Many individuals who are blind or partially sighted rely on public transport to get around. ‘You have to psych yourself up for it every time.’ ‘The fatigue is real,’ says Erik Matthies of the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). If you have a disability, you can never take a trip on the spur of the moment, and you have to plan everything to the nth degree. She later received an apology and was told that ‘appropriate action has been taken’ – although sadly with no mention of how this might be prevented from happening again. Her only option was to tweet at Transport for London. Staff should have been at her destination with a ramp, but nobody appeared – and Landre was unable to summon help as the emergency levers on the Tube train weren’t at wheelchair height. Anna Landre, a disability justice activist and scholar, was recently stranded on the London Underground. These issues aren’t unique to overground trains, either. I just couldn’t face the prospect of dealing with such obstructive and rude behaviour each day. I ended up discounting the train altogether. The corridor was too narrow for me to move from there and so I had to insist that he help me get off at the next stop and get back on in the correct place. I got on board and found myself in the bicycle store. I booked a wheelchair space, but despite me pointing out the carriage with a wheelchair sign on the door, the member of staff helping me insisted I got into a different one.
#CRUCIAL CONVERSATIONS AUDIO COMPANION TRIAL#
I was considering using the train for my daily commute, so I did a trial run. For this reason I have ruled out plane travel for the foreseeable future.Īnd trains aren’t much better. I’m worried that when I arrive it will be broken or missing, ruining my holiday. Stories like this – and many more – mean I’ve never dared take my powered wheelchair on a plane. In June, Gatwick apologised to Victoria Brignell, who was stuck on a plane for more than 90 minutes after landing when airport staff failed to come to assist her. In July, BBC journalist Frank Gardner complained about being stranded on an empty plane without wheelchair assistance after landing – the fifth time this had happened since he began using a wheelchair in 2004. I know from bitter experience that chaotic journeys and ruined plans are a regular occurrence when trying to navigate the public transport system. So I have read with horror, but not surprise, the recent stories of disabled people being abandoned or mistreated when travelling on planes and trains. What on earth could I be late for – surely nothing important? I have frequently arrived at my destination late and stressed, left with the impression that my time doesn’t matter. Many a time has my travel companion – or a complete stranger – had to straddle the train and the platform to stop the train doors closing with me stuck inside. Despite always booking assistance, I am terrified there won’t be someone at my destination with a ramp to help me and my powered wheelchair on to the platform. Whenever I take a train journey, I am filled with dread.
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