UK: Information and training to help people with non-visible disabilities such as autism, anxiety or phobias use public transport is being provided by Hampshire Community Rail Partnership with the support of South Western Railway and Hampshire County Council.
The first phase of the Travel with Confidence project, funded by HCC Adult Services, was completed by Hampshire CRP with the publication of a booklet of resources called Help is at Hand. This followed extensive consultation with local disability groups.
The second phase is now underway, supported by SWR. Hampshire CRP and other groups are working with charity Winchester Go LD to teach people with non-visible disabilities how to travel with confidence. They will provide learning disability groups with individual travel planning resources, arrange visits to stations, and undertake rail journeys together.
Winchester Go LD is also producing video resources teaching skills such as boarding trains and how to seek help.
‘Train travel can be particularly difficult for people with learning disabilities’, said Winchester Go LD CEO Betty Chadwick on February 24. ‘Stations tend to be busy places; people in a hurry, lots of noise, fast-moving information screens and general hustle and bustle provides a challenging and chaotic environment for those who find it difficult to process information.’
