Are you a transport user in the West Midlands? If so, we want you!
Between the 6th – 30th January 2025, we are inviting everybody in our region to complete this first-of-its-kind survey to act as a snapshot of how transport users navigate transport services in the West Midlands with a key focus on inclusion and accessibility.
This survey was co-produced by Happy Autistic Lady and Safer Travel Partnership to deliver the first-ever lived experience and expert-led research on public transport experiences in the region, focusing on neurodivergent individuals and those with hidden disabilities. The Safer Travel Partnership is made up of Transport for West Midlands, West Midlands Police, British Transport Police, and Transport Operations.
The survey is open to all and will contrast the different experiences between neurodivergent and neurotypical transport users. It will allow positive and meaningful change to take place, resulting in a more accessible and inclusive transport experience.
This survey is going to shape the future of comfortable and accessible transport here in the West Midlands. It offers you the unique chance to have your say and share your experiences! The best part is that at the end of the survey, you will be entered into a prize draw with a chance to win a £50 Amazon voucher.
Iveta Pudilova, CEO of Happy Autistic Lady said: “Partnering with Safer Travel Partnership was an obvious choice. They’ve shown a genuine interest in understanding and addressing the needs of all passengers, which is amazing.
Plus, neurodivergent passengers and those with hidden disabilities experience disproportionate barriers on public transport, which ultimately also impacts their access to employment, education, and other opportunities. After all, 19.2% of the UK population has a hidden disability, and 15% are neurodivergent, but there is a lack of research and data on their experiences. It’s time we do something about it!
This survey is the perfect opportunity to share your experiences, contribute to your community, and help make public transport more accessible for everyone. The results will shape the future of public transport in the West Midlands and potentially across the entire country.
The survey focuses on public transport accessibility and is open to everyone in the region, whether neurodivergent/disabled or not; we particularly want to hear from neurodivergent individuals and those with hidden disabilities because of the lack of research into these lived experiences.
We’re aiming to learn about the lived experiences of neurodivergent passengers and those with hidden disabilities, compare the results from different demographics, and use this information to create actionable next steps. We’re hoping the data will highlight both strengths and gaps in the current transport system so that we can work with TfWM on solutions that make a real difference.
Living in the region and being neurodivergent, it’s incredibly rewarding to raise awareness about neurodiversity and partner with such a big organisation like the TfWM. To sum it up in three words, I’d say “challenging, inspiring, transformative”. Each step forward in advocating for neurodiversity and accessibility adds to my personal growth and significantly impacts our community, which makes me incredibly proud.
Surveys like this can have a massive impact. At Happy Autistic Lady, we pride ourselves on being experienced and expert-led. Involving the community and analysing the survey results can inform policies, guide training and public service improvements, and help us better understand people’s needs. Ultimately, this will lead to more informed decisions that create a more accessible and user-friendly transport network in the West Midlands.”
Paul Franks, Security and Policing Manager at Transport for West Midlands, added: “Safer Travel Partnership are keen to hear about issues faced by users of our Public Transport Network in the region, and these events and this survey provide a great opportunity to improve our understanding so that we can make our public transport Safer for all.”
The survey will close at 11:59 pm on 30th January 2025. You can complete it by clicking the link below: https://snaponline.wmca.org.uk/Interview/e1970cfd-cb0f-4231-bc94-0d4778d8c637
For more information on the work of Happy Autistic Lad, you can visit: www.happyautisticlady.com.
