Deaf passengers help Thameslink and Great Northern overcome barriers to travel

Watch CambsDeaf’s Instagram video of the train trip here

Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), which operates Great Northern and Thameslink trains, took deaf passengers from Cambridge on a return trip to Stevenage to gain feedback on what needs to be done to make independent travel easier.

Accessibility Improvement Manager Vincent Duffy joined five members of the Cambridge Deaf Association and their interpreters, its CEO Andrew Palmer, and Damian Brewer, Training and Consultancy Manager at the British Deaf Association.

Vincent Duffy of GTR said: “At Great Northern and Thameslink, we want everyone to have the confidence to travel with us which means doing everything we can to remove the barriers that exist for disabled people.

“We learned a huge amount from the members of the Cambridge Deaf Association; it was a real eye-opener. For example, people who use British Sign Language (BSL) may not readily understand the message screens that describe trains ‘calling at’ or ‘terminating at’ stations because these aren’t phrases used in BSL. ‘Stopping at’ or ‘finishing at’ would be easier.”

At Stevenage ticket office, the group tried out the use of ‘Convo’, which is an app GTR pays for across its entire network. Convo allows passengers who are deaf or hard of hearing to dial up a trained agent on their smartphone who then uses British Sign Language to interpret what staff are saying.

GTR has also installed interactive smart screens at Brighton, Gatwick Airport, East Croydon, Finsbury Park, Enfield Chase, Blackfriars, City Thameslink and Stevenage stations, that feature a British Sign Language departure board – so that passengers with hearing loss can understand station announcements and navigate stations with confidence. Similar screens can also be found at London Bridge, King’s Cross and St Pancras.

Andrew Palmer of the Cambridge Deaf Association said: “We really welcome Govia Thameslink Railway’s efforts to make the railway more accessible for deaf people. The group from Cambridge who took part had a fascinating and valuable day sharing their experiences and ideas for improving accessibility for deaf travellers.

“They felt their views were taken onboard, and we look forward to seeing how Govia Thameslink builds on the great work already being done to make train travel more inclusive for everyone.”

Damian Brewer of the British Deaf Association said:“We’re pleased to work alongside Govia Thameslink Railway and see them taking meaningful steps to improve access for deaf signers, especially through the use of British Sign Language.

“Inclusive communication is vital, and innovations like BSL smart screens and Convo show what’s possible when opinions from deaf signers are truly listened to.

“We’re also grateful to the Cambridge Deaf Association (one of our British Sign Language Alliance partners) for their support in engaging with local deaf people, ensuring that community voices were central to this work.”

Further feedback sessions are going to be run with deaf passengers at Brighton and London Blackfriars.

ENDS

Editor’s notes

GTR has launched the free use of Convo – previously called SignLive – across its network GTR offers free use of innovative sign language app to assist deaf rail passengers | Govia Thameslink Railway