Webinar Archive

We are pleased to launch our webinar archive! We will upload all recordings from events that we host online.

Webinar: Discussing the Future of the Accessible Travel Framework Wednesday 8 February 2023

In partnership with Transport Scotland, Disability Equality Scotland hosted a webinar for our members in relation to the ongoing review of the Accessible Travel Framework. This webinar took place on Wednesday 8 February 2023. The webinar was hosted via Zoom and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

Disability Training for Public Transport Staff webinar – Thursday 24 February 2022

Watch our latest webinar discussion about Disability Training for Public Transport Staff. This was a chance for disabled people to discuss their own experiences of public transport and the support they have received from staff on those journeys, and provided suggestions for how the system could be improved.

During this event we heard from:

  • Claire Clark, Senior Executive Officer at the Office of Rail and Road
  • Billy Robb, Customer Services Director at NorthLink Ferries
  • Cheryl Campbell, Airport Services Manager and Inverness airport HIAL (Highlands and Islands Airports)
  • Robert Burns, Stakeholder Engagement Officer (Scotland) at FirstBus

A full summary report will be available shortly, and you can contact admin@disabilityequality.scot for a copy once it is ready.

The webinar was recorded live on Thursday 24 February 2022 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. BSL support was provided live by Sign Language Interactions and BSL Communications Services. 

Transport Assistance Cards Webinar – Tuesday 2 November 2021

Watch Disability Equality Scotland host a webinar discussion on the use of assistance cards on public transport.

During this event we heard from Keith Fisken about the Thistle Assistance Programme, and Steven Dickson about the National Entitlement Card (NEC) including information on the rollout of free bus travel for under 22s.

In addition, attendees discussed their own experiences of using transport assistance cards, and provided suggestions for how the system could be improved. 

The webinar was recorded live on Tuesday 2 November 2021 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. BSL support was provided live by Sign Language Interactions and BSL Communications Services.

Disability Hate Crime Webinar – Tuesday 12 October 2021

Watch Disability Equality Scotland host a webinar discussion on Disability Hate Crime during National Hate Crime Week.

During this event we heard from Police Scotland about what hate crime is, how it manifests, how to make a report and why it is important to do so. In addition, attendees discussed their own experiences of hate crime and reporting, and provided suggestions for how the process could be improved. 

The ‘Hate Crime in Scotland, 2020-21’ report indicates that there has been an increase in the number of charges reported in 2020-21 compared to 2019-20 for all categories of hate crime. The number of hate crimes relating to disability had increased by 14% to 448. This is the highest number of charges reported since the legislation creating this aggravation came into force in 2010, and the report estimates that around 97% of disability hate crime goes unreported.

Disability Equality Scotland polled its members on how confident they would feel to report a hate crime. Over half of the respondents (52%) stated that they would not feel confident to make a report of disability hate crime.

The webinar was recorded live on Tuesday 12 October 2021 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters. BSL support was provided live by Sign Language Interactions and BSL Communications Services. 

Return to Public Transport Webinar – Thursday 19 August 2021

Watch Disability Equality Scotland host a webinar discussion on the return to public transport.

As restrictions ease even further, disabled people shared their thoughts and concerns about returning to public transport. During the webinar representatives from ScotRail, First Bus and NorthLink Ferries explained what disabled passengers can expect from their service and what measures are in place to keep passengers safe.

This was a great opportunity to highlight what can be done to ensure disabled people feel confident and supported throughout their return to public transport.

The webinar was recorded live on Thursday 19 August 2021 from 1:30pm to 3:00pm, and was supported by captioning, as well as British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

ILF Transition Fund and Support for Young People – Thursday 8 July 2021

Watch Disability Equality Scotland host a webinar discussion in partnership with Independent Living Fund (ILF) Scotland about transitions and support for young disabled people.

Transition refers to the process of moving into adulthood and the things that need to be in place to live independently. One of the biggest challenges for young disabled people in Scotland is getting the right support. Often, disabled people find accessing the support they need more difficult in the adult world.

The webinar focused on the Transition Fund, which is for disabled people aged between 16 and 25, administered by the ILF. The fund aims to help young people develop their independence, confidence and participation within their communities. We also heard from one of the ILF’s Young Ambassadors, Andrew Batchelor, who shared his experience of the Transition Fund and how this helped him build his social media brand, Dundee Culture (www.dundeeculture.com).

