Accessible Rail Journeys in 2020
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- Опубліковано 30 лис 2020
- Time to take a trip on the railways, but this time - from the perspective of someone with a disability. I went and met Dominic Lund-Conlon, who is the Accessibility and Inclusion Manager for Rail Delivery Group, and we took a trip on Greater Anglia from Chelmsford to Sudbury and return, and talk all about accesssible travel!
Dominic booked his assistance by calling his train operator - you can book assistance with ANY operator for ANY journey, even if they have nothing to do with the journey itself (so for example you can call LNER for a journey from Exeter to Paddington). All of the contact details are at: www.nationalrail.co.uk/statio....
The brilliant 'toilet map' is actually the marvellous National Rail Accessibility Map : accessmap.nationalrail.co.uk
The temptation to call this video "The only way is Step Free Essex" was overwhelming, but common sense ultimately prevailed when I remembered that Sudbury is in Suffolk. But i want you to know that I considered it ...
Congrats on 20K Geoff
I'm quite glad you didn't....!
@@creativedlc thanks will GA will run with the class 720 trains
@@danielangelov5070 I'm not sure how you mean sorry?
Have you seen the class 720s yet
Should have mentioned Dominic's see-through masks are to help people with lip reading (as ordinary masks block view of the mouth)
excellent point, yes!!
Yea that's a good point.
I actually found him more difficult to understand with that mask on, compared to his other masks.
They do... Then mine fell off on the floor and I didn't have a spare! So annoyed at myself.
where does one procure one these masks?
even tho as far as i know im not deaf working in a loud kitchen i wish we all had these!
There were a few jokes cut out of this.... please be grateful they were, because they were awful.
i can confirm that i thought my humour was bad, but Dominic's is worse ... yes. ;-)
Great video guys
Keep them in, the pandemic is awful as it is and some of us need some light/ dark relief!
@@maryapatterson trust me, my jokes are banned under the Geneva Convention.
Very good video. Many people do not think about the troubles that come up by making an accessible ride.
Sidenote: Nice umbrella. There is no way to get such an umbrella now?
Guys, I'm non-disabled, so really appreciated the education on accessibility you provided. Thanks.
Except of course that the video DOESN'T educate anyone about the deadly SERIOUS NEED for QUIET segregation, NOT all open ONLY! Some disabled folk like me NEED quiet, proper quiet, not just a mere "figure of speech"!
@@majorpygge-phartt2643 Thanks for adding your point. I know that there is much I don't know about accessible transportation and am always grateful to be taught more. I never thought about quiet issue before, even though I know a man who has an autism spectrum disorder, and needs as much quiet as he can get to remain calm and peaceful (a right we all have).Hopefully, better education will improve my understanding of the needs of all people and to advocate for changes and improvements as I learn of such needs. Thanks again for taking the time to comment.
@@coach53yt At last a remotely positive response from someone. No-one involved in passenger transport design EVER thinks about anyone like me, instead they're far too often just grossly ignorant and don't want to know when I fully justifiably complain. There's far too much of a widespread attitude of casually "playing down" and trivialising the absolutely APPALLING problems faced by folk like me, and no way am I a "one off", no chance, those in authority have absolutely NO IDEA of how brutally severe it is for those like me, and there's far too much propaganda being spread about that the new all open trains are somehow "fully inclusive" which is absolute insanity, honestly it makes me feel just like furiously swearing. Perhaps it's time I got my nice big powerful megaphone out and went down to the local mp's office and gave her some stick seeing as she absolutely will not answer ANY of my letters or emails, no matter HOW polite and civilised I am or what the subject. There's far too much blatant widespread ignorance around folk like me and far too much obsession with forced integration and "fit in or get lost" etc.
you know its a TRUE secret when you tell GEOFF of all people something cool about a train!
I'm a rail professional myself and I considered myself to by all about accessibility, but I never thought about the shape of words being important. I will take it in account when ordering the next trains.
