Tag Archives: accessibility

Aniridia Conference 2023 – My Experience as a first-time attendee

 I have lived with Aniridia since birth; and no matter how many ‘specialised’ doctors you see or how many other people with visual impairments you meet, you still feel isolated, different, and misunderstood. Now I don’t speak for everyone when I say that this is the exact reason Aniridia Network is important.

So, when I received an email invite to an in-person conference on the 2nd of September in Birmingham; I jumped at the chance to attend.

When I was booking my place, I noticed that it started early in the morning, so I decided to book to stay at a Premier Inn from Friday 1st to Sunday 3rd September, allowing me to make the most of this opportunity. Something I was also grateful for when train companies announced a strike on the 2nd.

There was a mixture of emotions leading up to the conference, excitement, fear, apprehension. I was excited to be able to engage with other people similar to me but at the same time I was scared of meeting these people because what if they didn’t accept me? What if I came away regretting going? All sorts of what ifs and doubts plagued me. Looking back all of the fear and worrying was unnecessary but hindsight is a wonderful thing.

Remember how I said I booked to go up the day before because it would be easier and there was a train strike on the 2nd? Well, that train strike was extended to cover the 1st and 2nd. Which wasn’t great especially as at the time I happened to be over in America. This added to the stress of the event slightly but thankfully I still managed to make it up to Birmingham with the help of family.

The amount of information provided by the Network to help people was amazing from attaching an agenda of the day all the way to giving instruction on how to get to the venue in a variety of ways from walking all the way to bus and tram information. I have never been to an event where that much thought and detail was giving to help attendees. This helped ease my fear slightly and made me feel safer knowing that at any time I could check and re check the information as much as I liked without bothering anybody.

Finally, the day arrived, ironically, I think I was more nervous in the lead up than I was on the actual day. I arrived at the Library of Birmingham at about 9:25am and found a seat at a table. Now admittedly at the start of the day I didn’t really talk to people because I was still a bit scared but that soon changed.

We started out the day with a talk from Helen Campbell who is a MSC genetic engineering counselling student at Cardiff university. Helen was looking at the experience of people with sporadic and familial Aniridia and those experiencing further sight loss and the psychosocial impact this has. I found this talk particularly interesting as it is something I myself have experienced and gave me hope for the future and how Aniridia and sight loss will be viewed and treated.

The next speaker was Emily Nash who was talking about the improvements that needed to be made to public transport. This again was a talk that really connected with as someone who travels regularly and has often been let down by the current system that is in place.

There were also talks from Vivienne Kit and Dulce de Lima Cunha from Moorfields Eye Hospital who were talking about research into Aniridia, Bernie and Abbie Reddington who were talking about Auditory processing disorder.

This was followed by lunch which got a bit chaotic (though it wasn’t anyones fault) because although we were told what was available it was a buffet lunch which I personally struggle with (mostly due to the amount of people trying to get food at once). Even when I know what is available I still wasn’t sure where what I wanted was. During this break I spoke to other people who were attending on a variety of things; from just getting to know them to talking about hospital experiences and what needs to be changed.

Emily Sterling also from Cardiff university talked about knowing that you’re not alone and the use of the internet in Aniridia patients. I found this talk interesting; finding out about the different themes found when looking at this such as transformational and empowerment. Many of the quotes given about this topic were also very relatable; this one quote in particular resonated with me, “in my teen years it was hard to accept my visual impairment”. Considering this talk was about knowing you’re not alone I would say it was very successful; even hearing the research and quotes made me feel less alone.

Following this we had talks from trustees and patrons as well as Permjit Bhachu from Focus Birmingham.

The conference was then ended, and many people joined the social at the Rep bar where drinks and conversation flowed before some of us went for dinner at the Novetel Gourmet Bar. Again, here food, drink and conversation continued.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time at conference and as soon as I got talking to people all of my fear and apprehension disappeared. I would definitely recommend attending a conference to others; not only can you engage with research you get to know other people and everything you have ever felt isolated, different, misunderstood, all seems to fade away just for a while.

