OCEANS APART

Minister tells world, UK

Best For Access

DISABILITY minister Tom Pursglove told a UN conference of his ambition to make the UK the most accessible place in the world for disabled people to live and work

He told an international conference on disability rights: “The global context of numerous humanitarian and economic crises, plus the continuing impact of the pandemic, means disability inclusion risks falling further down the agenda

“The UK remains committed to championing disability rights and inclusion globally ”

Addressing the 16th Conference of States Parties to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (COSP16), he added: “Following the launch of our international Disability Inclusion and Rights Strategy last year, the UK is focussed on embedding its principles ”

‘BRITAIN still has a long way to go to just securing access right for disabled travellers, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson told MPs.

A crossbench peer, wheelchairuser and accessible transport campaigner, Baroness Grey-Thompson said there was “a complete failure to enforce” laws on accessible travel

She added: “We’re constantly told, ‘It will never happen again, it’s just you [this is happening to], we’re really sorry,’ and we’re expected to go away ”

The Baroness said the Disability

Discrimination Act had promised accessible rail travel by 2020, but the Government was now suggesting it would be 100 years before there was step-free access She tole the House of Commons Transport Select Committee: “So in my lifetime I will not be able to get on a train without the permission or support of a non-disabled person ”

She also highlighted concerns that Network Rail was building new inaccessible footbridges

“How can Network Rail build a footbridge that has steps, in this day and age? How did it get through?”

Baroness GreyThompson said the Government’s Inclusive Transport Strategy was “just another strategy, and disabled people are slightly bored by strategies