If you want to know more, do reach out to me on LinkedIn.
I used to work in public transport and one of my jobs was programming bus destination displays. I made sure they were in mixed-case as it’s much easier to read than all-caps. I’m dyslexic and it really does make a difference. Same with a bank card PIN: some people can learn the pattern on the keypad more easily than the actual digits.
Most people while learning to read progress from picking out letters to word shapes and partial phrase shapes, even sometimes whole phrases. Unfamiliar forms force us back to letter picking and so slow down comprehension even for the fully sighted. Even slight diminution of visual acuity can make that considerably more difficult and reduce unconventional signage to ilegibility.
Excellent point. My son has learning disabilities and he reads by word shape...and yet (because he cant tell me) it had never occurred to me that dot matrix text is hard to read.
'Rail professional'. In other words a manager. Please don't take this personally, but this is the trouble with our hierarchical society, those who have the power to choose how we do things are not always the best people to make those choices. As an experiment, you could survey Rail Workers who work in close proximity to the travelling Public, to find out how many of them would have known about 'the shape of words being important' on signage.
You might be surprised at the result.
My wife is blind and commutes by train. Most of the station staff are brilliant. Unfortunately the same cannot generally be said of the travelling public. I implore everyone who travels by train to be more aware of people with ALL disabilities.....
Word recognition is 100% how United Kingdom signage on the roads is designed. It is brilliant.
I have Autism and ADHD so it's amazing seeing how much the world is becoming accessible. I loveeeeee that type of display though, I wear glasses and my vision is getting worse and worse. I cant always make out the tannoy so seeing the actual words are amazing
Honestly! the amount of times I’ve just gone well I guess that announcement wasn’t important because I couldn’t process it due to lack of clarity
@@eiypo I have ADHD and have always struggled with instructions over tannoys. I hadn't even thought that my ADHD might be part of the cause.
"Toilet at Marks Tay Yay" Love that
Oy vey!
Geoff, as someone who has unexpectedly suffered mobility problems - this was a welcome eye-opener.
Glad that you made and posted this - many thanks to Dominic.
frank
I've got a radar key because of my ibs and other personal issues and it helps me out tons! I got asked why I used the disabled loos when I obviously look okey, that very incident I was unwell with ibs cramps and nausea, they obviously didn't believe me, like I had to show them proof I'm poorly, okey then I'll hand you my portable endoscope then 😒
“Well you don’t look bigoted, but there we go”.
who the heck challenges you? surely you should be able to use the loo in peace ...
@@geofftech2 I simply said, "I have rights just like everyone else who are disabled, because not all of them are visible, if you choose to be ignorant that's your choice, not mine" left them stunned
@@geofftech2 you’d have thought so wouldn’t you. I was in a pub last year, with both my F-in-law and I in wheelchairs, and a young lady came up and asked whether *we* minded if she used the accessible loo.
Clearly wearing a sunflower lanyard, but she has had so many people challenge her... fortunately we were able to give her at least some confidence boost.
This probably why in Australia accessable public toilets are open access to all now. As it simplifys disabled peoples access to the toilets just go in no doors to unlock. It also helps those who have less obvious disabilities to use the toilets un hassled.
This seems like a much smoother experience than when i've travelled with wheelchair users. Booking assistance is often pointless when railway staff are still surprised when a disabled passenger turns up, and act as if it's some massive effort for them to do anything to help.
it normally depends on the TOC
I often use Passenger Assistance as someone who is visually impaired. Stations with wayfinding built into the design of surfaces and lighting (SPT use this in Glasgow/Strathclyde), good and informative vs bad or non-existent PA announcements, are the sorts of things that help empower me. Thank you so much for this video, Geoff, you’ve communicated some of the lived challenges and sheer joy of empowerment so well.
the motorway electronic signs are Lowercase now as its easier for people to read quickly - again about the shape of the word
I'm not vision impaired but I am aware that lower case is much easier to read in bulk than capitals. I've sometimes had difficulty in persuading people to take the caps-lock off. There is a man who posts videos of Australian tramways and he will use all capitals in a font which is too large; it's often inpossible to read in the time the video allows.
