Transport accessibility follow up
In Australia, public transport must be accessible. There are Disability Standards for Accessible Public Transport 2002, which sit under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA). The Transport Standards must be reviewed every five years.
Last July at Deafblind Café, the federal government consulted with DBV members about how Deafblind people access to trains, buses, taxis and other transport. They returned to DBV Café this year on 17th May to find out more about our experiences using public transport, and ideas for improving accessibility and the Transport Standards.
Katherine McKay and Harry Egan from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts asked questions and took notes. Members talked about:
- how they learned to travel safely and independently
- the need for transport staff to be aware of deafblindness
- the impact of damaged infrastructure and disrupted services
- signage and announcements
- obstacles, mobility and visibility (glare/reflections, colours of rails, etc.)
- taxis and rideshare
- funding and subsidies
Here is a video of Heather talking about her personal experiences with transport:
This event was supported by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, www.dss.gov.au.
Deafblind Victoria 
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