UK Disability History Month
In recognition of this year’s UK Disability History Month (14 November-20 December 2024), we took the opportunity to speak to grassroots campaigner, Nathaniel Yates, about his campaign for better accessibility in Greater Manchester’s train stations.
Recently, we visited Levenshulme train station alongside Nathaniel, who shared his campaigning journey to make the station accessible.
You can watch the video below:
Background
In 2018, Nathaniel Yates, a former student of Stockport College, started a grassroots campaign focused on making local train stations accessible for all, including people with visible and invisible disabilities.
I started a campaign because I noticed that there was a lack of step free access at train stations. I am now working closely with transport for Greater Manchester and they are trying to make good progress. - Nathaniel
Nathaniel points out that 96 train stations in Greater Manchester - fewer than half - are fully accessible to people who are wheelchair users or who have walking or mobility impairments.
After years of tireless campaigning, Nathaniel’s local train station, Reddish North, was awarded funding to make it fully accessible in 2021.
It’s not fair!
The inaccessibility of train stations prevents many people with disabilities from using the rail network.
This barrier directly impacts their ability to access employment, education and health care, and participation in leisure, social and commercial activities, which can result in loss of social independence.
This is worsened by economic deliveries endured by an overreliance on more expensive modes of travel, such as cars or taxis.
Railway accessibility could enable the increase of the employment rate amongst adults with disabilities.
Based on research, a 10% rise in the employment rate amongst disabled adults could contribute an extra £12 billion to the Exchequer by 2030.
Want to help?
Please sign Nathaniel’s petition to Stockport Council, 'How accessible is your local train station?'.
Visit your local train station in Greater Manchester and take photos of it if it is inaccessible! Tag @NathanielSAYS and @TogetherTrust in the photo on Twitter using the hashtag #GMRailAccess.
Sign up to our campaigning updates to hear more about how we are supporting Nathaniel’s campaign.