I think the uk was one of the first places to do this on normal road signs as most places just assumed all-caps was clearer, but the MOT or someone actually tested it and realised the difference.... i think a lot of places are still catching up.
@@mralistair737 I would like the instructions in leaflets, but mainly Terms & Conditions, which might use lower case, but print grey on white, or use other light colours in a white background. This is difficult for visually impaired readers.
@@GuyArab I struggle with those and i'm only +4 long sighted! which is sort of the point as well.. improving accessibilitiy makes a big difference to the disabled, but also improves things for everyone.. Eg people with prams all benefit from the ramps and extra space, those projecting ramps stop drunk / elderly / kids falling down the gaps.... etc etc etc. There is a cost, but ultimately doing things properly pays for itself.
@@Einveldi The result of the Warboys Report, and the 'Transport' font used designed by Jock Kinneir and Margaret Calvert. www.roads.org.uk/fonts
“Dramatic shot of Dominik driving away”
*shows him driving like 5 km/h out of the parking lot*
I can promise that was restrained. Have a search for the Loopwheels Extreme video by ReviewMyWheelchair
Isn't dramatic enough for you?
This is the only thing that has taken me aback with these trains. The fact that they have inbuilt wheelchair ramps, which is very clever. That’s the only thing I like about these trains really. It is rather clever.
I travel on the new Stadlers quite often, and they certainly have pros and cons. Didn't know about the press and hold on the door buttons, that's a great little tip.
They all should have it, cheaper than making platforms same height buses have them
@@archiemt74 The only issue with the buses is that they either don't work or the bus driver, usually due to other issues, if he doesn't line up properly with the pavement, then he may have to maneuver a couple of times. Everybody's normally pretty patient.
@@maryapatterson but with trains it should be very predictable, as train will align with each platform the same way each time. worst case you have to setup the system for particular stations on the line
@@BladedFish the aventra family from Alstom also have a similar feature, using the door open button instead of a dedicated button. Sadly this isn't accessible from the exterior of the train on the Elizabeth line due to the edge doors
Thank you Geoff for highlighting these issues that we often take for granted. Accessibility to services is a choice made by those who provide them. I'm happy to see these improvements!
The thing I thought was “neat” was the wheelchair “lock” on the train door to keep it open!
It's great to see transit doing more and more to make the world accessible for everyone.
Hi Geoff, I just want to thank you for your decision to start providing captions on your videos. As someone with an auditory processing disorder I find them really helpful!
Same here. Thanks Geoff!
Most interesting and a very important subject. I was particularly interested in the point that we recognise familiar words by their shape as well as by reading them. This reminded me of something similar in a completely different railway context. When I was a young train spotter, a school friend told me that you can see a train's number by the shapes of its digits before you get close enough to be able to actually read them. It's true, and I still use this to recognise (for example) bus route numbers, when I'm waiting for one, before it's possible to see the digits clearly. And yes, it is more difficult to do this with dot matrix number displays, just as was explained in this video.
How is this a surprise? I'm confused by this notion that the shapes of letters and words wouldn't be important. Congratulations you've just discovered written language 🙄.
I have been watching your channel very closely for many years and as a visually impaired person I greatly appreciate you taking the time to do this. Of course, there are times when Assistance doesn’t work and not all companies are on board with providing good disabled passenger experiences, but this is an excellent example of how it is supposed to work. Though the issues that visually impaired people face are different in nature, Disabled People all share a common aim to be empowered and to live autonomous lives in the same way that fully able-bodied people can.l
Agreed - this video showed it all going according to plan, and on some of the only trains in the UK with level boarding, which makes a HUGE difference. Even so nothing was completely simple, but it was great to see the generally excellent travel assistance at work. We've all had bad experiences but in the main I think the train and bus companies work really hard to make travel as accessible as they can.
