ARTICLE By Sara Bennett

Bulgaria just got a little friendlier for travellers with disabilities
thanks to the October 2008 opening of the Rising Sun Villa, a completely
accessible accommodation located in Varna, a resort area by the Black Sea.
While the majority of Bulgaria's few accessible facilities and features are
rudimentary and typically appear in cities, this villa was conceived,
designed and built with the needs of vacationers with disabilities
specifically in mind, making it the first of its kind in the country. And
it's open to all--families, groups, locals, internationals, disabled and
non-disabled guests alike--though it was originally built to accommodate
Sean Mooney (a teen who is totally blind and uses a wheelchair due to
cerebral palsy), his brother and parents, who live in Manchester, England.
Says Trevor Mooney, Sean's father, "After years of travelling abroad on
summer holidays, we became increasingly aware that most hotels/
accommodations were not suitable for Sean. On many occasions, we felt like
unwelcome guests. To continue holidaying abroad, we needed to build our own
accommodation for Sean. Having fell in love with Bulgaria and its people, we
purchased a
plot of land in 2004, found solicitor Emilia Tomova and architect Mrs. Julia
Jelezova, and designed a purpose-built 21st century villa for disabled
people."

Accessibility features include wider corridors and doorways; lower door
handles and counter tops; a shower chair and grab bars in the washroom; a
stair lift between floors; outside ramps; adequate lighting; colour contrast
and colour coding of rooms; tactile surfaces to mark indoor and outdoor
stairs, as well as the swimming pool; talking and braille-labelled
appliances and equipment; and a sensory garden with chimes, running water,
scented plants like mint and lavender, and varying surfaces of pebbles, tree
bark and smooth stone. In addition, there is someone on 24/hour call to
address concerns or requests for additional accommodations, as well as an
extensive first aid kit and large print/audio list of emergency numbers
available for guests. Says Mooney, "We are hoping the disability-friendly
villa will be the first of many, and it will give developers some idea of
what disabled people expect when holidaying abroad, or at home for that
matter."

Back in Manchester, England, what is available for citizens who are blind or
partially sighted? According to Trevor Mooney, the city sports a range of
accessibility features from talking elevators to audible pedestrian signals
and tactile sidewalk warnings. In addition, adaptive aids are relatively
easy to obtain. Says Mooney, "If you need something, a call to City Council
will usually end in a positive result. Having said that, however, there is
always room for improvement. We have to keep pushing the boundaries."

And push, the Mooneys have. In 1996, Sean was instrumental in getting Royal
Mail and the Henshaw Society for the Blind to accept letters to Santa Claus
in braille, as well as large print and audio, and also to reply in those
formats. In the same year, Sean was also the first to persuade McDonalds to
provide a braille menu to customers upon request. And for the last 12 years,
Sean has blazed a trail at St. Vincent's School for the Blind and Partially
Sighted in Liverpool. While the facility has over 100 years of experience
with vision impairment, Sean was the first student with cerebral palsy, and
the Mooneys have worked closely with the school to make it easier for future
students with additional disabilities to attend.

Now there's the first disability-friendly villa in Bulgaria. Would Sean's
father ever be involved in building another? "No," he replies. "I intend to
enjoy this one with my family and friends, and anyone else who wishes to
give it a go. Our family expects to go to Bulgaria as often as possible," he
concludes. But perhaps the last word is better left for Sean himself

Please click on this link to see Varna at Christmas http://dailymotion.alice.it/video/x7...

If you are looking for one of Bulgaria’s leading Architect companies who have an out standing portfolio, then Fribul Ltd based in Varna are there to take your project from the drawing board to completion. Working in partnership to give you a trouble free development

One of Julia Jelezova’s many awards was for designing and building the very first ever 21st Century disabled villa in Bulgaria. Julia’s company works with both commercial / industrial and domestic clients giving total commitment to every project.

To Contact Fribul Architects please go to there web site

http://www.fribul.com/vision.php?long=en