Access to Public Appointments – Thursday 3 June 2021

A public appointment is when a Scottish Government Minister appoints someone to the Board of a public body.

Public bodies seek to promote, deliver, fund and scrutinise public services, or to provide impartial expert advice to Ministers, the Parliament, the public and other organisations that deliver public services.

Statistics from 2019 highlight that disabled people are significantly under-represented on public body Boards in Scotland, with 7% of all current Scottish public body Board appointees identified as disabled, whereas 20% of the total Scottish population identified as disabled. In response, the Scottish Government public appointments team is seeking to make public body Boards more representative of the wider population of Scotland.

The webinar focused on what measures can be introduced to make public appointments more accessible and inclusive for disabled people. This covers the accessibility of the application process, identifying financial barriers and what reasonable adjustments can be made during meetings.

Improving Traveline Services – Monday 24 May 2021

We hosted a webinar discussion on accessible journey planning and improving the Traveline Scotland service.

Transport Scotland is working with Traveline Scotland to understand what changes should be made to improve the travel planning information and associated services currently made available via the Traveline Scotland website and app services.

At present, Transport Scotland are engaging various stakeholders ranging from transport operators to Local Authorities, Regional Transport Partnerships and public transport related bodies, and are keen to understand what accessibility related information you think should be made available to help you better plan your travel journey across modes of transport including bus, rail, ferry, tram and subway.

You can view services currently available via the Traveline Scotland website or you can download the app via the IOS or Android store for free.

The webinar was supported by a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter and captions.

20-minute Neighbourhoods – Thursday 3 December 2020

We hosted a webinar about 20-minute neighbourhoods on Thursday 3 December. A 20-minute neighbourhood means having all your basic needs – shops, health centres, work opportunities, and recreation – within a mile of where you live and close enough to walk or wheel. Transport Scotland wanted to identify the impact (including potential challenges and benefits) of 20-minute neighbourhoods on disabled people.

The webinar was hosted by our Operations Manager, Emma Scott and we were joined by the following speakers who provided an overview of 20 Minute neighbourhoods and the potential impacts on disabled people:

  • Irene Beautyman, Planning for Place Programme Manager at the Improvement Service
  • David Cowan, Head of Regeneration Unit, Scottish Government Social Justice and Regeneration Division
  • Rhona Arthur, Interim Head of Service (Connected Communities), North Ayrshire Council
  • Kevin Murray, Professor of Planning at Glasgow and Dundee Universities.
  • David Hunter, Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS), Planning and Strategy Lead
  • Morven Brooks, Disability Equality Scotland CEO

The webinar was supported by a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter and captions.

Return to Public Transport – Thursday 29 October 2020

We hosted a webinar discussion on the return to public transport during COVID-19. This was an opportunity to hear first-hand from operators across different modes of transport about the measures they have put in place to ensure their service is safe. We were joined by representatives from Caledonian MacBrayne Ferries, ScotRail, Scotland for the Confederation of Passenger Transport, the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) and Transport Scotland.

We also listened to concerns from disabled people, including our membership, about their experiences of using public transport during COVID-19. But also as restrictions ease, we were keen to hear from disabled people about any concerns they have about returning to travel.

This webinar was supported by live captioning, as well as a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters.

Face Coverings – Thursday 30 July 2020

We held a webinar on face coverings, where we discussed experiences of using face-coverings, or being exempt from wearing one; attendees’ thoughts on exemption cards and alternative coverings such as clear face masks and visors; and guidance from our panellists on how those exempt can travel and shop safely and confidently.

Our panel on the day included Robert Burns, Stakeholder Engagement Officer from FirstBus; Seumas Campbell, Customer Service Director from NorthLink ferries; Constable Stephanie Rose, Safer Communities team for Police Scotland and James Davidson, Communication and Research Coordinator for Disability Equality Scotland.

Spaces for People Webinar – Tuesday 7 July 2020

On Tuesday 7 July we hosted a webinar discussion on the Spaces for People Initiative. We welcomed colleagues from Sustrans Scotland, Transport Scotland’s Active Travel Team and the Mobility and Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) to discuss the temporary infrastructure programme which offers funding and support to make it safer for people who choose to walk, cycle or wheel during COVID-19.

Thistle Assistance Webinar – Monday 11 May 2020

In partnership with The South East of Scotland Transport Partnership (SEStran), we hosted a webinar about the Thistle Assistance Card and App, an initiative to help disabled people feel safer and more comfortable when using public transport.