Watch Geoff meet his master @ 09:07 .
it was a brilliant moment! i had no idea you could do that!!
@@geofftech2 Tiny things like that show somebody cared enough to design it in.
@@gordonmcmillan4709 exactly, nowadays a few lines of code (or lack thereof) can make or break someone's day!
I often take my wheelchair bound mum out on train journeys & the constant improvements to facilities is good to see, but even better is the attitude of the majority of staff who do their best to provide the best possible service given the limitations of infrastructure. Just a few years ago mobility impaired passengers were simply considered to be a burden, now it is "all change"
Wheelchair user, wheelchair freed maybe. She’d be a lot more “bound” without it.
Please don’t tie your mother to her wheelchair
Thanks so much for doing this Geoff.
You’ve done a great job of showing the day to day realities of a wheelchair using commuter’s life.
Be it finding a kerb cut when crossing the road, footbridges that can’t be used and having to board at a specific set of doors; All these little things add up to make it much more difficult for us than for those who use heels instead of wheels.
Dominic’s explanation of feeling empowered by the ability to get himself on and off the train independently should go someway to explaining to TOC’s and TfL why Manual Boarding Ramps really should be the *last* resort!
PS loving the built-in ramps on those new trains - total game changer! Let’s hope many more manufacturers follow that lead!
Geoff, your channel is close to the platonic ideal of a good UA-cam channel.
The ramps on trains are also useful for small children. A step up or down to an adult might not seem that much, but to a small child, it's huge. When I was little, the gap is what stuck in my mind the most, and knowing if I ever have children, that they won't have the same problem, brings a smile to my face.
A friend of mine and I went to London probably 14/15 years ago now on South Eastern. She used a wheelchair and I think we had let the station know. There was a communication breakdown somewhere between Gravesend and Waterloo, and we arrived to find no member of staff waiting with the ramp. Very frustrating and stressful as we were near the rear of a long train and I had to race down the length of the platform towards the concourse to find a member of staff to assist us.
Its still nowhere near perfect but it looks like things are improving and giving people more independence to travel.
Omen of my favourite vids. Thank you to both of you for informing about such an important issue in an accessible way
Hi Geoff. I just wanted to say; as an Asperger's sufferer, thank you for championing accessible travel by rail. 🤩💛
Two beautiful people. Thanks for this week’s uplift!
Thank you for making this video. Really helps to make people (like me) aware of the everyday challenges people with disabilities face.
My respect for this channel (already high) just went up even further. Great subject, great way to handle accessible issues and great job explaining the reality of Dominique's travel experience.
Very very good video,especially the part about Passenger Information Screens.
I'm not disabled but I was a carer for my dad and he wasn't very mobile,its only then that you realise that at times organising a trip has to be done with military precision.
Again Geoff,a great eye opener and most important of all a good educational video.
I got one of those Greater Anglia trains yesterday. The way the step slides out, hits the platform edge then backs up by 1 cm and stops is amazing!
Thank you so much for this. It's incredibly validating to get the information I'm looking for as a wheelchair user from your perspective. I wish more travel vlog/bloggers would do this. Thanks for your informative and compassionate video.
When I was a kid people like you could only note down train numbers in a book. These days they make informative UA-cam videos like this. Thanks for all you do, Geoff. And special thanks for highlighting this particular issue that most of us rarely even think about.
Love this demonstration of how difficult seemingly straight forward journeys are for less able people - and the small changes that can be made to make it easier for them. Thanks for a great video.
What a fascinating video. Things we take for granted as being able bodied, cause constant problems for Dominic. It was wonderful to see how pleased Dominic was when everything worked. I certainly learnt a lot from your film Geoff. Thanks so much for posting it.
As a disabled person this was great thank you. you need to do more.
