I've been off line for ages so I've mised a lot of discussion, but I
wanted to contribute to some of the recent transport issues. When I've
been looking for info on accessibility and transport, there's quite a
lot on the 'obvious' e.g. stairs and doorways, but not very much on
other access issues e.g. intellectual access, and financial access. In
my area of SE England, it is also very difficult to enable people
labelled as having learning difficulties to access public transport.
First reason, because it is no-one's job and there is no funding to pay
for someone to be accompanied to access buses, or to be trained to use
buses independently. Personally I'm doing bits of informal support with
people who I know, but that's hardly a long term or sustainable
solution. Secondly, in the relatively affluent South East, there is
high car ownership and therefore low support of buses, which means that
bus routes are increasingly being cut. This means that even people who
are able to use buses have fewer and fewer options. On most estates
there is basicially nothing after 7pm, or at weekends or bank holidays.
In addition, people who are deemed by social services to be 'more able',
are then granted lower levels of state benefits, i.e. without the
enhanced transport componants, on the grounds that they can use public
transport. This means that when these people find that they are unable
to use public transport because it doesn't exist, they also find that
they are unable to pay for any other forms of transport, e.g. taxis
because they can't afford it. Talking to service providers it seems
that there is reluctance to seek solutions because no-one has any
statutary responsibility to find the money to do it.
Hazel
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