| CHICAGO, May 16, 2003 - There are currently 30 million people over
the age of eighteen with disabilities living in the United States. In 2003,
they will spend nearly $35 billion dining away from home, according to
new statistics released by Harris Interactive in conjunction with Open
Doors Organization. More than 75% of people with disabilities dine
out at least once per week. The National Restaurant Association projects
2003 sales in fast food restaurants to be about $120 billion and 2003 sales
in full service restaurants to be more than $150 billion. Surprisingly,
what is most convenient for most Americans -- fast food -- is where the
disability community has the least impact on the bottom line, just ten
percent of sales.
According to a 2000 Harris/NOD study, people with disabilities are much
more likely to live in lower income brackets or be unemployed. Ironically,
people with disabilities make up fifteen percent of the sales in full service
restaurants where they spend two to three times more per meal.
The Open Doors Organization in cooperation with the Travel Industry
Association of America (TIA) and the Society for Accessible Travel and
Hospitality (SATH) released a landmark study on the spending trends and
market scope of U.S. resident diners and travelers with disabilities.
Open Doors Organization (ODO) will be presenting the results from the study
pertaining to restaurants at the National Restaurant Association Restaurant,
Hotel/Motel Show in Chicago at McCormick Place May 17th - 20th (visit ODO
at booth 7464).
Harris Interactive interviewed 1037 adults with disabilities to create
the 2002 Open Doors Organization Market Study. The study, released
earlier this year at the 7th annual SATH World Congress, is already helping
hotels, cruise lines and airlines evaluate how effectively they market
to the disability community. ODO works with businesses to educate
them on the benefits of marketing effectively to the disability community.
Executive Director, Eric Lipp, says, "We want to educate companies about
the size and spending power of the disability market. People with
disabilities are the largest population among all diversity groups, and
we spend the most."
Statistics show that learning to market and cater responsibly to the
needs of people with disabilities could pay off big down the road.
Assuming that incidence rates by age remain the same, by the year 2030
the total disability population will increase by 30.9 million and the severely
disabled population will increase by 21 million, when compared to 1997.
"The goal of the study is to educate restaurant owners about the value
in marketing to the disability community. By reaching out and inviting
a viable part of the community into their establishments, restaurant and
hotel/motel owners will see the rewards of a loyal clientele," said Lipp.
The Open Doors Organization is a not-for-profit corporation founded
for the purpose of teaching businesses how to succeed in the disability
market and to provide direct support to people with disabilities.
The organization creates comprehensive programs and services that offer
training, consultation and market statistics to both the public and private
sectors.
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