I must say, to see someone who is disabled be able to get off and on a train without assistance warms my heart. The new brightline trains here in Miami, FL also have those gap fillers on them and I once saw a lifelong wheelchair user using it for the first time and they actually were crying tears of joy of how easy it would be for them to get to and from work now that the train had step-free access.
I like the subtitles, it's very useful. Great video, it's good to see the hidden aspects of the transport network that we might not normally realise. :)
This is an awesome video, Geoff! I am a person with cerebral palsy and is confined to a wheelchair (and travels around the US), and I have noticed that some cities (particularly in the Sun Belt region) that have a great transportation system like Phoenix or Dallas put accessibility in mind. Heck, we sometimes get perks for traveling with a disability like reduced fares for example.
It is nice to see that the world is coming together help make life more accessible for wheelchair users like ourselves.
The bit that sticks out from the train to the platform is probably good for everyone. It's good to not have to mind the gap.
Well done Geoff and Dominic for this, great to see the improvements being made.
Really enjoyed that - very informative fun and engaging. Thanks Dominic for sharing your world. Thanks Geoff for being open to all of these worlds.
Fascinating and sobering when one thinks about the challenges facing travellers with disabilities.
When I saw the title I had a fear you were traveling with Doug Paulley. He is no help whatsoever to wheelchair users. He’s a massive pain to anyone who has the misfortune of traveling on the same vehicle as him.
The guy in this video is a breath of fresh air in comparison. Thankyou.
Doug is very much the Karen of accessibility campaigning, it's good to see the positives on show, I always find majority of staff who do assistance enjoy their work & try their best without a shouting match needed, I thought when Geoff got round to this video it would've been the lass whos mates with Viki (i think) out on the welsh border,
@@isaactimmins8959 I know bus drivers who have been targeted by him. He sets out looking for confrontations and reactions. Always turns comments off on his videos. The guy is a menace.
@@TheChunky2010 bit like those who video the police for "Brutality" Doug is stuck in the 90's mentality of channing to buses & being a menace, He was upset on twitter the other week as Northern chose someone other than him to test the accessibility of Northerns new rolling stock, but I think there needs too be discussions with partners on all levels in design of all facets of travel & accessibility.
@@isaactimmins8959 He’s not trying to do anything positive. He’s only doing it to cause trouble to feed his ego.
Thanks for the shout-out for non-visible issues that can cause people to be RADAR-key holders - I have one due to my IBS and (back when my IBS was giving me much more grief) it was vital in giving me the confidence to go out.
Very inspiring to see these improvements being made so that everyone can be equally empowered! Great video.
This is excellent. Thank you Geoff and Dominic for such a simple and comprehensive guide. We have clients that are traveling to the UK next summer that we will direct here.
It’s fantastic to see more being done for disabled passengers. I’m disabled and struggle with walking for more than 5 minutes at a time. I’ve been down to London numerous times with changes at Kings X and onward to Homerton. The planning that goes into finding stations that have escalators or lifts coupled with the long distances of some walkways to trains is insane.
This is another fantastic video Geoff. Along with your recent regarding mental health, I really enjoy what you're doing with your platform. I hadn't considered many of the issues faced by peers when traveling by rail, really eye opening. Thanks to you both.
Thank you Dominic I’m severely partially sighted I had no idea about being able to ask for assistance through the ticket machines. I went on now of those accessible trains from Totnes to Plymouth on a new fast train from Paddington. It was fabulous not to judge how deep to drop is from the train to platform including the gap between to platform and train
You sometimes don't know how lucky we are.
Thank you sir for showing us how things are with you and your travels. I also hope the improve even more for you. Safe Travel.
Thanks for showing this Geoff and to Dominic too, I'm in a wheel chair most of the time and about to get a motorised one, its certainly handy to know Doms tips. Very very helpful. Thank you Mel & Brian xx
loved this video Geoff, as always so considerate and engaging with viewers and collaborators you've worked with :)
Thanks so much!
I really like your videos! I have been watching for over 4 years!!
