You Said, We Did – Listening Month Update 2024

2.1.1. You Said

• Street obstacles (e.g. A Boards, overhanging vegetation, poorly placed street furniture) were a real deterrent to people and cause of accidents
• E-Scooters / bicycles being ridden inappropriately and leading to injury or nervousness about using an area
• Pavement quality was an issue for many people, with pedestrian journeys negatively impacted by pavement surface quality
• Pavement parking was a concern, with lack of local action
• Accessible crossings were generally positive, but complained that often there are not enough of them or not fully functioning

2.1.2. We Did

• We sit on a variety of local access panels and forums, using lived experience voices, to shape policies and to influence for positive change
• Delivering walks with simulated spectacles and Vision Awareness sessions
• Hosting the ‘Are you worried about obstacles on your pavement?’ activity
• Working with e-scooter providers to improve rider safety and parking etiquette through videos, creating a charter, and working with TIER on an Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS)
• Developing and delivering the ‘Pavement Parking’ campaign – creating videos to highlight the issue, through various media forms, and urging the Government to introduce a new law.

2.2.1. You Said

• Lack of audio announcements on buses or effectiveness of bus timetable information or apps
• Mixed experience of passenger assistance services on rail services, with support not always available or delivered
• Accessibility of booking services mixed, particularly when using apps and for ticketing
• Reliability of bus and rail services was a frequent complaint, adding to the uncertainty of an already stressful journey. Very difficult to respond flexibly to delays and cancellations when you have a vision impairment

2.2.2. We Did

• Various ‘mystery shopping’ exercises on a number of bus and train operators
• Produced the #MakeTransportAccessible report which outlines key campaigns and findings
• Held a number of focus groups with people who are not involved with SLCs or the campaign directly
• Hosted an Accessible Travel in Brighton and Hove forum with key stakeholders and BPS people, who provide feedback through their lived experience and advocate for positive change
• Organised and hosted the SLC Conference 2023, where the theme was ‘Making Transport Accessible: Through the Power of Lived Experience’
• Working with Transport for London (TfL) – to improve experiences on the London Underground and Docklands Light Railway services, testing an audio announcement button announcing bus arrival times, and Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) screens, providing clearer visual information
• Hosted several ‘Meet the Bus’ and ‘Try the Train’ events, with key stakeholders to improve services and raise awareness of visual impairment
• Improving accessibility on buses – working to ensure information on buses is visible for wheelchair users after October 2024, and AVAS is on all buses from 2026

• Implementing talking bus stops in York
• Hosting round table events with Stagecoach
• Improving the accessibility and navigation of various train stations with the assistance of using the Aira app, Good Maps, and by the use of audio guides, created by Bristol SLC.

• Campaigning on the ticket office closures
• Working with Nottingham Express Transit (NET) to improve the accessibility of tram travel
• Working with Ethos Farm to improve customer experiences and raising awareness of visual impairment amongst staff, from the Department for Transport, Heathrow, the Eurostar and many other organisations
• Working with Luton Rising Accessibility Forum to inform the development of Direct Air-Rail Transit (DART)

2.3.1. You Said

•  A lack of awareness of visual impairment was a key theme mentioned by many people, with a particular emphasis on general public awareness
• People highlighted a lack of help and engagement because people didn’t know what to do
• This was perceived as being an issue that cut across a number of areas including health, retail, transport, employment etc.

2.3.2. We Did

• Delivery of Vision Awareness sessions to a total of 583 attendees across different sectors
• Production of various resources to increase understanding of visual impairment, and to support staff across various services and sectors.

2.4.1. You Said

• Regular complaint that attitudes and understanding of employers is poor and a lack of knowledge about support available
• Concern about complexity of Access to Work (AtW) and generally poor knowledge of the specialist equipment available to enable visually impaired people to secure jobs Benefits claims process was cited by many people as being complex and inaccessible

2.4.2. We Did

• Ran a pilot programme for BPS people to receive bespoke services locally
• Creation of various ‘We Work’ videos which highlight different roles within different sectors which BPS people work in. These videos can be found on the TPT website and YouTube channel
• Works For Me programme – A free service to support BPS people in all aspects of applying for a job, including IT support
• ‘Finding Your Feet’ workshop – A service to work with other organisations in providing similar support and in turn, for them to independently run this service and provide peer support
• Get Set Progress – an internship programme to support BPS people with paid work opportunities. With over 50 internship roles filled so far, 85% went on to full time employment
• Delivered a number of corporate talks to various organisations about working as a BPS person and providing a greater understanding
• Working with Ingeus who provide an employment service on behalf of local government and London local authorities, who can assist Works For Me clients living in many London boroughs.

