access

Politics

Jared O'Mara, flanked by a woman and a man, in front of a row of houses

July 13, 2017 0

Labour silent on access for disabled MP excluded from debates

The Labour party has refused to say if it will take any action to support a newly-elected disabled MP who has been prevented from taking part in some House of Commons debates because of access barriers. Disability News Service (DNS) reported last week how Labour’s Jared O’Mara had been unable to attend a couple

Politics

June 22, 2017 0

Queen’s speech: May ‘abandons’ election pledge on access

Listen

A Conservative election promise to tackle some of the discrimination faced by disabled people appears to have been abandoned, with no mention of the pledge in yesterday’s Queen’s speech. The manifesto promise to “review disabled people’s access and amend regulations if necessary to improve disabled access to licensed premises, parking and housing” was absent

Activism and Campaigning

May 25, 2017 0

TUC Disabled Workers’ Conference: TUC criticised over HQ access

Listen

Disabled union activists have criticised their own national federation, the TUC, for its reluctance to improve access at its London headquarters, following years of complaints from delegates at the annual Disabled Workers’ Conference. A motion calling on the TUC to make major improvements to the accessibility of Congress House in central London was passed

Arts, Culture and Sport

April 27, 2017

0

EHRC threatens Premier League clubs with formal investigations over access failings

Listen

Only three out of 20 Premier League football clubs have met minimum requirements on providing accessible spaces and seating for disabled fans, according to the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). A new EHRC review says Premier League clubs have made “only limited progress on stadia accessibility”, have broken Premier League rules, and have

Transport

April 27, 2017

0

Setback for taxi wheelchair access, after councils snub new laws

Listen

Local authorities are refusing to take simple measures that will provide new legal protection from discrimination for wheelchair-users who want to travel by taxi. On 6 April, the government finally brought into force legislation that imposes fines of up to £1,000 on drivers of taxis and private hire vehicles who refuse to accept wheelchair-users,

Arts, Culture and Sport

March 30, 2017

0

Disabled fans divided over Manchester United’s overdue access improvements

Listen

Long-overdue plans to improve access at the country’s biggest football club have divided its disabled supporters. Although the official disabled supporters’ association at Manchester United has welcomed the plans, which will eventually see the number of wheelchair spaces increase from just 120 to 277, a smaller group of disabled fans have raised concerns. They

Transport

December 8, 2016

0

Mayor invests £200 million in making more tube stations accessible

Listen

London’s new mayor has announced a significant increase in investment in making stations on the capital’s largely-inaccessible tube network step-free. At present, only 70 of 270 stations on the London Underground network are step-free to all platforms. But Sadiq Khan, who was elected as Labour mayor of London in May’s election – following eight

Transport

November 24, 2016

0

Disabled-led scheme will address ‘shocking’ car park access failures

Listen

A new accreditation scheme should make it easier for disabled people to find a car park that meets their access needs. The People’s Parking scheme already has about 150 car parks signed up across the UK and hopes to reach 200 by the end of the year, with support from major car park operators

Activism and Campaigning

Sam Brackenbury staring at the step outside The Alchemist from his wheelchair

October 6, 2016

1

DPAC highlights ‘shame’ of access barriers, despite millions spent on renovation

Listen

Disabled activists have highlighted the “shameful” access barriers they face on a daily basis, in a series of protests in Birmingham timed to coincide with the city hosting the Conservative party’s annual conference. Members of Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) blocked buses, trams and other traffic, but also shamed city centre businesses for their

Transport

Doug Paulley on a bus, with text about the law on access

September 22, 2016

1

Government agency ‘blocked attempts to expose abuse of bus access loophole’

Listen

Some bus companies are taking advantage of a loophole that means they can avoid their legal obligations to ensure their buses are accessible to disabled people, the industry’s own trade association has admitted. The admission from the Confederation of Passenger Transport UK (CPT) came despite repeated efforts from a government agency to block attempts

Browsing: access