Sight Loss Councils celebrate successful ‘Coffee and Chat’ events
In October and November, Sight Loss Councils (SLCs) invited blind and partially sighted (BPS) people to six ‘Coffee and Chat’ events with Govia Thameslink Railway at stations across London, the South East, and East of England.
The sessions were designed for BPS people to learn about accessible rail travel and seek advice on available assistance. Additionally, the events gave attendees the chance to share their lived experience about using the rail network with station staff.
The events took place as part of Govia Thameslink Railway’s (GTR) ‘Your Station, Your Community’ grant programme and were held at Luton Airport Parkway, Stevenage, Eastbourne, Brighton, London Blackfriars and Sutton stations.
This proved hugely successful, with BPS attendees engaging in valuable discussions across all six events and speaking to SLC members who frequently use the network.
SLC members also informed attendees about the current assistance available and shared details of the AIRA Explorer guiding app. This assistance app is now available for free to BPS passengers at all Thameslink managed stations. This follows partnership work with Sight Loss Councils to trial the app and support its expansion to its 236 stations. The app allows BPS people place a video call with a trained advisor who looks through the passenger’s smartphone camera to guide them around the station on speakerphone. This simplifies the journey.
Phill Rutter, Bedfordshire SLC volunteer, said:
“We want to empower more local BPS people to travel on the network and to utilise the assistance available to them. Our aim is to connect people to the wider transport network, creating more opportunities to travel more widely, with a focus on improving accessibility.”
Paul Hatfield, East Sussex SLC volunteer, explained:
“It was a valuable opportunity to hear the support available to blind and partially sighted people looking to navigate rail stations and travel by train. The group got really engaged, and people were keen to share tips, knowledge, and experiences across a wide range of related topics while enjoying coffee in a relaxed, informal, and supportive environment.”
Samantha Leftwich, Engagement Manager for the East, added:
“It was great to hear so many conversations taking place. It was a very vibrant event with lots of discussion and ideas. We shared top tips and discussed our project to improve accessibility. We also raised awareness of the app AIRA, which is currently available for all BPS people to use at both stations.
“Our aim is to empower more local BPS people to travel on the network and utilise the available assistance. We want to connect people to the wider transport network, opening opportunities to travel more widely, with a focus on improving accessibility.”
South-West London SLC volunteer, Ashley Pearce, finalised by saying:
“The coffee and chat events at Sutton Station had a good turn-out with people of various ages and sight loss conditions which was fantastic. I found the representative from GTR open, honest, and engaged in hearing about the concerns that the visually impaired community faces every day.”
These events also provided a valuable opportunity for BPS attendees to share their thoughts on potential improvements to the rail network, making journeys more accessible.
Key takeaways from ‘Coffee and Chat’ events
Iris Keppler, East-Sussex SLC volunteer, said:
“It was great to hear directly from GTR about the different support options available for blind and partially sighted people to travel independently by train. Asking questions to a person was easier and more engaging than reading a webpage. I enjoyed hearing so many other passengers share their experience using these services and how much they appreciate them.”
Dave Smith, Engagement Manager for the South East, added:
“This was a great chance to share information about accessible train travel and gain valuable insight from blind and partially sighted people about improvements they’d like to see across the network. We had many engaging discussions. This included on some key themes included accessing information on screens, introducing larger font sizes and higher contrast text, and a lack of awareness of the passenger assistance service and apps such as AIRA Explorer.
“We’re glad everyone found the session helpful and are grateful to everyone who attended and shared their experiences. We look forward to continuing our work with GTR on further improvements to improve accessibility for blind and partially sighted people.”
Lauren Eade, Coordinator for the South East, finalised by saying:
“I have previously struggled with independent train travel and wasn’t aware of the available support, so it was a privilege to share this information with other nervous and reluctant travellers. Using the passenger assistance scheme has significantly increased my confidence, and it’s lovely to help other passengers gain the same independence.”
Antony Martyn, Accessibility Engagement Manager at GTR, said:
“I was really pleased to be able to join Sam at the recent Sight Loss Councils/Thomas Pocklington Trust ‘Know Your Station’ coffee morning events at Luton Airport Parkway and Stevenage stations.
“Both sessions provided an informal and enjoyable opportunity to speak to blind and partially sighted people about their travel experiences. They also helped us raise awareness of the support we have in place, such as well-trained station colleagues, the Aira app and new Thameslink ‘Class 700’ audio guide, to enable everyone to make use of our Thameslink/Great Northern services.”
Sight Loss Councils and GTR look forward to continuing our work on the Your Station, Your Community project. The success of these events has paved the way for a promising future.
We are excited to repeat these events next year, with even more opportunities and improvements in store.
Using the AIRA app
Blind and partially sighted passengers can download Aira Explorer from the Apple Store or Google Play on their mobile devices.
Anyone using the app will receive a message when approaching the station confirming they can use it for free and without the usual five-minute limit. Additionally, the passenger then taps a button to connect with an agent who looks through their camera and guides them on speakerphone.
GTR covers the cost of using the AIRA app for passengers at its 236 managed stations, but data charges may apply depending on the customer’s mobile phone data plan.
For passengers without smartphones, a wide range of other options are available to gain assistance in using the railway. To learn more, visit the dedicated assistance pages on Southern, Thameslink, and Great Northern’s websites.
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Passionate about making a difference? Want to influence positive change? Our Sight Loss Councils, led by blind and partially sighted volunteers, are recruiting new members. Join us today!
We use our lived experience to create positive change for others. Together, we tackle local issues and work with businesses and service providers to improve the accessibility of their services.
Join us to help ensure visually impaired people in your area can live the lives they want to lead.
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Publication date: 23 December 2024