At the end i also managed to pick up a few books and leaflets to try and help me explain Aniridia and how it affects me to those around me.

I personally will definitely be attending more events that are put on by Aniridia network, whether that be a meet up or a conference.

If you are considering attending an Aniridia network event I would recommend attending even if you only go for a short time. The feeling of being around other people with Aniridias one that cannot be replicated easily.

Universal Studios ride rating

I recently went on holiday to Orlando, specifically Universal Orlando. I thought I would give my ranking for all of the rides in the Universal Studios Park..

There are 13 different rides in this park some of which are rollercoasters and some of which are simulators. You can view the full list here.

As a blind person I am going to have different experiences on these rides as I interact with all of these ride differently to how everyone else would.

13 Illuminations villain con minion blast

This is the newest ride in Universal Studios, in fact it opened when I was in Florida on the 11th August, however, for me this ride was very underwhelming. for a new ride the line was short we only waited 30 minutes; this could of been because the ride is a moving walkway meaning the queue is constantly moving but it could also be a lack of interest in this ride. As I said this ride has a moving walkway which moves you through the building where you have to shot things that come up on the walls. Now the shooting aspect could be another reason I personally found this ride underwhelming as I had no idea what to do all I know is there were flashing colours. But I did overhear comments from other guests in the park about how underwhelming this ride was. for me personally this ride is definitely not worth the wait. One aspect of the ride I did like was the queue because it allowed you to interact with some of the replicas of the villains devices, it was also very cool which was a nice break from the heat.

a picture of a bright orange sign which has white writing on which reads welcome to villain con international

12 Dispicable me minion mayhem

Another minions ride, this one is a lot older but is still a bit underwhelming. It is a nice calm ride to go on but it is very similar to a lot of the rides in this park and I have definitely grown out of these kinds of rides. Again I feel I could be missing crucial parts of this ride due to my sight loss and the fact this ride is a simulation. I can definitely see the appeal of this ride for younger guests or families.

a picture of a sculpture there are multiple minions with a sign in the middle which has a blue background and yellow writing the sign reads MInion Land

11 fast and furious supercharged

This ride is very much like King King Skull Island. The ride is a party bus which is very jerky and is very loud and for me was very overstimulating with the noise, lights and movements. I really didn’t enjoy this ride and personally I think a lot more could have been done for this ride; they could of had a rollercoaster (which they are planning for Universal Hollywood) which in my opinion would have been a lot better and more exciting.

10 Race through New York starring Jimmy Fallon

This ride is very similar to the Minion Mayhem ride only with a tad more excitement. Again I feel I missed out on some elements of this ride due to it being a very visual ride. Again I loved the consistent theming throughout the queue and being given a colour which was represented on the NBC logo.

a picture of the front entrance to JImmy fallon race through new york the front of the building is designed to look like NBC and has what looks like a cut out of jimmy fallon on the top of the overhanging entrance
Photo from Discover Universal (https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/attractions/complete-guide-to-race-through-new-york-starring-jimmy-fallon-at-universal-studios-florida/)

9 Kang and kodos twirl and hurl

This is essentially the Studios version of Red Fish, Blue Fish, One Fish, Two Fish but it is themed to the Simpsons genre. A fun classic theme park ride, I have witnessed smaller children being scared of the ride due to the aliens and the sound they use for the alien voice. other then that this is a great classic theme park ride.

8 Hogwarts express

You may be thinking Amy you have already reviewed this but as the train goes both ways i am reviewing it again. This ride (like I have said previously) is a great way to stay cool for a few minutes and transfer between parks. I do like the fact the storyline changes depending on which way you are going. But again I missed out on part of the ride due to its visual nature. It would be great if Universal could offer visual impaired guests an audio description headset for the journey.

