Paralympian Tanni Grey-Thompson forced to crawl off train ahead of Paralympics 2024 in Paris
Disability equality charity Scope has stated that attitudes and understanding towards disability must be improved after news broke about Welsh wheelchair racer Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson being forced to “crawl off” an LNER train on Monday night.
Baroness Grey-Thompson, who lives in Stockton, Teesside, was making her way to Paris ahead of the Paralympics, which officially begins today.
On arriving at London’s King’s Cross she was forced to repeatedly post on social media platform X late on Monday night after there was no passenger assistance to greet her as the LNER train from Leeds got into the capital.
The 11-time Paralympic gold medallist stated that she had initially booked assistance to help her off the 19:15 train from Leeds, but missed it and instead travelled on the 19:45. Despite this, Baroness Grey-Thompson said that she had a contract to be met at the other end.
She said she should have been helped off but after waiting for 16 minutes and screaming for help, no one arrived so she had to disembark herself.
Baroness Grey-Thompson recalled having to transfer from her chair to the floor and then having to push her chair and belongings onto the platform before having to crawl off the train. A cleaner, she says, did offer to help but they were not insured, or able, to do so.
LNER has said that it is investigating what happened.
The Disability Discrimination Act 2005 required that all trains were to be made accessible by 2020, but many carriages still do not comply with the rules.
Alison Kerry, Head of Communications at disability equality charity Scope, said: “This is a sad reminder that far too often disabled people get treated like second class citizens.
“It shouldn’t be this difficult for a wheelchair user to use public transport. One in four of us are disabled, but are often forgotten or sidelined.
“It’s still far too difficult for disabled people to afford an equal standard of living, get around, and find and stay in work.
“For the Paralympics to have a legacy beyond sport, everyone needs to improve their understanding and attitudes towards disability.”
In recent news, Baroness Grey-Thompson was appointed president of the Wheelchair Alliance, an organisation which champions the voice of wheelchair users across England.
