Infrastructure Minister has thanked members of the
Inclusive Mobility and Transport Advisory Committee (IMTAC) for
facilitating Disability Equality Training for the Department's
senior management team.
said: "There is a lot
of good work ongoing across both the Department for
Infrastructure and Translink in this space but there is always
room to do more. Inclusivity and putting people at the heart
of everything we do is one of my department's 'Foundations for a
Better Future' programme and that is why I have tasked my
officials to consider what else can be done."
The training provided officials with the opportunity to
travel around Belfast for half a day with a wheel-chair user
and people with sensory impairments to get a first-hand
understanding of the barriers they encounter on a daily
basis.
The Minister added: "When we talk
about accessibility, we are talking about dignity,
equality, and the ability to live without barriers.
There is no substitute for actual lived experience
and I want to thank everyone who was involved in
facilitating this very important training."
Barbara Fleming, who led one of the groups, said: “The
difference now compared to 26 years ago when I was first disabled
and trying to use public transport is worlds apart
because I can move about almost the same as non-disabled
people - but there is further work to be done in a number of
areas, including societal attitudes and street furniture.
“Today was important because it's a practical way of helping
people to fully understand the experience of disabled people
as we use public transport and navigate the city centre.
“It's one thing to be told the way it is but it's another thing
to actually see it and experience the natural barriers that
disabled people come across.
“This training enables people to have a better understanding
of what it is like for a disabled person. Everyone that
takes part in training like this is important because people are
not an island - they have family and friends
- and hopefully they will talk with them about what
they have seen. That's how we will change attitudes and hopefully
the unpleasant situations that I come across get less and
less.”
WATCH: Wheelchair user Barbara Fleming takes the Department's
senior management team out on disability awareness
training https://youtu.be/CEII5Kvo8u0?si=MKNLVS5BWBV4M6z_