A fantastic video. I certainly learnt things from it. A big well done for opening the eyes of people who take this all for granted, myself included.
Great video Geoff & Dominic. It's great too see public transport becoming more accessible & hopefully we will see the day where every station is accessible for all
One of your best Geoff. Well done.
As a wheelchair user I'd like to add that I have always found railway staff to be very helpful. Once I was waiting at Euston to get on a Liverpool train when, in the absence of a ramp or staff (I had not pre-booked help), I asked a passing member of staff for help in lifting my chair up into the carriage. I thanked him and he said to get away as he was driving the train.
Loved it, slick edit as ever, Dominic lovely chap.... "Empowerment". Fantastic.
Thanks for taking me on your amazing trips.
Thank you so much for your video. It’s great to see all the accessibility being provided on trains. My dad is a wheelchair user and we’ve wanted to go to soho for several years, but he can’t use the underground to get there, so we haven’t gone. We’re really looking forward to Crossrail being completed. We’ve been refused help at Marylebone in the past and seeing trains where assistance isn’t required is fantastic.
I see you are at my home station Geoff and it was great to meet you at the station
you made the cut! the shot of you all waving! :-D Nice to see you all too.
Brilliant and very informative, Dominic was excellent. Great stuff, the kind of video that helps educate people so they understand and appreciate how others with disabilities - visible or not - approach and deal with rail travel.
Definitely want to see a similar video on the Tube. The "new step free station" videos are interesting but feature a lot of going up the stairs! I want to see some end to end step free journeys, including the route planning and the little tips. I'm forever telling people to look out for the little flags on the Jubilee that tell you which carriages line up with Green Park step free, cos if you get on the wrong bit you can't get off!
The tube is really not accessible even the stations that claim to be often aren’t
I’m going to definitely remember this video next time my family and I visit the UK. My sister’s disabled (cerebral palsy), so accessibility is a must whenever we do go abroad.
I deeply appreciate the fact that this video is subtitled - it’s an actual struggle to find UA-cam videos that are subtitled (and that’s with my English speaking privilege - I feel for subtitle users with other language requirements)
Try Tom Scott’s videos! Oddly I learned about him from this channel, from the game show Lateral!
thank you Nathan! due to Tom (mentoned in the other comment here) i have now started to subtitle my videos, and i also knew that i couldn't have a video about accessibility, and NOT subtitle it! so i have now started subtitling all my new videos ...
On our trip to the UK mom ended up on crutches, which was eye opening for what is and isn't accessible. Thank you for sharing.
Our issue was temporary but I now have a greater awareness for everywhere I go.
I'm autistic, I'm fortunate in that it very rarely has any impediment to my travel. I used one of the 755s in February in Norfolk and it struck me how convenient it was to be able to just walk onto the train without really having to look where I was going or lift my suitcase. Greater accessibility benefits EVERYBODY.
Congrats on 200K!!
Fantastic video Geoff. Very eye opening
Thank you both for doing that I learnt such a lot
I never really gave it much thought before
It is nice to see the changes taking place very slowly but they are taking place
you had to go past your station to to be able to leave the station
Great video. I’m writing my undergrad dissertation on improving accessibility for people with disabilities at airports and when boarding aircraft. There’s still a lot that still needs to be done across the transport industry
This video is amazing. I’m a disabled person(I use elbow crutches to walk) i was really anxious about train travel as I’ve never done it before. This has eased my concerns a bit
Excellent video. When I visit UK late next year, I will keep this in mind as I am a below knee amputee with prosthetic leg.
I lived in Chelmsford for 4.5 years, made hundreds of train journeys and very nostalgic to see the train station.
Brilliant piece Geoff, I was taken by element where Dominic talks about words as shapes, this is particularly relevant for folk with learning difficulties. (Shared on LinkedIn)
Fascinating video. The things we take for granted...
A brilliant video , one of the best I have seen.