2.5.1. You Said

• Confidence to go out and about when newly diagnosed was mentioned as a barrier – with delays to getting support not helping
• Feeling of isolation from services and friendship networks. Many reported finding themselves housebound, at least initially, and consequently losing natural networks.
• Mixed experience of accessing leisure and sports facilities with some very complimentary and others reporting “none exist for V I”.

2.5.2. We Did

• Hosted ‘Let’s Get Active’ events in Greater Manchester, and York and Humber, to increase their confidence in trying new sport activities, as well as boosting mental health and meeting new people.
• Hosted an ‘Applying Make Up and Skincare’ masterclass in Manchester to increase the confidence of BPS people when shopping for and applying make-up and skincare products
• Hosted the Merseyside ‘Bringing Museums to Life’ event, exploring how to make arts and culture more accessible, and sharing experiences of inaccessibility
• Hosted the Essex ‘It Belongs in a Museum’ event, to learn about what Chelmsford Museum and VocalEyes are doing to ensure BPS people can access museums, galleries and theatres across the country.

2.6.1. You Said

• General complaint about lack of staff awareness in service and retail settings
• Design of shopping and hospitality environments often poor (e.g. lighting, crowded, no natural walk routes or ways to access help)
• Mixed experience of online offer, with some apps and websites commended and others offering a poor experience
• A frequent issue was people’s mixed experience of access with a guide dog.
                              

2.6.2. We Did

• Worked with a large number of local and national retailers, to improve accessibility and raise awareness of vision impairment
• Delivering Vision Awareness workshops to a wide range of organisations, where in addition, participants were also talked through the impact of the Built Environment and the Equality Act and their duties
• Collaboration with technology companies and access technology innovators, to make product packaging accessible, both from a tactile and technological perspective
• Retailers have been further supported via the production of a variety of resources, for ongoing support and guidance
• Hosting the ‘Mindful Shopper’ programme
• Ongoing research into retail experiences.

2.7.1. You Said                               

• Mixed views on technology, with many saying it was a game changer, and others saying it was unaffordable and/or inaccessible.
• Big difference across ages, with older people more likely to express frustration.
                              

2.7.2. We Did 

• Tech workshops and employment courses designed to equip BPS people into work through ‘Tech Fridays’, ‘Tech and Talk’ sessions and ‘Let’s Talk About Jobs’
• Delivery of Artificial Intelligence (AI) workshops called AI to support with everyday living, AI in the workplace and AI and other apps that help you get to work
• Education and technology was a big focus on supporting BPS people with their development, through creating webpages and a new section of our website.

2.8.1. You Said

• Accessible health information was a key concern, with very few people expressing positive experiences
• Point of diagnosis support (e.g. Eye Care Liaison Officer (ECLO), health advice, early intervention support)
• Availability of rehab services (e.g. mobility aids, equipment and home help)

2.8.2. We Did

• ‘Make Accessible Information Standard (AIS) work’ film was launched with the aim of improving health information for BPS people across the country.
• Improving accessible home testing kits for conditions such as bowel cancer.
• Improving ‘Talking Therapies’ for anxiety and depression services by running a pilot programme with the aim of running it nationally
• Reducing avoidable sight loss in older people by working with Age UK
• Delivery of monthly ‘Eye Care & You’ webinars. All webinars to date can be found on the TPT YouTube channel.

2.9.1. You Said  

• Due to the demographics of the participants, we received very little feedback on access to education
• We ran a separate survey and focus group aimed at young people and students, which picked up very similar themes to the main Listening Month activity
• There was strong emphasis amongst young people on the importance of accessibility of education and particularly around understanding and awareness, access to technology and having support needs met quickly.

2.9.2. We Did

• TPT’s Education team has grown its team, to ensure students are supported in every aspect of education
• Developing the Student Support Service team, providing advice and guidance through a telephone line, resource pages and events.
• Increasing our social media presence, especially on Facebook and Instagram, to ensure BPS students are reached.
• Delivering training sessions to a variety of organisations and education providers
• Expanding on our Student Voices and Young Voices programme, who contribute towards research, speak at events and shape campaigns and policies
• TPT have funded the British Youth Council ‘Access and Assistance for All’ campaign, working together with their policy team to collaborate with organisations such as NatSpec, NASEN and Ofsted.
• Producing various policy statements around education to support with campaigns
• Hosted a roundtable event where David Johnstone MP (Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing) attended, where students shared lived experience
• Collaborating with IBM to make the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software accessible with assistive technology
• Working to ensure that the Curriculum Framework for Children and Young People with Vision Impairment (CFVI) is a benefit, ultimately enabling BPS students to have access to the education opportunities they need to thrive.
• Launching new and updated webpages to support professionals in particular those who are sighted and working with BPS students, alongside a newsletter and online training.