Poor transport isolates the young

Poor public transport is leaving many young disabled people trapped
at home.

A national opinion poll carried out for the Disability Rights
Commission (DRC) and published at its annual conference earlier
this week, reveals that almost half of disabled young people said
that problems with transport made it difficult for them to leave
their homes.

Eighty-one per cent of the 157 people aged 16 to 24 who took part
in the survey said they had missed out on holidays because of
transport. Thirty-one per cent said they were excluded from events
enjoyed by other young people.

Chairperson of the DRC, Bert Massie said: “Many young people we
spoke to were enjoying life, but a significant number were
isolated. These young people have a right to the same start in life
as non-disabled people.”

The DRC is currently in talks with airline Ryanair to change its
policy of charging disabled passengers for using wheelchairs (news,
page 7, 5 September).