7 Transformers the ride 3D

This ride is again a visual ride whoever it is more like the Spiderman ride over in Islands of adventure meaning that their were 4D elements during the ride. despite this ride being mostly visual I still enjoyed although I did remember it being more exciting than it actually was. I did struggle with the queue as it was very dark and the lighting in the queue was red or blue which would change unexpectedly; as a blind person I really struggled with the lighting in this queue and even turning a torch on wasn’t helpful..

a picture from the back of the transformers ride building you can see where the entrance is and there is a transformer on the roof nearest to the entrance

6 The Simpson

This is another simulation ride which is very visual but also physical as the ride vehicle moves around in conjunction with the visual aspect of the ride. For me personally this was one of the better rides as i could see the bright colours that they used in the film and the audio and physical movements of the car helped me gage what was happening.

5 MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack

a picture of the men in black ride it is a white building with arcs the sign is in a oval shape in black and reads men in black alien attack
Photo from Universal Orlando ( https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/gb/things-to-do/rides-attractions/men-in-black-alien-attack)

This ride is another ride where you have to shoot something in this instance you have to shoot aliens. Now I love this ride its like a mini rollercoaster but a simulator at the same time. and honestly I just randomly point and shoot and it has never failed me so far. Do I get the best scores no. But I did manage to beat my family, don’t ask me how.

a picture showing the three blasters belonging to Amy, her sister and her mum the photo is a bit blurred due to the ride still moving but you can see the score on all of the blasters the one in the far left belongs to amy mum you can't make the full score out but it was around 10,000 the blaster in the middle belongs to amy sister kim and again you can't make the full score out but it is around 9,900 the blaster on the far right belongs to amy and has the score 23,950

4 ET adventure

This is a classic Universal ride its calm yet still entertaining and interactive. For me personally the ride was just pitch black but I was told there were lights throughout the ride. Even though I couldn’t see the visual aspects of the ride I still really liked this ride and would definitely go on it again.

3 Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

This is probably the most daunting ride universal studios offers, but like we say in my family “if you can do rip ride rockit you can do anything”. I do really enjoy this ride and although I can get stressed going on it due the moving walkway and how quick you have to get in your seat. I also sometimes feel as if I am not secure in the seat but that is mostly in my head. This ride is enjoyable and you do get to chose music (although I didn’t as I was unable to access the touch screen). I would do this ride a few times maybe not all in a row but definitely a few times spread out over the course of a visit.

a picture of some of the track for rip ride rockit we can see where the ride starts and goes up at a 90 degree angle as well as the loops and upside down sections of the track

2 Harry potter and the escape from Gringotts

Escape from Gringotts was definitely in the running for first place, With the high speed rollercoaster section mixed in with 3D and 4D elements this ride was definitely one of the best. I loved the fact that even though I couldn’t see the 3D parts I still knew what was going on because of the audio, sound effects and 4D effects like fire and water. I would go on this ride all day if I could.

a picture taken from down diagon ally of Gringotts bank it is a tall white building with pillars on the top of this building sits a white dragon the dragon on top of the building will breath fire at random intervals

1 Revenge of the mummy

This ride most certainly deserves 1st place. Very similar to how the Gringotts ride works the Mummy has high speed rollercoaster sections which also go backwards. If my memory is correct I believe the Mummy has had some more parts added in as there were a few parts that I didn’t remember being in the ride previously. Again this is a ride I could go on continuously and never get bored of.

a picture if the entrance to the mummy it is a white building with four pillars out front the is a sign that reads revenge of the mummy
Photo from Universal parks and resorts ( https://universal-parks.fandom.com/wiki/Revenge_of_the_Mummy_(Florida))

Islands of Adventure Ride Ranking

I recently went on holiday to Orlando, specifically Universal Orlando. I thought I would give my ranking for all of the rides in the Islands of Adventure Park.

There are 18 rides in Islands of Adventure. You can see a full list here.

Some of these are rollercoasters and some are motion simulation rides. Unfortunately I will not be including the Cat in the hat ride, One fish Two fish Red dish Blue fish ride, The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride or the Caro-Seuss-el ride as I have not been on this as these rides are recommended for 12 and under.

As a blind person i am going to have different experiences on these rides as I interact with all of these ride differently to everyone else.

