Machine prop is just the ticket to expose train travel failings
Campaigners highlight sight loss challenges
Veterans affected by sight loss have mounted a campaign to lay bare the challenges presented by rail travel.
The former service personnel have crafted a ticket machine prop to demonstrate the obstacles faced by the visually impaired when they embark on transport.
They took the campaign to highlight the challenges to the Scottish Parliament this week, in a bid to force change.
The veterans, all members of charity Sight Scotland’s Hawkhead Centre activity hub, offered politicians and members of the public the chance to use the simulated ticket machine, while wearing glasses simulating different eye conditions.
It came as they hosted an awareness stall outside the Holyrood parliament on Wednesday.
Sight loss charity Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans were behind the campaign, as part of the Fair Rail Vision initiative, calling for accessible and affordable transport networks to help blind and partially-sighted commuters.
The charities have launched a petition calling for the creation of a new national rail travel policy for Scotland, offering free rail travel across the country for holders of concessionary cards for blind people and their travel companion.
There are currently differing concessionary and companion schemes for train travel for visually impaired passengers in different council areas.
The charities say the mis-matched scheme creates confusion for blind and partially sighted people due to the lack of consistency across travel zones.
Hawkhead Centre attendee, army veteran Gus Cross, who helped build the ticket machine prop in the Hawkhead Centre’s workshop, backs the call for a new national policy for rail travel, like that of the free bus travel scheme.
The 50-year-old, who has sight loss due to the eye condition diabetic retinopathy, told of his experiences, saying: “The lack of consistency in rail travel schemes across Scotland is not helping people who are visually impaired.
“Due to my sight loss, my ability to get out independently has been affected.
“I can’t really use the trains on my own.
“The problem is seeing what’s on the timetables, so I’d have to have my wife with me.
“It gives me more independence to have someone there with me.”
He added: “A travel companion is also important as there’s the gap between the train and the platform that people with sight loss can’t always see.
“People with disabilities, including people with sight loss, often need help to make sure they’re getting to the right platform and getting on the right train.
“Getting access can be pretty difficult.
“If you’re getting a ticket from the machine, many people with sight loss can’t see those screens. It’s not always safe.”
Army veteran Brian Carroll, 71, who helped to build the ticket machine prop, is also supportive of the charities’ Fair Rail Vision campaign.
Brian, who had a stroke during open heart surgery in 2018 which left him blind on his right-hand side, said: “Due to my sight loss, I’m not allowed to drive.
“That was the biggest change for me and the hardest thing to take because I’ve always been a very independent person.
“So now I’m reliant on public transport or I have to rely on my wife, who still drives, to take me anywhere.
“It’s definitely much more reassuring to have a companion when travelling.
‘There is too much information on the ticket machines to navigate around when you can’t see the screens well.
“Put yourself in other people’s shoes and think what changes you would have to make to your life if you were no longer able to get about independently.”
Hopes are high that the issues can be addressed now that ScotRail has been taken into public ownership.
Craig Spalding, chief executive of Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans, said: “With ScotRail now in public ownership, Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans are calling for all local authorities in Scotland to work with the Scottish Government to make local travel networks as accessible and affordable as possible for blind and partially sighted people and their companion.
“So many visually impaired people rely on the rail network to get around, and problems with accessibility create a real barrier to independent travel.
“Travelling with a companion can make a real difference for visually impaired people, providing support which is vital for many blind and partially sighted people to be able to use rail services safely and with confidence.”
He continued: “A new national policy which would enable free rail travel across Scotland for any holder of a National (Scotland) Concessionary Travel for Blind Persons card and their companion would be a huge step forward for an inclusive Scotland.”
Sign the petition at https://bit.ly/38WBs8c
If you’re getting a ticket from the macgine, many people with sight loss can’t see those screens