I would travel more if all stations were accessible

Why staff are so important

It only takes a little change, like training the staff, to make a big difference to disabled people. Sometimes the staff who book or provide the assistance don’t realise how vital their role is. It’s a shame the government aren’t going to invest in that resource.

Luckily, I’ve got enough sight to be able to get off a train at the right time, on my usual routes. In other areas, where I haven’t got a clue where I am, and there are no announcements, I lose my independence. This is incredibly stressful when it is late and dark because then I have no vision. At that point, all I want to do is go home, but there’s no audio at all to let me know where we are.

I rely on other passengers a lot when there are replacement transport services. That’s when I worry: is it going to be one of those days where a passenger says: “why should I help you?” or “get your member of staff to get you to you next train or replacement bus”. Some people challenge me sitting on a disabled seat with my guide dog. They don’t get it.

Accessible travel needs to be more flexible

Accessible travel isn’t just about getting the right support. It needs to be more flexible. If I could book travel up to two hours before travelling, it would make travelling so much easier. Disabled people need to live their lives rather than plan everything. When I call up to book tickets, I find the person taking the booking doesn’t understand the route or changes I want. They keep hurrying me along with the route they think is best. Then they send the reservations and forget screen readers can’t cope with rows and columns. It’s unreadable.

Step-free travel would give me independence

As a visually impaired person with a guide dog, investments in step-free access are a big deal too. Step-free travel means that I can go on the tube with my friends. Instead, the lack of lifts means I must get a taxi with my guide dog. Step-free train travel also means I can safely get on and off a train. Nationwide step-free rail travel would mean I could travel across the country. I would travel more if I knew that all areas of the country had lifts and the staff to assist my guide dog and me. This would help to make my journey less stressful.

The impact of coronavirus

I’ve read that, since coronavirus, rail stations have blocked off areas because of one-way systems. That is tricky for people with visual impairments to be aware of without guidance. Also, I struggle to wear a face mask because it takes away that little bit of sight at the sides that I have. It would be much easier if these were the only challenges. Instead, they join an already long list of problems with rail travel.