Richard’s mum Sharon Douglas said being able to go on holiday to County Donegal was important for the whole family.
“When we can go to a purpose-built accommodation that has all this equipment that Richard needs – it’s amazing for Richard, but actually, it’s amazing for the whole family that’s caring for Richard,” she said.
“It can be very intense, very demanding and we all spend a lot of time at home – so it just gives us all a lift to be able to go somewhere different – a change of scenery.
“The work with Richard goes on 24 hours a day – but it’s just amazing to have that wee glimpse of normality – and be able to be away and enjoy a few days away from home.”
A spokesperson for the Department for the Economy said Tourism NI supported an “inclusive tourism sector by encouraging accommodation providers to consider the diverse needs of visitors”.
They also said guests could filter accommodation based on their accessibility needs when using the Tourism NI consumer site.
However, they added that “regulations set out minimum criteria for tourist accommodation”, but that “disability access is not specifically covered by these regulations, as it falls under other regulations”.
