Trains, strikes and vision impairment.
Recently the news was dominated by the industrial action taken by the RMT union causing much of the rail network to shut down. Much of the coverage centred on the impact of this dispute on large-scale events, commuters, students sitting key exams and of course the protagonists themselves. But how about the perspective of those with a vision impairment?
No trains, no travel: impact for the vision impaired.
Trains are a significant enabler for the vision impaired. There are of course other options, such as buses and taxis, but both of these bring challenges. Using a bus, though free in many cases, requires thorough route knowledge and taxis are becoming prohibitively expensive for many due to increasing fuel prices. Friends and family aren’t always able to assist, meaning that many vision impaired people will have been left unable to travel, which could have profound consequences.
Modernisation will help the vision impaired.
As mentioned above, a key battle ground concerns the Government’s position that the railway needs modernisation. CrystalEyes does not seek to support one side or the other, but rail modernisation terms of the railways could be both a positive and a negative.
If modernisation means an end to paper train tickets and the ability to have them electronically on your phone regardless of the train operator, this would be a positive step for those with a vision impairment, as long as booking sites and mobile apps continue to be accessible. However, if modernisation means the closing of ticket offices whilst the need to have paper tickets for some rail operators remains, this would be a significant problem for the vision impaired, as ticket machines in stations are currently not accessible.
Equally, modernisation could have implications on staffing levels. If ticket office staff are re-deployed as platform staff, this can only be a good thing for those with a vision impairment, as passenger assistance can vary significantly and more staff should, hopefully, mean a more consistent and person-centred service. However, if modernisation means cutting staff across the board, rail travel could become more restrictive for those with a vision impairment, which would be an unfortunate consequence. The key is to ensure that modernisation works for everyone.