‘Practise plans for future of our buses

The Royal National Institute of Blind People’s latest report highlights the numerous accessibility issues that make bus and rail journeys a daunting prospect for blind and partially sighted people.

afford to accept a public transport service that leaves behind the very people who need it most

“I want our residents to have their say on our plans So, whether you regularly take the bus or not, I’m encouraging everyone to get involved in this consultation and make their voice heard ” n To take part in the survey visit liverpoolcityregion-ca gov uk /movingbusesforward n The consultation team can also be contacted with questions via email at movingbusesforward@ liverpoolcityregion-ca gov uk or phone 0151 330 1249

The charity is calling for transport providers to use its checklist – based on extensive research – to make their services more accessible and enable visual impairment people travel independently.

The availability and consistency of important physical features and services varies greatly across transport types and regions, and is especially poor in rural areas.

They include things like tactile paving; detectible curbs; handrails; step-free access; clear signage and markings; and accurate, frequent, and clear audio announcements n Helpline: 0303 123 9999.

Mainstream schools ‘failing autistic pupils’

SUPPORT for autistic students at mainstream school has been condemned as “woeful”.

Classroom places for children with autism are both inappropriate and in short supply, says the National Autistic Society

The charity is now calling on the Government to create a special taskforce to deal with the situation.

Head of influencing Tim Nicholls said: “Every child should be able to get the education they need But as our new report reveals, many autistic students are being failed and denied the most basic support ”

The study shows that seven in 10 autistic students are in mainstream schools, but only four in 10 teachers have received more than half a day’s training in autism Mr Nicholls said: “The Government has a long way to go – every autistic child needs to get the right support at school.

“ We won’t accept a world where autistic children miss out on an education, and families are left exhausted and on the brink of crisis ”

DWP websites ‘illegal’

NEARLY all of the Department for Work and Pensions’ high-profile websites were rated as being inaccessible to many disabled people and potentially breaking the law

A Freedom of Information request by Disability News Service found that only two out of 18 DWP websites were said to comply with the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018, with the other 16 all seen as “very high risk”

In all, of the 56 public-facing DWP digital services that were not due to be decommissioned, only 24 were said to be compliant with the regulations Cabinet Office guidance warns that public sector bodies like DWP that do not ensure their websites or apps meet accessibility requirements “may be breaking the law”

Fire fighter cancer tests

A BIG step forward to protect firefighters from the deadly effects of toxic chemicals is under way in the North West

Recent research found cancer among firefighters aged 35-39 is up to more than three times higher than in the general population at the same age, and that firefighters are significantly more likely to die from rare cancers, heart attacks and stroke, and several other diseases

Anna Stec, professor in fire toxicity at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “Firefighters are dying from rare cancers up to 15-20 years earlier than the general public ”

Blood and urine samples from 100 firefighters across Greater Manchester are now being analysed .

The tests are the first of their kind for firefighters in the UK following the World Health Organisation announcement that occupational exposure as a firefighter is carcinogenic.

AMBITION: TOM PURSGLOVE