The Friendly Times

Every so often, another report lands reminding us that disabled people still travel far less than everyone else. The latest research from the  National Centre for Accessible Transport (NCAT)  and the  Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RiDC)  shows that disabled people make  38% fewer journeys  than non-disabled people — and that figure hasn’t changed in over ten years. You’d think that after decades of work on accessibility, that gap would be closing. But NCAT’s new report,   Invisible Barriers: How Public Attitudes Affect Inclusive Travel , makes it clear that the problem isn’t just about step-free stations or broken lifts. It’s about   people’s attitudes . The invisible barrier we don’t talk about NCAT found that   59% of disabled travellers regularly encounter negative attitudes   — from staff, fellow passengers, or even bystanders. The stories are painful, and sadly familiar. People are disbelieved when they ask for help, m...

In November, I’ll turn 80. It feels a bit like I’m sitting astride the mountain of life, catching my breath and looking back at the path I’ve climbed. The journey has been long, sometimes steep, sometimes surprising, and now I find myself reflecting on what I’ve learned along the way. No Regrets The first thing I’ve realised is that regrets are a waste of time. I don’t mean I’ve always made brilliant choices — far from it. But even when I didn’t get what I wanted, something better usually turned up. Take the job I was sure was made for me. I didn’t get it. At the time, I was devastated. However, the rejection led me into social work, where I remained for over 20 years. More importantly, it’s where I met my wife of nearly fifty years ago. Then came another blow: redundancy. I felt desperate and uncertain — I had a family, a mortgage, and no idea what the future held. Yet what felt like a disaster turned into an opportunity. I set up my own business working on disability issues, work tha...