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Education and Training

Inappropriate training for transport staff as well as the poor design and management of infrastructure are major barriers to providing an accessible transport for disabled people. The lack of professional skills and competencies in these areas reduces the opportunities of achieving the goal of an inclusive society. There have been major improvements in how services and its infrastructure are designed, planned or managed, but there is still a long way to go. Without considering the needs of disabled people barriers are created denying disabled people access to services.

Disabled people continue to face daily obstacles when travelling. A key element of this is poor or inadequate disability equality training of staff, who are often unable to give disabled travellers the support they would like to provide. Good Disability Equality training for transport staff can help to reduce the negative experiences disabled people face and build confidence to travel more frequently.

The Education and Training Working Group ran from 2003 - 2009 launching two projects to ensure the availability of appropriate education and training, ensuring the needs of disabled people are considered:

  • In 2008 the group launched a Disability Equality and Awareness Training Framework for Transport Staff. This framework focuses on good customer care for disabled people. Just as improving accessibility for disabled people improves accessibility for all, this framework should help transport operators deliver a better service to all passengers.
  • Designing Everyone In - Resources for Schools was launched in 2005 and 2007. These Teaching materials for Primary Schools Key Stage 1 & 2 and Secondary Schools Key Stage 3 show how leaders can address the principles of accessible design as part of the national curriculum schemes of study.

DPTAC has also produced the DPTAC Charter on Training and Education in Accessibility (the Charter is based on the European Charter on Access to Transport Services and Infrastructure).

Education and Training issues are now taken forward within all of DPTAC's working groups.