Disabled Citizens’ Inquiry launched with nine recommendations

This research, led by Sustrans in partnership with Transport for All, highlights the actions the government and local authorities must take now to give disabled people the freedom to walk or wheel independently around their neighbourhoods.

Andrew Whitaker, Activity Alliance’s Strategic Partnerships Advisor for the North West & North East was at the report launch yesterday. He said:

“We heard disabled people sharing their lived experiences. The nine recommendations highlighted that accessible infrastructure co-designed with disabled people is a priority.

"Decision-makers need to ensure the authentic voice of disabled people is heard throughout the whole process."

The Inquiry is calling on local and national governments to give disabled people a voice when it comes to decisions that affect how they get around their local area.

Xavier Brice, CEO of Sustrans, said:

"Our report clearly demonstrates that understanding the barriers disabled people experience getting around their neighbourhoods is imperative in creating an equitable society. Putting disabled people at the centre of discussions about how we plan and create spaces where we can all move around easily and safely is vital.

"The UK government must listen and take action to create places planned around people, not cars."

The report is the culmination of a six-month-long Disabled Citizens' Inquiry, coordinated by Sustrans in partnership with Transport for All.

An accompanying Ipsos survey of over 1,100 disabled people across the UK paints a stark picture of how inaccessible and dangerous our neighbourhoods and communities have become.

Coordinating the findings, Sustrans has released nine recommendations to make communities and neighbourhoods safer, more accessible, and more inclusive for disabled people.

These include:

• Prohibiting pavement parking to make communities more accessible
• Creation of a long-term dedicated pavement fund to improve and maintain pavements
• Ensuring disabled people can be within walking or wheeling distance of services and amenities by creating communities with accessible services close to where people live through better planning.

Caroline Stickland, CEO of Transport for All, said: 

"Transport for All’s role was to ensure that disabled peoples’ voices were at the heart of this ground-breaking inquiry. From codesigning the study, to facilitating pan-impairment workshops, to generating recommendations, disabled people were involved at every stage. Not only does this give the government a uniquely clear and actionable picture of what we as disabled people need to make walking and wheeling more accessible, but it also provides a blueprint for how our community must be engaged with every mode of transport going forward."

 Rachael Badger, Director of Performance and Engagement at Motability said:

"This inquiry provides eye-opening insight into the experiences of disabled people and the challenges they face when moving around their communities. It is vital that the voices of disabled people are heard when decisions are taken about infrastructure in their local areas, and that accessibility is made a priority."

You can read more about the Disabled Citizens’ Inquiry by clicking here.