A new campaign that will fund legal actions on behalf of disabled people who have faced discrimination on public transport has raised thousands of pounds in just a week.
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The #TransportJustice campaign has secured the backing of leading disabled activists and lawyers and is supported by Inclusion London and law firm Deighton Pierce Glynn.
They say that many disabled people find it impossible to challenge discrimination because they cannot afford to employ a solicitor, pay court fees or risk having to pay the costs of the transport body they are taking legal action against.
The new legal fund will be run by Inclusion London’s Disability Justice Project and will pay for legal costs in court cases that campaigners hope will change policy and practice on accessible transport, focusing at first on discrimination in rail and air travel.
The appeal went live on 29 August and is already nearly halfway to its target of £10,000, with three weeks still to go before its deadline.
DR UK ambassador and Rail Sector Champion Stephen Brookes says:
“The establishment of this campaign is important in that the concept of creating a legal affordable firewall to protect disabled people from access discrimination is within the original concept of disability legislation, but it proves it is even more vital that we continue to work with transport companies to change long term inclusion policies and not just fight individual cases."