David Fraser Travel Blog
Education
NVQ Level 1 Tourism and Recreation
I left home at seventeen and went to the National Star Centre in Cheltenham which is a special college for people with all types of disabilities. The Star Centre gave me the opportunity to be more independent and run my own life. They gave me a great deal of support which I hadn’t been getting at home. Whilst there, I was introduced to Leisure and Tourism, doing a Level 1 NVQ in Leisure and Recreation. In turn I became Student Union Treasurer, Student Union Vice-President and finally the President. I had the opportunity to speak up for students and say what should be changed. All this helped me become more independent and stronger, I started to organise local and overseas trips and a variety of social events.
GNVQ Level 2 Tourism
I left the Star Centre far better equipped to give more to society. I then went to Gloucester College which is for able-bodied people. Here I studied Leisure and Tourism and soon become Vice President for the Student Union and was once again organising trips overseas.
BTEC National
I left college to further pursue my goals for the future and this took me to Harpury College in Gloucestershire to do a National Diploma in Leisure Studies. I met lots of new people from a variety of different backgrounds and took on my usual role of Student Union President. At one point I thought I wasn’t going to be able to pass the course as my health was causing me considerable problems.
Foundation Degree
The opportunity then arose to move to Newquay where I was able to take up a place at Cornwall College to embark on a foundation degree in Leisure and Tourism Management. The course comprised of a number of essential modules designed to give me a vocational direction and subject specialism. Modules covered included a study into the Tourism industry, Law for industry, marketing and finance.
Degree
Having gained my foundation degree I then went on to Plymouth University where I gained a BSc in Tourism and Hospitality. Having developed a specific interest in tourism and gained a degree in the subject I decided to both challenge myself by doing a masters degree but also to help show what disabled people were capable of and hopefully inspire others.
Masters
My masters dissertation was entitled “AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE SUITABILITY OF VISIT CORNWALL AS CORNWALL’S PRIMARY DESTINATION MARKETING ORGANISATION”.
The results of my research confirmed the product diversity on offer and the expectations of tourists. Branding Cornwall as a single identity was deemed less suitable than brand clusters. In addition I argued that Visit Cornwall acting as the lead DMO meant it was accountable to Cornwall Council rather than to the thousands of small stakeholders who run tourism related businesses. Further research was needed but I began to become interested in how disabled people were either excluded from tourism or faced significant barriers to participating in tourism.
M. Phil.
Having gained my masters degree I stayed at Plymouth University an am currently undertaking an M. Phil. research Degree looking at the barriers to participation and the perceptions of disabled tourists in relation to tourism. This website both records my experiences so far, and feeds into my research.
Student Ambassador
During my time at college I was invited to become a student ambassador an invitation that I accepted and really enjoyed. My responsibilities in this role included attending events such as summer training programmes which aimed to attract new students to the college. As such my attitude needed to be light , fun and outgoing and most of all approachable. Other responsibilities included showing potential students around the college and giving my views about the college. I also worked in different educational settings and took pride in everything I did and was always punctual but fun in all aspects of my work. I hope my time as an ambassador helped inspire other people.