In a time where there’s an announced increase in rail fares and a push for more inclusive transport for disabled people, train companies continue to display a shocking lack of deaf awareness.
This article isn’t your typical lambasting of the state of our country’s rail systems. The anger and frustration around train delays is understandable, but train companies’ continued disregard for deaf and disabled people must also be faced with the same outrage.
It’s 5:30pm on a Friday evening and my train’s delayed. Passengers clog the station’s concourse and I’m right in the middle of it all. Those on the outskirts of the huddle are lucky enough to ask members of staff what was going on, but I have no such luck.
All I have is the generic online information (which is hardly ever station-specific), and the faint crackle of speech coming from a megaphone in the distance, at the front of the crowd.
I’m at a loss whilst all the hearing passengers receive the information that I need to hear. It’s isolating. A train journey from A to B is one of certainty, yet when the travel information isn’t accessible, never has it felt so uncertain.
When on the train itself, it’s the screen displays which are my lifeline, providing a list of upcoming stops and notifications about when we’re about to pull into a station – that is, when they’re switched on, and not malfunctioning, turned off or displaying the wrong information.
One screen claims the next stop is St. Neots on a train to Peterborough, whilst another says that it’s St. Albans City next on a train to Bedford. I’m uneasy. I fail to remember what time it was when I first boarded the train back at St Pancras International and there’s no signal on my phone, so online timetables won’t help on this occasion.
Sure, some might simply suggest that a deaf person in this scenario simply asks the passenger nearest to them what’s going on, but that ignores two main issues: 1) it fails to account for any communication barriers, should a deaf passenger be a BSL user, and 2) nobody ever talks on trains.
So the only solution on a dark winter’s evening is to look out the window and hope that the faintly lit station sign says the station you’re expecting it to, but it shouldn’t come to that.
A lack of accessibility and deaf awareness is turning an experience which should be stress and hassle free into one that’s filled with uncertainty and dread. We cannot let this continue.
What we’re currently witnessing on our rail network is an appalling imbalance between the information given to deaf and hearing passengers, the latter receiving detailed information about the cause of train delays and how to access the next train home, whilst the former only gets what is available online or on the temperamental screen displays which only ever work some of the time.
Train companies talk about introducing new information resources for disabled passengers, but that only complicates things. We’re not asking for new information; we’re simply asking to receive the same information which you have told your hearing passengers.
For the past few days I’ve been using the hashtag #GiveUsASign to chronicle my experiences with an inaccessible railway system. If you have any stories to share, then do feel free to do the same on Twitter, or in the comments section down below.
Photo: Ollie Cole.
Liam is a mildly deaf freelance journalist and blogger from Bedfordshire. He wears bilateral hearing aids and makes the occasional video about deaf awareness on his YouTube channel. He can also be found talking about disability, politics, theatre, books and music on his Twitter, or on his blog, The Life of a Thinker.
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Sandra
December 6, 2018
This is exactly what happened to me last week. Both my journeys to London and home again were problematic due to this. It’s a long story:
In the morning I missed my booked train due to a late platform change which didn’t appear on the board – if it did I was already on the platform as it was a minute to go.
I went to ask one of the staff who told me it had gone and advised me to see the ticket office. Although having heard that I am deaf she reluctantly agreed to give me a voucher for the next train she said to me: ‘it’s your responsibility to watch the screens’
I said, every second ? Really. ? Up to the actual moment the train pulls in. ? At what point can I look away.
Is that a responsibility purely on your deaf passengers then – as you make an announcement for all the hearing people who may be distracted from the screens, in the loo, buying a coffee, reading their phones or simply chatting.
I said no it’s the responsibility of the service provider to make the information available to all their customers. At the same time.
I got the later train and arrived an hour and a half later than planned.
The return train was 17:48 and like all subsequent trains that evening to Doncaster was cancelled due to an electrical problem down the line at Newark.
I was actually sitting on the train ready to go. An announcement came over. Some people got I p and left the train. Others stayed where they were. I had no idea what was happening. But I heard ‘Peterborough’ in the announcement so assumed it was affecting those going to Peterborough.
