How to feel more confident catching the train with no vision.
An article by Berkshire Vision member Dayzie.Â
Catching the train with a visual impairment seems like a dangerous way to travel, but it should not be that way. Taking the train is one of the safest ways to travel when you have a visual impairment. It is so important for people with no vision to feel confident and safe on trains. No one should let their visual impairment stop them from travelling on public transport. Did you know only a small handful of people with a visual impairment feel like they can catch the train stress free? This is because they don’t know the accessibility features train lines can offer. In this article, we are going to discuss the access scheme which helps people with sight loss to be independent and make you feel more confident about catching the train.
My personal experience from catching the train, I have no sight at all and I travel by train with my mum. I love catching the train because I love listening to all the stops the train has to stop at, it makes me keen to learn about the places. Travelling by train is so much more interesting then someone else driving you to places. The assistance I use is just a ramp because the step is a challenge but luckily the ramp makes that more accessible. My mum and I find the passenger assist team really helpful and really friendly. I get around the trains and the stations by my mum sight guiding me but passenger assist could offer something like sight guide.
To make catching the train accessible, one of the most useful and easiest things you can do to help yourself is by booking passenger assist. Passenger assist is an access arrangement which will help you navigate around stations, platforms and trains. The service offers support such as a ramp, a helping hand, a sight guide along with so much more. To find out more about passenger assist, go onto the Great Western Railway website or you could download the passenger assist app. But how do you book passenger assist? To book your assistance, phone up 08001971329 or as previously mentioned, download the passenger assistance app for free. Who qualifies for passenger assist? The service is made for those with a disability or elderly people to make it easier to travel.
On Thursday in the February half term, Berkshire Vision and Great Western Railway put together an event for teenagers to make them feel like they can get on a train without hesitation. At the Berkshire Vision office, two people from Great Western Railway gave us a talk about passenger assist and what we can do ourselves to make travelling by train more accessible for us with a visual impairment. Because we were going to the station, it would only make sense to then hold and touch things you could find at stations. My favourite thing to touch was the part of the train track. After we felt some of the things you could find at stations, we then all travelled to the local station. When we got to the station, we then got a audio-described tactile brief tour of the station. After that, we got on our train and travelled to Black Water station. It was really nice to catch the train with some of my friends from Berkshire Vision, every one seemed to have really enjoyed it.
What are you waiting for?
I suggest you try a train whenever you can! You always have to start somewhere and the best thing you can do is to book passenger assist and your train ticket and you’ll be a professional in no time!
