Here’s a story from the BBC that deserves as much publicity as possible. It features a chap called Qamar Khaliq who asked a guard to help him get onto his train. The response? The Guard didn’t even acknowledge his presence, let alone try to help.
Unfortunately for the guard, Qamar filmed the whole thing!
Click on the link to see the video on the BBC website.
http://jfi.me/n
Suspended
The Manchester Evening News spoke to Qamar after the event. He said that despite the incident leaving him feeling vulnerable and even less likely to use rail travel in the future, the guard should not be sacked. He has been suspended though, pending investigation.
The paper carries a link to a YouTube video of the incident but unfortunately it has been removed for a “Terms of Use Violation”!?! A link to the paper’s story is in the Related Articles section below (some of the comments are interesting!).
This story is quite well known now but there has been a recent call for help that you just might have missed!
The Campaign
A little while ago a bloke called Mark Cooper was forced to leave the pub he was drinking in with his mates. The reason? He needed the loo!
Most of the pub was accessible to him in his wheelchair but the toilets were not. Something he didn’t realise until he needed to go.
Encouraged by his mates, Mark started a campaign using a 
Facebook page to spread the word. Big publicity came his way when Capability Scotland added their weight and the campaign soon gained national attention.
The Result
Success came at the end of June in the form of an amendment to the Criminal Justice and Licensing Act. The act now says that premises must give information about how a Disabled Person will access the venue as part of the Licence application.
What’s Next?
Well the hard work is really just beginning. The Scottish Parliament now needs to know what information it needs to get from potential licensees and, guess what? They’re asking us!!
For more information and to add your views, head over to the Facebook page Mark created: http://jfi.me/k
I’ve got a snail mail address too, just ask if you want it!!
A quick heads up for the Disabled Motorhome Driver. Usually the size of our vehicle means that we have to park at the back of the car park where there is more room. Using those precious Disabled Spaces is a dream that will never come come true……Or will it? Whilst driving South down the A1 and [...]
There are no shortage of articles about Alton Towers on the internet. It is certainly one of Britain’s premier theme park resorts. Their website has a wealth of information about the park and how accessible their rides are but I got a little confused about the cost of entry for our family. Image via Wikipedia Getting [...]
I am republishing this article because it covers the most recent version of the book that I have. There is a new version available here. I’ll post an update when I receive my copy! Updated for 2009 This is the Second Edition of the Rough Guide To Accessible Britain. The first was published in 2008. There [...]
Links Anyone
Disability Links Please remember we have a Links Page on DisabledPeople. Hopefully this will provide some useful places to start looking for the information you need. Together though, we can make it much better. There must be sites that you’ve saved/bookmarked/added as a favourite. Sites that deserve a second look or that you’ve shared with friends? [...]