Annual Report 2003-2004

B: Activities and achievements in 2003-2004 and future plans

16. In this section we set out our main activities and achievements over the past year. After this we outline some key tasks for the coming year. We will do this firstly for the various modes of transport, secondly for the built environment, and thirdly for education and training.

Aviation

17. Our "Access to Air Travel" giving guidance for disabled and less mobile and older passengers has proved popular. Following the wide distribution of the leaflet and numerous references in both travel and disability press, we have received almost a thousand web-site hits and hundreds of requests for hard copies of the guidance.

18. We have consulted widely on a draft specification for improving access to toilets on aircraft. The final specification and guidance will be published later this year.

19. We are also involved in the Department for Transport's work monitoring the effectiveness of the voluntary Air Access Code of Practice. This research will be critical to the Government's decision on whether to lift the exemption that aviation services currently have from the general duties on service providers in Part III of the Disability Discrimination Act.

20. In the coming year we plan to:

• Develop a technical specification for an on-board wheelchair, after consultation with industry and disabled people
• Produce a leaflet for handling agents, which will complement current Department for Transport work with ground handling staff

Buses, Coaches and Community Transport

21. We advised the Department for Transport's Mobility and Inclusion Unit on a new training video to help bus drivers understand their new responsibilities towards passengers with disabilities.We are reviewing concessionary fares for disabled people.

22. In the coming year we plan to:

• Conduct a review of concessionary fares for disabled people
• Consider how best to promote the enforcement of the Public Service Vehicles (Conduct of Drivers, Inspectors, Conductors and Passengers) (Amendment) Regulations 2002
• Foster better relations with the bus and coach industry
• Respond to consultations.

Maritime

23. We have appointed contractors to carry out a major review of the impact of our guidance on large passenger ships and infrastructure. Shipping services are currently exempt from the general duties on service providers in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. Our research will be critical to the Government's decision on whether to use the new powers that it is seeking in the Disability Discrimination Bill which will allow it to lift the exemption that shipping services currently have.

24. We will work closely with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in identifying how best to bring a recent European Union Directive on Measures for Persons with Reduced Mobility into UK legislation. We will work in tandem with the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland on these two pieces of work.

25. In the coming year we plan to:

• Complete our review of the impact of our guidance for larger passenger ships
• Advise and assist the Maritime and Coastguard Agency in assessing what needs to be done to incorporate a recent European Directive amending safety rules and standards for passenger ships that sets new requirements for disabled passengers on vessels
• Consider with the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland what further guidance may be necessary to address the accessibility of smaller vessels and the steps needed to achieve this.

Personal Mobility and Local Authorities

26. We have successfully pressed for changes to the Blue Badge Scheme, following the Government's acceptance of our recommendations following the review that we carried out in 2002. We sent a Memorandum to the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the Draft Disability Discrimination Bill specifically on this subject.

27. We also believe that our efforts were crucial to two developments in early 2004. One was that the Government tabled an amendment to the Traffic Management Bill to give police officers, traffic wardens, parking attendants and civil enforcement authorities the power to inspect disabled people's Blue Badges. The second was Ministers stated that they are prepared to use the Disability Discrimination Bill to remove the reference in law to "institutional" Blue Badges and replace it with the less stigmatising term "organisational" badges; and to implement agreements with European Union Member States for the recognition of disabled persons' parking badges in other countries.

28. In the coming year we plan to:

• Develop advice on congestion charging
• Continue to press for the implementation of our recommendations for changes to the Blue Badge Parking Scheme, and assist the Government in bringing them forward.

29. In conjunction with the Built Environment Group, we also expect to respond to consultations on and to make significant input to a number of proposals to improve the transport environment for those on foot and those who are reliant on the use of private cars. This will include the vital role of local authorities.

Rail

30. DPTAC has taken part in many important rail consultations in the past eighteen months. The most significant of these was the consultation on the setting of an end date for all rail vehicles to comply with the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations.We continued the review of the new Disabled People's Protection Policies for every train operating company in the UK, and negotiations with the Strategic Rail Authority on both their content and their accuracy. We have also been consulted on the European Union's Third Rail Package.

31. We have had strategic input into the Association of Train Operating Companies' development of a national map of stepfree access at stations.We have taken an active part in the design and implementation of the Strategic Rail Authority's research on the effectiveness of the Disabled Person's Reporting System. In addition we have advised the Secretary of State on 49 applications from 12 Train Operating Companies for exemptions from the Rail Vehicle Accessibility Regulations.We were pleased that some of these were for innovations that will improve the journey experience for disabled passengers.

