Andrew was invited to attend the garden party at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris as part of Andrew’s involvement with the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list. Andrew was accompanied by Sara, his fellow Group Lead Director for Quality and Involvement at Thera Trust.
The Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list recognises the most influential disabled people in the UK. The importance of representation for people within the disability community is key for there to be change and for people to be treated equally. Having been on the list himself, Andrew was a judge on the Power 100 list and is now part of their consultation group. This has led to more opportunities including this invitation. It was an opportunity to build his network and show leadership by people with a learning disability; as well as travel to Paris to see it all first-hand.
As part of their trip, Andrew and Sara thought it would be a good idea to document how accessible travel is to Paris. Andrew and Sara started their journey by catching the Eurostar from St Pancras station which was a smooth journey with helpful staff who put them at ease. St Pancras station waiting area was very busy, with standing room only, which could cause people who do not like crowds to be anxious. The only challenge for Andrew was the inaccessibility of the steep belt type escalator which caused some concern.
After Andrew and Sara arrived in Paris, they took the Metro (underground train line) to travel around. They enjoyed the experience and the wide trains but they couldn’t see any lifts at the final station and there was a few escalators that were really steep and massive. This led to Andrew deciding to use the six flights of stairs instead. While he joked he got his steps in, having the option of a lift for those who need it would have been preferable.
After deciding the Metro wasn’t for them Andrew and Sara took to walking around Paris, which was a great chance to do some sight-seeing! Two things particularly stood out, one thing they noticed was the crossings had very small green men and no sound, which would be difficult for people with sight issues. The other thing was that the cars didn’t always take note of the green man at the crossings and would be racing around and reversing everywhere. This meant that crossing the road, even when they had right of way, was a risk. As Andrew said:
Feels like one of those video games I’ve played as a kid ‘surviving Paris’.
After exploring a little more, Andrew and Sara spent time at the British Ambassador’s Garden Party meeting celebrities, networking with the attendees and listening to speeches. Reflecting on the day Andrew said:
For a while I had to touch wood to believe something like this was really happening to me but it has happened to me and it’s been a great afternoon!.
I think the speakers spoke from the heart and even though some of it was related to the games some of it was related to how people with disabilities are treated in the outside world and how we need to be better at that.
From their experience of travelling to and from Paris it shows that accessibility has come a long way but there are improvements that could make things even more accessible for all. This trip was another opportunity for Andrew to demonstrate the importance of representation for people with a learning disability, raise awareness of the challenges and barriers they face, and build opportunities for the future.