Most buses now disabled-friendly

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Most buses now disabled-friendly

Regarding the letter from Val London ("Problems faced by the disabled", Mailbox, June 18) I have a few comments to make.

Bus operators have until 2017 to make all their fleets "disabled- friendly", not 2012, though most operators are well ahead of this deadline, Arriva Midlands among them.The only Arriva routes in our area still normally worked by "step entrance" buses are the X3 to Market Harborough, 80 (University Halls of Residence) and 152/153 (Leicester-Desford-Coalville/Market Bosworth).

Regarding service coaches, National Express are putting "disabled-friendly" coaches on many of their routes now, with more to come. The Disability Discrimination Act only covers vehicles used on scheduled services, so private hire and touring coaches are not covered by it.

I wish Val and people with disabilities well. I hope these details help.

Terry Kirby, Campaign for Better Transport (Leicestershire)

Problems faced by the disabled

This letter is published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Problems faced by the disabled

Well done Alex Squire (First Person, June 11) for highlighting some of the shortcomings that wheelchair users have to put up with.

There are many places in Leicester where they flout the Disability Discrimination Act, but there are some places where it cannot be enacted. For example, I bank at Lloyds and my branch was High Street. There is no wheelchair access, but they are not allowed to alter the building because it carries a preservation order.

Their branch in Horsefair Street is accessible and until recently it had a dedicated counter for the disabled which could be used without queuing. This so-called privilege has now been removed because it was being abused by other, more selfish, clients. It's obviously an easier option for the management to remove it rather than trying to enforce it and please the few.

If this happens every time a system is abused, then there will be no dedicated parking spaces and no toilets for the disabled.

Many is the time we have waited outside a locked toilet only to see a perfectly able person walk out.

I know you can't always tell a disabled person just by looking – but the "giveaway" is the sheepish grin and the mumbled apology.

I waged a campaign with public transport in Leicester for a few years and I am glad to say that things are considerably better now, thanks to a little retraining.

Some years ago we got on a bus at Leicester General Hospital and the driver said: "You'll have to fold that up." Had I been able to fold the wheelchair up there would have been no need for it! Mind you, there is still the odd Arriva bus that cannot be accessed.

Only last week there was an old type bus on the 51 route and we had to wait for the next one. They do have until 2012 to change them all though, I believe. Because I'm not sure what the situation is with coaches, we do not use them.

All credit to the staff of the train station here in Leicester, though – they are wonderful and can't do enough to help. It's a real pleasure to travel on a train – it's just the cost the prohibits the indulgence.

I am fortunate in as much as I have a manual wheelchair and my husband is good enough to push me around. If I were in the same position as Alex I should find many more places would be no-go areas.

I believe, as Alex does, that the Act should be more legally binding and the politicians who crafted it should be more interested in monitoring same – otherwise the law really is an ass.

Val London, Leicester.

Wheelchair user provides food for thought

This is Alex Squire's First Person column published in today's Leicester Mercury:

Wheelchair user provides food for thought

Alex Squire thinks that the disability discrimination legislation should be tightened upI am a student at the University of Leicester and as a result I go on a number of social outings with my friends. I don't get blind drunk, but I still like to have a good time. I am not your usual run-of-the-mill student, you could say, as I have to use a power chair to get around.

On my outings so far I have encountered many places where wheelchair access is not up to scratch. My course Christmas meal was by far the most eventful, so far.

As it was a special occasion, everyone was dressed smartly, suits and bow ties for the men and dresses for the ladies. I turned up in my suit and was greeted by the sight of six large steps leading up to the entrance of the restaurant. After much deliberation on how I'd get in (including trying to physically lift my chair up the steps which is no easy task) we decided on a plan.

There was an advertising board standing on the pavement which had the menu written on it. We laid this flat over the steps to create a ramp. This, to date, has got to be one of the craziest things I've done.

I put my chair on full speed, hoped for the best, and drove up the "ramp" as fast as I could. Amazingly, I managed to get up the "ramp" first time! This was improvisation at its finest!

Although the health and safety people would not have agreed with this method, it was the only way in a million years I would have got into this restaurant.

Once I was finally in to the restaurant, I had a great meal and it was good fun. To get out, the manageress wouldn't let me use the same method as I came in.

After much deliberation again, they found some wooden boards from somewhere – I've no idea where! They used these to create a ramp and I managed to slide my chair down back to terra firma once again.

Things could have been so much easier if only they had a proper ramp.

Wheelchair accessible taxis have metal ramps which wheelchairs can drive up to get in. Why can't the restaurants which are "unable" to build a ramp buy these instead? This after all would be a much cheaper alternative. It would also satisfy the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (1995) for establishments to make reasonable adjustments to allow disabled people to enter.

I believe the Act should be more legally binding and not just allow people to make their own minds up as to what constitutes "reasonable adjustments".

Equality Act 2010 regional event

REDP holds its first major regional event at Walkers Stadium, Leicester (home of Leicester City FC). Great attendance, good contributions, positive and supportive atmosphere. Here's how we've described the event, for publication in local media:

City takes lead on new Equality Act

Leicester City’s Walkers Stadium was the venue for a high-profile regional conference promoting the new Equality Act.

The Act, which became law just before Parliament was dissolved for the General Election, protects people from discrimination on grounds of age, disability, gender and gender identity, race, religion or belief, and sexual orientation.

Around a hundred people attended the conference, drawn mostly from the Voluntary and Community Sector and the Public Sector from right across the East Midlands.The event was hosted by the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, which works across the East Midlands to strengthen the voice of the Voluntary Sector on these important issues. REDP has grown out of a successful collaboration of a number of Leicester-based organisations that have worked together in a variety of combinations over the past decade.

Sheila Lock, Chief Executive of Leicester City Council, officially opened the day, welcoming delegates to the event and to the city. She said that it was right for the conference to be happening in Leicester as the city is widely celebrated for its diversity and has a history of speaking up for equality. Sheila further said, “The Third Sector has been instrumental in bringing about improvements in equalities. … colleagues [in the public sector] have much to learn from the experiences of colleagues in the voluntary sector when it comes to challenging established systems and practices. I welcome that challenge, it is what helps people improve.”

A trio of nationally prominent speakers addressed the morning session , each one speaking about one important aspect of the new Act: Alison Pritchard (Head of Strategy at the Government Equalities Office), Amanda Ariss (Chief Executive at the Equality and Diversity Forum) and Anthony Robinson (Director of Casework and Litigation at the Equality and Human Rights Commission). The speakers also took part in panel discussions; workshop sessions in the afternoon helped attendees focus on major issues that affect them now and that will arise in the future.

Iris Lightfoote, Chair of the Regional Equality and Diversity Partnership, said, “The number of people that felt this event was important enough to attend demonstrates the continuing significance of work to bring about equality of outcomes across the East Midlands. The profile of the contributors demonstrated the support that REDP is able to bring to this work and, hosting it in Leicester shows how much the voluntary sector’s contribution to this work should be valued.”

 Sad to report, the Leicester Mercury didn't publish anything about this event.