Running head: OPEN DOORS 1
Open Doors: Extending Hospitality to Travelers with Disabilities
Alesia Smith
Liberty University
BUSI 600-C01
Word Count
1108
OPEN DOORS 2
Open Doors: Extending Hospitality to Travelers with Disabilities
1. How did ODO operationalize the definition of an adult with a disability? What
arguments could you make that the definition was too inclusive or too narrow?
ODO stated in the Open Doors case that they “wanted the disability to be permanent, and
we wanted to cover the full range of physically limiting disabilities,” shares Turk. “But we didn’t
want to include those with mental or emotional disorders.” (Schindler, 2004). The ODO wanted
it to be very narrow in my opinion. The ODO thought that a disability would be more
appropriately defined as those who are blind, deaf, any possible limiting factors such as walking,
climbing, reaching, lifting, or carrying anything.
Since the ODO did not want any kind of mental or emotional disorders to be counted they
narrowed the definition down. They had an assortment of 2000 Census questions that were
screened dependently. Out of these questions, the overall outcome turned up to have 15% of
those 18 and older described themselves as having at least one of the descriptions listed for a
disability.
2. Analyze the research design’s various components. Identify any potential problems and
explain the ramifications of these design issues. Identify potential strengths of the design.
After analyzing the research designs the various components include the study questions
and suggestions. It also had the unit of investigation and using the information to connect the
recommendations and figuring out the discoveries from examinations.
The potential problem was the focus group. It was filled with 13 people who were
involved in 2 separate meetings to ask to get the answers to important questions. The idea
behind the focus group was that it would be able to help understand the problem more
thoroughly and come up with the best solutions. They found the upside to the focus group was
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that it was more discrete, and more people were available to come and be asked questions. On
the other side though focus groups do not have as many with disabilities as the greater
population.
The questionnaire design gave helpful feedback from those who deal with many of the
disabilities daily. The questionnaire was sorted and had the unneeded information removed, but it
overall turned out to be extremely helpful in the long run.
The telephone ad interactive online interviews were also a very successful design that
was used. They were able to get in contact with those who physically had a disability and for
many of those it was the only possible way to get in contact with them. It was possibly the best
solution to find out solutions from those who physically had a disability on how to help.
3. What is a hybrid (dual-modality) methodology? What are the pros and cons of the
hybrid methodology used in this study?
A hybrid methodology is a system that uses two kinds of ways to get their results. The
ODO examined the requirements of people with inability in their visit, travel, and recreation,
contemplating the respondent members both through the web and by way of the phone is a
complete cycle, "It was imperative to utilize both to accomplish a delegate test 'shares Laura
Light. Harris Interactive tends to the double procedures by weighting the information utilizing a
restrictive weighting measure (Schindler, 2004).”
Some of the pros from the hybrid methodology that were used were progressed were
checked through the work, the business investigators were bound to record all required tasks, and
the ones that analyzed the information could plan the test and code at the same time.
OPEN DOORS 4
The cons were that they did not have the power to make sure the cutoff times were met
and that the exercise being given was fully fulfilled.
4. Francie Turk had no prior experience with researching Americans with disabilities.
Assume you have similar background; what would you have done in the exploratory phase
of this project to become familiar with the frustrations and hurdles that adults with
disabilities face when traveling? Compare your research process with what ODO did. What
could ODO have gained from incorporating your methods?
I would have gotten to know the group I was going to be working with. Being around
those that have disabilities would have given me more firsthand knowledge of what I was testing
for. I would have been able to listen and learn about what were big problems and what could be
done better in the eyes of those who have the problems. It would have been easier to come up
with ideas if I was to get to know those with the problems. I would also want to talk and learn
from those who currently work around those with disabilities and find out what they face daily
and what ideas they had on fixing the problems that those with disabilities are facing. I mean
who better to ask than those who have the disability and those who are surrounded by daily.
The way that the ODO did their research process was good but it was not personal. They
could have gotten more personal and got some answers from those personally who are faced with
disabilities daily.
5. Brainstorm lists of potential hotel, restaurant, and rental car accommodations to be
evaluated for adults with disabilities and create your own paired-comparison question.
During a phone interview, how quickly could you cover this question? What are the
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advantages and disadvantages to using this measurement scale in the phone survey in
comparison to using it in the online survey?
When doing phone surveys, it has more of an outcome since more people and households
have a phone compared to the internet. They have quicker contact with the one they are trying to
reach, and you can get better answers that can be more meaningful.
When doing online surveys, it can quickly look for those in an assortment of people to
survey. Unfortunately, fewer people have internet than those who have phones. On the upside,
online surveys can be less costly because they can be sent out at one time and not have multiple
people making calls for hours at a time.
6. What are the management, research, and investigative questions driving the next Adults
with Disabilities: Travel and Hospitality Study?
The next one they are changing the focus. Turk stated that they will be, “looking much
more at restaurants and rental car companies.” They want to know how those with disabilities
use the internet to get travel information and make reservations. They also want to know if those
businesses that took specialized training to help those with disabilities saw a boost in the
satisfaction of their customers and if it made it more accommodating for them.
