A UK-wide deaf awareness programme of seminars for hoteliers has been launched by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People and Fireco.

According to the RNID and Fireco, the designers and manufacturers of Deafgard, UK hoteliers lose £192m of potential business by not accommodating deaf and hard of hearing people.

The two organisations will host a series of Hotel Deaf Awareness Training seminars in major towns and cities across the UK during March and April 2007.

These one-day training seminars will include Deaf Awareness Training from RNID to show, step by step, what hoteliers need to do to achieve accessibility for all customers.

There will also be demonstrations of a wide range of products designed to help hoteliers assist their deaf or hard of hearing guests.

The Hotel Deaf Awareness training seminars will visit the following towns and cities in the UK:

• Bournemouth - 14 March

• Eastbourne - 15 March • Torbay - 20 March

• Cardiff - 21 March • Belfast - 27 March,

• Edinburgh - 29 March • Blackpool - 3 April

For more information or to reserve a place on a seminar, contact Kate Hamilton at Fireco on +44 (0)870 85 000 85 or email [email protected]

For further information about hearing loss or deaf awareness training, please contact Lynne Nelson at RNID on +44 (0)161 276 2319 or visit www.rnid.org.uk