Transport access for young disabled ‘has gone backwards in places’

By The Press Association18th November 2015News EnglandDisabilities, News England, Research, Young People / Youth Work, Youth Work

Young people with disabilities are being excluded from job opportunities and discouraged from using health and education services because transport facilities across the UK are not accessible enough, a charity has warned.

The majority of young disabled people do not feel they can travel as independently as they would like to, research by Whizz-Kidz found.

The momentum gained around better accessibility to public transport during the 2012 Paralympics has been lost, and in some cases problems are even worse, athlete Hannah Cockroft said.

The Paralympian and Whizz-Kidz patron said: “During the 2012 Paralympic Games, access and travel for wheelchair users was suddenly greatly improved and I had so many messages from people saying they could get to the stadium and venues on their own, there was easy access via transport and they felt confident getting out and about.

“Sadly though, this improvement didn’t last and reading about some of the experiences of wheelchair users in this report, it feels like things have gone backwards in places.”

Almost half of disabled young people said their main issue is having areas on public transport which are not accessible to them. Just under a fifth said they had experienced a lack of support when travelling, and 12% said the biggest problem was a negative attitude from staff and passengers.

One survey respondent recalled falling out of their chair and into a train carriage when their wheels became stuck in the gap, saying: “The trains are never level with the platform.”

Almost three quarters of people outside London said they had more difficulty with public transport, which was reported not to be as accessible as the buses, taxis and trams in the capital.

Most people said they chose to either be driven by their parents, or get a taxi, rather than use public transport because there are too many barriers in their way. But some said taxi trips could be costly.

When it comes to air travel three-quarters of respondents said they had concerns about their wheelchair being damaged on the flight, and 71% said they had not been able to access the toilets while on the plane.

The charity, which used survey responses from 128 wheelchair users and their carers as well as focus groups to compile its Get On Board report on the use of public and private transport, is calling on the Government and other providers to make improvements so travel is more “inclusive”.

The charity’s chief executive Ruth Owen said: “This is an issue which significantly impacts on the lives of young wheelchair users. Because they can’t travel and use transport easily, they are being excluded from employment opportunities, they find it harder to access health and education services, and it’s not as easy for them to meet up with friends or family.”

In a bid to “spearhead change” the charity has teamed up with a number of travel providers including Heathrow and Gatwick Airports, Transport for London and Stagecoach to give disability awareness training and is encouraging others to get involved.

Rail, Maritime and Transport union leader Mick Cash said: “This is an important report that shames the transport industry in Britain and which should force the issue of disabled access to services right up the agenda.

“RMT has warned repeatedly that axing station, platform and on-board staff has a devastating impact on people with disabilities who end up excluded from the transport network as a result.”