Ministers pledge access is key for 2012

Sunil Peck

The government wants disabled athletes to become household names and for London 2012 to increase inclusion for disabled people all over the country.

That was the message from Tessa Jowell, minister for the Olympics and Paralympics, and Jonathan Shaw, the new minister for disabled people, as they hosted a disability summit to plan for 2012.

The two ministers spoke to Disability Now after the summit.

Jowell told us: “We think we have gone further than any other previous host city in designing in access, knowing that about 23,000 people who use public transport are likely to need assistance and lifts. But there will be other things that we haven’t yet thought of that we need over the next three-and-a-half years to be able to address.”

This includes ensuring that London can cope with an influx of disabled people wanting to eat out, use a public loo or visit the cinema, says Shaw.

“That’s part of the process that we’re beginning today. We’ve not got that long [to] meet those challenges.”

Jowell says packed stadia at the Beijing Paralympics showed a “seismic shift” in public attitudes towards disabled people and expectations about what they can achieve.

To exploit that in the run-up to 2012, says Shaw, the government must help Paralympians tour the country and share their experiences of competing and the elation of winning medals.

Some of the flats built for competitors will be available as accessible housing after 2012. Shaw says the Olympic Village will incorporate access features and between eight and ten per cent of the accommodation will have adapted bathrooms.

But what about disabled people beyond the M25? Both ministers are adamant that they will benefit, too.

Shaw wants disabled people to enjoy increased access to recreation and sport. “We know that clubs up and down the country need to improve access, so we talked about how we can incentivise councils. There’s a job of work to do and that will become one of the action points arising from today’s first meeting.”

The jobs needed to prepare for and stage the games will be open to disabled people around the UK, says Jowell. Companies seeking contracts will have to address equal opportunity issues, make reasonable adjustments and promote disability equality.

Existing investment programmes in transport will help improve access, she adds.

In addition to investment in the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and tube, the Department for Transport has ring-fenced £35 million a year until 2015 to improve access at priority rail stations.

Access and capacity are being upgraded at Stratford regional station, the main arrival point for 70 per cent of visitors to the Games. More capacity will also be introduced on the DLR and the Jubilee tube line.

Perhaps most importantly, Jowell pledges that access and inclusion will not fall victim to the looming recession.

“I can’t conceive of a situation where we might decide to compromise on access on what we build. Making new homes accessible is as fundamental as putting a water-tight roof on them.