14. King Kong Skull Island

This is probably a controversial one. But I personally don’t like the King Kong ride. Personally I wasn’t a fan of the party bus style of ride especially as a lot of the ride is very visual so i didn’t really get the full experience of what was going on around me. I did like the queue aspect of the ride as this was themed very well and all though most of the queue was inside the lighting was pretty good. This was good for me as a blond person as i really struggle with changes in lighting. However this wasn’t enough for me to rank this higher on my list.

13. Flight of the Hippogriff

This is a classic simple rollercoaster. This is a ride mainly aimed at younger guests but is definitely worth a go. I personally now find the seats cramped and and the ride is very jerky which causes a lot of movement which the seat. If this ride wasn’t as jerky as it is I would definitely go on it again.

a picture showing the hippogriff rollercoaster cars the front of the cars is shaped like the head of a hippogriff and the are two people to a car
Image from Universal Studios Japan (https://www.usj.co.jp/web/en/us/attractions/flight-of-the-hippogriff)

12. Pteranodon Flyer

These are probably only this low because of the amount of other rides available in this park. The Pteranodon flyers are essentially a suspended swing which has the top part shaped like a Pteranodon. This is a classic theme park ride and for a very long time was the only sort of ride my sister would go on.

11. Hogwarts Express

This ride transports you between each park however what makes this ride ‘pop’ is the visual aspect something which I can’t appreciate as much as other people. I do still like this ride as it is a calm way to get between the parks and the sounds that are played along the way are very realistic of what it may be like riding the train either to Hogsmeade or to Kings Cross.

A video of the Hogwarts Express pulling into Hogsmeade station

10. Storm Force Accelatron

This is a classic theme park ride and is essentially a glorified version of the teacups. Now whilst I do enjoy the teacups they do have a habit of making me incredible dizzy something which can impact one of the eye conditions that I have. I personally also feel there are better rides throughout the park.

9.. Dr Doom Fearfall

This is another classic theme park ride; where you as the rider are shot straight up into the air and then back down. For me personally I think this type of ride was one of the first theme park rides I went on and whilst they may not give me the same type of adrenaline kick they once did they still do give me an adrenaline boost. I loved the atmosphere of this ride the sound effects played throughout the line and as you boarded the ride added an extra layer of atmosphere to the whole ride.

a picture showing two towers that loom in the sky there is a sign at the bottom of the picture in pink which reads DR DOOMS FEAR FALL in the centre of the sign is a picture of dr doom
Image from Universal Orlando (https://www.universalorlando.com/web/en/gb/things-to-do/rides-attractions/doctor-dooms-fearfall)

8. The amazing adventures of Spiderman

This is a 3D simulation ride which takes you on a trip through New York as you try and rescue the Statue of Liberty from the villains. Again this is a very visual ride but even with that in mind I still really enjoyed this ride there was a lot going on audible so that I could still have a vague idea what was going on during the ride. and even during the queue there was audible aspects such as the Bugles editor telling you what the mission was. there was also some aspects of the ride such as water spray or fire being unleashed which I was able to feel. I did also like the lighting in the queue as it wasn’t overly dark or overly bright which for me as a blind person was really great.

7. Jurassic Park River Adventures

This is one of three water rides in Islands of Adventure. This is a tame river ride through the Jurassic period where you encounter numerous different dinosaurs; the ride suddenly gets caught going into the raptor area which is classified as dangerous before you finish going down a steep incline narrowly escaping a TREX. For me this ride wasn’t as exciting as it could be and I seemed to remember it being scarier than it actually was; whether that was because the ride has changed or whether it was because I was a lot younger the last time I went on I couldn’t tell you.

entrance to the Jurassic park river adventure there is a pale grey stone with a red sign reading river adventure the stone slopes off to the left of the picture and forms a point like a triangle
Image from discover universal website (https://blog.discoveruniversal.com/attractions/complete-guide-to-jurassic-park-river-adventure-at-universals-islands-of-adventure/)

6. Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls

This is the second of the water-rides in Universal Islands of Adventure. This ride is more like a log flume which makes in my books makes it more exciting than Jurassic Park River Adventures the final drop down is definitely steeper and higher up. Whilst this ride gives me less auditory feedback than Jurassic Park River Adventures Dudley Do Right Ripsaw Falls gave me more adrenaline and excitement. I did struggle queuing for this ride as parts of the flooring can be wet and therefore slippery; for me as a blind person this wasn’t the best.