I'm glad videos like these highlight what people with all varying disabilities have to go through when journeying on trains educating other folks naturally.
Having a sister who uses a wheelchair on long trips I understand the trouble some have trying to get places when no staff are around to operate ramps or lifts been out of action as well obviously.
It's nice seeing new trains with automatic ramps so users can wheel themselves on without having to call assistance beforehand giving them a sense freedom like Dominic then which is probably why the DLR underground line beside certain overland trains is my favourite for accessibility been how every stations step free from train to street level which I hope more underground lines become future wise then.
Me and my grandmother were in Dorchester and on our way back to Weymouth after spending the day out, we noticed all they had was a staircase to the other platform. I asked the staff if they had any way of us getting to the other platform without climbing the staircase and to our grateful surprise the South West Trains employee called the train and got them to switch the platform so the train came to us. Very pleased.
This was really enlightening. Well done to both of you for raising awareness! I wish 1 in 5/20% was more widely known it would break down so much stigma
Absolutely brilliant piece of work Geoff. Please pass on my thanks for Dominic's explanations and tour of facilities.
Love this video Geoff, for I am one of the 1 in 5.
Nice to see accessibility is improving on the railways.
We're getting there, but we're not there yet! Good to see a film that puts our half-blind eyes on people who can't just jump on a train.
We have a long way to go, but we'll get there, the sooner the better.
Great Video. Answered my question, as a non wheel chair user, as to how you would cross the line at Marks Tey, when we took the train to Colchester from Sudbury recently. But learnt so much more from this! Made me much more aware about the day to day challenges for disabled people and how we all need to be doing and campaigning for more.
Fantastic, great to see this being covered.
Congrats on 200K mate!
Thank you so much for making this video
That was very informative Raised my awareness of how some rail users have accessibility needs.
Thank you Geoff and Dominic ! Wonderful video on accessibility. It is so frustrating to watch the inconvenience the lack of accessibility on the railways can put on those with disabilities. More really needs to be down to get level boarding across the country! It is a shame we are still ordering fleets of modern trains which are to high for the platforms they serve. We need to see more Harrington Humps on platforms, more step-free lift access, better lift maintenance, more turn up & go assistance bookings and orders for trains that meet level boarding criteria (not trains worsen or don’t improve the gap). When we are designing / replacing / improving modern infrastructure we must think of how inclusive the outcome will be.
Also that trick with the wheelchair accessible doors on the Stadler is golden ! really good to know for next time i travel with someone with mobility issue that needs a little extra time with the doors.
i am glad the railways are becoming more step free friendly...... great video Geoff xx
I'm surprised by how much I learnt from this video. Hopefully our network continues to improve for all travelers.
Thanks for showing disabled travel as the trains are amazing in our wheelchairs
Hey Geoff, congrats on 200K!!!
As a person with both physical and mental disability, this video has really shown how simple things can make the experience so much easier for people like me. I have 2 chronic incurable (at present) conditions, diabetes and I am dyslexic. The change to the lettering is a simple one, but makes so much difference to people like me. I struggle with contrast as well as letters/numbers jumping, dot matrix signs don’t suit me, particularly if they have moving text.
One piece of advice I would add is to research if there are changing places toilets or full rooms on your journey. Not all disabled toilets are equal. I have seen some fabulous ones, and some pitiful ones over the years. Like Dominic, I carry a radar key with me at all times on my keys, and one in my day bag. I also always carry hand sanitizer and antibacterial spray in my bag too, and extra tissues.
I use a walking frame with wheels and seat, but haven’t been on a train since I got it thanks to coronavirus. The thought of it scares me, but I can’t let it defeat me. The frame folds down to a similar size of a pushchair, so it’s adaptable for public transport use. Once coronavirus is over, I want to try the tube too.
It’s great to see people with disabilities being offered dependable help to keep them independent. Dominic’s air punch is the perfect way to describe actually doing something for yourself that able people take for granted.