOCATRI. The creation of this service is a first in Latin America.
General Manager of Nuevo Pudahuel, Xavier Lortat-Jacob, explained:Our commitment as concessionaire of Chile's most important airport is not only to build, operate and attract new airlines, but also to listen and understand that all our passengers deserve maximum respect and advice and therefore to work to make the airport a more inclusive place for all.
VINCI Airports is committed everywhere to improving the passenger experience at its airports. This commitment is reflected in all the company’s areas of activity: from the renovation of infrastructure and the introduction of new services to make passengers’ journeys more fluid, to the modernisation of furniture to improve comfort and facilitate orientation, and the development of leisure and shopping areas to offer passengers a seamless, fluid journey.
This article was originally published by VINCI Airports.