32. In the coming year, in addition to continuing to work on the initiatives above, we also plan to:

• Develop and publish guidance to passengers and industry on best practice guidelines for boarding and alighting wheelchair users from rail vehicles using ramps, in conjunction with the Department for Transport and the Association of Train Operating Companies
• Continue to monitor and provide strategic advice on criteria for works at stations under minor works provisions and the Access for All Fund
• Advise the Strategic Rail Authority on the Franchise Replacement Programme, and offer specific feedback to operators and check their revised Disabled People's Protection Policy submissions.

Taxi and Public Hire Vehicles

33. In February 2004 we responded to an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading on the regulation of taxi and private hire services. The response was praised in two House of Commons Transport Committee Reports.

34. We also appointed researchers to produce a best practice guide for the Public Hire Vehicle industry. The guide, gives practical advice to drivers and operators on how to provide a good service to disabled passengers, was launched in February. The guide is already in its second printing; such has been the demand from the industry.

35. We have also assisted the Department for Transport with its research on improving the accessibility of taxis by design modifications.

36. Work on evaluating our guidance, and with the Department for Transport with their research, will continue in the coming year.

Built Environment

37. Following the report of the Disability Rights Task Force, in 2000 Ministers asked us to advise on ways of meeting the built environment needs of disabled people.We set up a highlevel Built Environment working group, with representation from a wide cross-section of disabled people, regulators, built environment interests and observers from Government.

38. Since then DPTAC has been involved in:

• the review of Building Regulations covering access for disabled people, Part M of the Regulations "Access to and use of buildings" and BS8300 "Design of buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people - code of practice"
• the development of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's guidance on planning and access "Planning and access for disabled people - A good practice guide"
• The development and publication of guidance on development briefs "Inclusive Projects: A guide to best practice on preparing and delivering project briefs to secure access" which has been widely disseminated and complements the Government's current revisions to planning policy guidance, mainstreaming the principles of inclusive design
• The development and updating of our web based Access Directory, which acts as a "knowledge map" drawing together current guidance and good practice in planning and achieving inclusive design principles on access to transport and the built environment
• Responding to consultation on built environment matters which included revisions to the Governments planning policy guidance

39. DPTAC's work on the built environment for the coming year includes:

Working with others

• Continuing to develop our close working relationship which we have established with other government departments and organisations such as the Royal Town Planning Institute, the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment, the Royal Institute of British Architects and the Disability Rights Commission to ensure that the Government's objectives for mainstreaming inclusive design principles throughout the built environment and in the creation of inclusive sustainable environments benefit disabled people. Inclusion policy for architects
• Developing a model inclusion policy for architects, which aims to provide an easy to use tool for inclusive design, and to assist architects, their clients and other colleagues in the industry to deliver on their commitment to inclusive design. Housing
• Developing a position paper on housing to review the establishment of guiding principles for DPTAC in support of the Government objective to ensure everyone has the opportunity to enjoy the availability of decent, affordable, sustainable accessible housing.

Local access groups

• Identifying the need for resources to assist disabled people and local access groups to influence transport and built environment providers locally and produce a good practice toolkit. DPTAC plans to carry out research on developing the capacity of local access groups, which support both transport and built environment planning proposals.

Education, awareness raising and training

40. Education and professional development are key tools in our drive to ensuring that both transport and the built environment fully address the needs of disabled people.

41. Tony McNulty Transport Minister with responsibility for disability at the Department for Transport launched Future Inclusive, our flagship award for university students and teachers throughout the UK who successfully apply the principles of inclusive design.

42. Tripscope has also been working with us over the past year on developing a website for disabled people undertaking travel, based on its successful Door-to-Door printed materials.
www.dptac.gov.uk/door-to-door

43. We have begun regularly notifying people of changes to our website - www.dptac.gov.uk - and this has led to many repeat visits. As well as adding new material such as responses to consultations, we systematically update the site. This year we have formulated a new Communications Strategy, which sets out how the website, annual report, publications, events and the activities of our Chair and Members, give a coherent view of what DPTAC aims to communicate.

44. In addition to seeing these projects through to completion, in the next 12 months we also plan to:

• Influence Primary schools' curriculum on inclusive environments
• Extend our support for the Department for Trade and Industry's Partners Innovation Project
• Promote elected councillors' understanding of the need for an inclusive environment
• Continue to foster good relations with the professional institutes and stimulate inclusive design as an integral part of the initial training and continuing professional development of professionals involved in the design, development and operation of transport and the built environment

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