A few minutes later a second announcement. More people started leaving. Was it more? Was it everyone? The young woman next to me started moving. So I asked her what was happening and explained in deaf. She told me we had to get off and go to st Pancras and get a Sheffield train and change for Leeds. I was going to Doncaster. But thought I’d better follow everyone.
We swarmed through kings cross, the younger people running. Maybe 700-800 of us. Rushing across the road to st Pancras. Swarming through the station. Eventually finding two trains for Sheffield. Full to bursting. Hundreds of people on the platform. People literally crammed in. After a long day I didn’t fancy that all the way to Sheffield. I decided to wait for the next one. Half an hour. Just enough time to visit the loos and come back.
Two trains were leaving at 19:02 and19:04 respectively. One stopped at every stop. The other was quicker. Both were filling up. I got on one and found a seat. Then texted my husband who was keeping track with me. He said that’s the slow train. You won’t get into Sheffield in time to get a connection to Doncaster. You need to get off and get on the other one. Don’t leave it any later as you won’t get home!
By this time the other one was packed. I pushed on to it and stood for the first hour and a half. Before this I’d had to ask members of staff to ensure it was the right train.
Fast forward to Sheffield – we arrived at 9:30. A bedraggled group of passengers boarded the 9:52 to Doncaster. 20 mins to go.
At some point in the journey an announcement was made – arriving at Doncaster shortly. It helpfully came up on the display.
We didn’t stop. I was preparing to get off and thinking they put the message up a bit early.
A fellow passenger asked me where I was going. I said Doncaster. He said oh when it comes back from York.
I was baffled. I said no Doncaster is before York. He said: ‘Didn’t you hear the message? We aren’t stopping at donny we’re going to York – and then coming back’. I still don’t know why we couldn’t stop but could return there.
By this time my phone was dead so I no longer had the reassurance of my husband communicating with me. The man kindly lent me his phone to text my husband.
This additional trip added another hour to my nightmare journey. We finally arrived back in Doncaster at 11:38 pm.
This was stressful and awful for all passengers. It was a technical issue out of anyone’s control.
But for me, being deaf added immeasurably to the stress I felt. Despite the help of other passengers. After a long day to feel so cut off from information was horrendous.
I submitted my refund request the next day.
As I booked two single tickets I get £37 backfircthd return journey. That I would have claimed as expenses anyway. So actually it’s no compensation at all for my hellish day.
I resolved to ask for disabled assistance next time. But of course I didn’t. I don’t want my independence taken away. I just want treating like every other passenger.
Rod Jones
December 6, 2018
I was traveling from Northhampton to Birmingham via London Midland trains, a couple of years ago. The train was delayed into Northampton by around 30 minutes. Everyone piled on to the train, it was packed. Train arrives into Birmingham International, last stop before Birmingham New Street, where I was planning to disembark. However upon the doors closing at Birmingham International the train sets off back to London, with me in it! I complained to the guard, whom said ” I have been making announcements over the tannoy” I told him I was profoundly Deaf; to which he replied ” not my problem”. I asked him why he didn’t use the on train electronic display, but he didn’t provide a clear answer and locked himself into his cabin. I wrote to formally complain to London Midland about this ridiculous treatment of a disabled person in the 21 century. London Midland accused me of making a false allegation, but sent me a rail voucher for 2 pounds Sterling as the train was late.
Completely useless.
pennybsl
December 6, 2018
Today the O2 network (inc Giffgaff, Tesco Mobile & Sky Mobile) ‘meltdown-ed’…….wondering how we Deafies cope???
Needless to say, good SIGNAGE using whiteboards or typing into display screen immediate information works for ALL, deaf & hearing.
It’s astonishing how many ‘hearies’ could NOT actually ‘hear & comprehend’ electronic spoken announcements.
The reduction of station staff has contributed to the negative, ‘apathy-about-disability’ attitude by them during times of intense pressure.
Alan
December 10, 2018
My main complaint is about the on-train announcements. Some announcers (presumably usually the guard) are clear, others swallow their words, speak too quickly or are generally not understandable or have the volume level too high and distorting or too low. There is no consistency at all and no quality control.
Surely announcers should have some minimal training on how to speak clearly and audibly. Maybe that’s something we can lobby the train operators (and unions) about.