Transport provider CrossCountry have come under fire after Anne Wafula Strike, a British Paralympic athlete spoke out about her recent ordeal on board a CrossCountry train, where she had to wet herself in a train carriage because the train had no working disabled facilities. After Wafula Strike spoke out about her terrible experience, other Paralympic athletes like Ade Adepian have backed her call for change, stating that disability discrimination is still widely experienced on public transport.
Wafula Strike, a board member of UK Athletics has asked for companies to be given fines if they don’t provide disabled facilities that legislation requires. This has been heralded as a step in the right direction by many, with Adepitan viewing the whole issue of travelling with a disability as a minefield. Since Wafula Strike has spoken about her experience, this issue has exploded online, with many other wheelchair users sharing their experiences. Many talked about their fear to drink anything in case no disabled facilities were available on trains or being left alone on a platform when train workers forgot to help them.
Paul Maynard, the rail minister has pledged that no other wheelchair user should experience what Wafula Strike endured when she was not given disabled access to toilet facilities. Maynard promises that the government are meeting with train provider CrossCountry to ensure that new measures are put in place to prevent this experience from repeating. The 2010 Equality Act has left disabled people to police the legislation, with the onerous left on them to ensure their needs are being met. This issue highlights the everyday discrimination that wheelchair users still face and shows that legislation should be changed to help encourage more disabled people to use transport and other services in their day-to-day life.
Mobility4Scotland’s RollerScoot is designed with functionality in mind and is guaranteed to make getting around safer and easier for you. The ability to get around in your day-to-day life is something that many take for granted. Talks to improve legislation that supports disability rights is definitely a step in the right direction in ensuring adequate facilities are provided across all public transport.
