Our Access Champions are a group of ten Disabled residents who are determined to make Merton and beyond more accessible, and who volunteer to effect change accordingly. A group had existed for a number of years, but became more established from September 2023 onwards. They have a broad range of concerns, meet quarterly as a minimum, communicate regularly with each other between meetings, and network with organisations and individuals who can help to bring about positive changes. They are passionate about the importance of individual choice and control – using their lived experience, notably wide range of skills, and free time to push for improvements. This is on top of the challenges of fluctuating health conditions and personal fights for their rights to be upheld. Their tenacity is testament to their resilience.

 

In alphabetical order of surname, their names are: Fatheha Ali, Simon Bruton, Chris Bull, Raheema Hack, Sarah Henley, Debby Hill, Ana Lapsa, Liz Muir, Alvarine Samuel and Mark Stokes. 

 

Their main achievements are as follows.

 

Green Spaces

  • They improved access on Wimbledon Common by liaising with one of the Rangers to implement measures that enable those who wheel to move from one part of the Common to another
  • They participated in Tate Britain’s consultation on the design of a new garden that is intended to be welcoming to all.

 

Town Centres

  • They worked with the Mitcham Town Centre Manager on a project to improve access to nine businesses by providing ramps where appropriate.
  • They met the Morden Town Centre Manager to discuss access issues in the town centre, and hope that this is the beginning of a productive relationship.

 

Public Toilet Provision

 

Transport and Active Travel

  • When they reached out to South Western Railway about proposed ticket office closures, it resulted in a fruitful meeting with the Senior Accessibility and Inclusion Manager, opening up communication in a way which is of mutual benefit.
  • They met with the Accessibility Lead and Accessibility Engagement Manager for Govia Thameslink Railway (who run Southern, Great Northern, Thameslink, and Gatwick Express) to share their insights, and it is hoped that this will lead to a fuller relationship which results in improved accessibility.
  • Alongside Wimbledon Guild, Age UK Merton, Friends in St Helier, Merton Vision, and Alzheimer’s Society Merton, they produced a report on the state of Dial-a-Ride locally, and then attended two meetings with Transport for London to share their experiences and recommendations.
  • They wrote to Gatwick Airport about problems with the pick-up and drop off arrangements for people with mobility issues, and this has led to positive changes which have made using the airport easier.
  • When Transport for All advertised a paid opportunity to test a new airport assistance app, they engaged accordingly.
  • They successfully lobbied the Council to improve parking provision for those with mobility issues on a stretch of St Helier Avenue.
  • They attended Transport for London’s ‘Equity in Motion: Big Community Transport Tour’.
  • They responded to Transport for London’s consultation on their ‘Inclusive Design Centre for Excellence’.
  • They fed into Transport for London’s ‘Walking and Wheeling Action Plan’.
  • They took part in the Council’s ‘Walking and Cycling Strategy’ Stakeholder Workshop, and then fed back on the draft Strategy, arguing successfully, for example, that the Strategy should be renamed the ‘Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy’.

 

Healthcare

  • One Access Champion belongs to the University of Roehampton’s Service User and Carer Partnership, using her lived experience to help to train nurses and other health professionals. Another is on his way to following suit.
  • They responded to the Council’s Health and Wellbeing Board’s call to complete a questionnaire about access to services at local pharmacies.
  • After a bad experience in the Emergency Department at St George’s Hospital, one Access Champion engaged with clinical staff, via the Patient Advice Liaison Service (PALS), to help them to improve provision for patients with spinal injuries and patients who require bowel management assistance.

 

Exercise and Sport

  • They met with staff at Canons Leisure Centre to talk about the problem of a frequently broken lift and broken accessible gym equipment, resulting in the Leisure Centre now dealing with the problems with a greater sense of urgency than before.
  • They linked up with Alzheimer’s Society Merton to conduct an access audit of the AFC Wimbledon site, and are set to conduct more access audits in Merton.

 

The Arts

 

Workplaces

  • At a meeting with the MP for Wimbledon, they spoke about access problems experienced in the workplace.