Anne is a semi-retired Paralympic
athlete, author, disability and inclusion campaigner and a sporting ambassador.
She believes it’s important to challenge misconceptions about disability and
advocates for fairness within society.
For me to get from A to B I need
public transport. However, as a wheelchair user this comes with so many complications
and barriers, making me unable to travel as independently as I would like. Even
at my age and with my experience of travelling, I am often left feeling nervous
and with little confident whenever I board a train, fly, use a taxi or a bus.
We can do better
In 2016, I suffered humiliation when
I had an accident whilst travelling on train due to the accessible toilet being
out of order. I still have not recovered from
the depressing experience when I wet myself while on the train. I remember
covering my head in shame, with my gaze stopping at the disabled toilet ‘out of
order’ sign. I was mortified that I was seated next to a facility meant for my use,
but I couldn’t use it. This is a basic human need.
Last year I was ‘forgotten’ on an
EasyJet flight. The plane had landed later than scheduled and as usual I was
left to wait for pre-booked assistance to disembark. On this occasion, I was
left with no communication about when they’d arrive. The flight attendants,
including the pilots, had no idea what was going on. This lack of communication
caused that flights turnaround to be significantly slower and really disrupted
my journey.
On numerous occasions I haven’t been
able to attend important meetings due to companies failing to have contingency
plans in place for their cancellations. I remember being on a train when it announced
that it was cancelled, every passenger got off train and I was left stranded. I
had to wedge my wheelchair between doors to attract attention from the train
driver.
Transport companies can do more, which
would allow disabled people to travel like every other passenger.
Travel
assistance
I am a wheelchair user and a lack of
adequate access means I can’t just travel spontaneously.
The process of booking train
assistance is stressful and time-consuming and it’s a challenge when you must
book each journey in advance. Even then, 30% of the time it does not go to plan.
Despite me booking a ramp or wheelchair space on trains, I am still often left
to rely on the sympathy of other passengers to lift me in my wheelchair off
trains or to call for assistance from the staff who were supposed to be aware I
needed help. Over time you get used to being disabled and you adapt to some
form of independence. However, it’s humiliating when you have to rely on people’s
‘kindness’ through no fault of my own and I often worry about their health and
safety.
Whenever I am in London, I have to
ask a colleague or a passer-by to flag down a black cab for me, this is because
on several occasions the taxi has just gone past me. For example, it was only
last week that a taxi driver went to stop for a colleague, but then the driver
quickly drove off when he realised I was the one wanting to the taxi. Based on
this experience, it would appear that my money isn’t worth as much as everyone
else’s.
Travelling like
everyone else
Disabled people just want to have a
choice when travelling. All transport companies provide help for those that
need it, but it’s often not well known or the service isn’t consistent and
flexible enough to adapt to the needs of disabled people.
To be honest, there’s progress being
made towards fair and inclusive transport but it’s not on par with the other
developments we see in this century. It is very slow and disabled people want
to see change happening a lot faster.
We’re denied the right to travel
every day and often made to feel as inconveniences. This isn’t just appalling
from a disability rights standpoint, but a failure to recognise that disability
is an essential part of diversity rights. It’s not the disability that disables
me, but how society treats and the lack of help to break down barriers like not
being able to access public transport.
Scope's campaigning to help make travel fair. Tell us what promises you want to see public transport companies make in order to make it easier for disabled people to travel.
If you need information, try Scope's advice and support for travel and public transport.
It appears a right to travel is
given to everyone else but not the disabled person, why is this? Have you
experienced discrimination while using public transport? Let us know in the
comments below!