5. Hulk

Now I already know that this ranking is going to be a controversial one. Whilst I do like the Hulk I always come off the ride feeling dizzy and faint; this is the only ride I have ever come off feeling like this. I also struggle with the lighting in the queue for the Hulk not only is it dark but the little lighting that is in the queue also happens to be green which makes the whole queue seem even darker. Now I get that the queue is themed to the ride but for me as a blind person this is probably one of the worst queues for me to go through, As I said earlier I do like the Hulk but it doesn’t seem to like me.

a picture showing the whole of the hulk rollercoaster track the track is green and shows multiple loops, turns and corkscrew sections
Image from Fandom Website (https://universal-parks.fandom.com/wiki/The_Incredible_Hulk_Coaster)

4. Harry Potter Forbidden Journey

This ride is one of the rides in the parks which has a moving walkway when you board the ride; the staff were lovely on this ride and directed me to the stationary boarding area so that I wouldn’t have to tackle the moving walkway. The queue for this ride does go from light outside to dark inside which was very hard for me to adjust to. For the ride itself it is one of those rides that I personally could go on again and again without getting tired of. Whilst the majority of the ride is visual there are a lot of audio aspects which accompany the visuals and add more to the story. The same can also be shown in the queue for the ride as whilst it is dark there are things like talking portraits. I have loved this ride since I first went on it in 2014.

3. Popeye and Bluto bilges-rat barges

This is the third and final water-ride in Universal Islands of adventure and for me this is the best out of the 3 in this park. This is a rapids ride which sends you over waterfalls and into caves. Now I don’t know if it was just me who felt this but at certain points of this ride such as when you go into the cave I could feel cold air being blown about making you feel as if you were truly stuck in a cave. This ride just felt entirely more immersive.

2. Jurassic Park Velocicoaster

This is one of the newest rides in Universal and it definitely was difficult deciding between the top to rides. But for me this ride felt like a mix between the Hulk and Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. I liked the fact the queue had clips of recorded footage making it seem as if you were actually going on a mission involving dinosaurs. However the queue was again dark and what little light that was in the queue was coloured blue making it even harder to see. I probably did go on this ride the most but it was a worthwhile ride and for a newish ride it shocked me how short the queue was.

a picture of rollercoaster track you can see the track angling towards us as it covers round begore going straight again and curving the other way

1. Harry Potter Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure

This ride was well worth the 75 minute wait I had to wait in at 8am. Theming for this ride is on point with the ride vehicles replicating Hagrid’s motorbike with the side car and buttons on the motorbikes dashboard, The ride would accelerate and slow down much like Hagrid’s motorbike did and at some points the bike would even go backwards. Along the ride at various points you would encounter different magical creatures from blast ended skrewts all the way to a unicorn. What i liked about these encounters is you would have a commentary from ‘Hagrid’ and some of the encounters would have an aspect you could feel such as fire. I loved all the aspects of this ride the only thing I didn’t really like was the darkness of the queue.

a picture of the entrance to Hagrid's motorbike there are 4 people stood under an umbrella by the entrance the entrance is a stone arch way which leads into a spire at the top there are trees in the background
Image from WDW News Today (https://wdwnt.com/2023/01/rumor-hagrids-magical-creatures-motorbike-adventure-to-close-for-refurbishment-next-month-at-universal-orlando-resort/)

Now as I stated earlier my rates are going to be completely different due to certain circumstances that not everyone will have. I also know that a lot of what I found difficult about each of the rides is what a lot of people find engaging and what actually sets the rides apart. This is in no way an official rating of each of the rides and all of these are my own opinions.

Mid-Essex TEC Roadshow

The Essex TEC show is an event hosted by Essex county council it aims to showcase new and immersing assistive technologies to help disabled people. When we talk about assistive technologies which will help provide care; people will often immediately think of older people with massive buttons or call systems. Admittedly I am also guilty of thinking this; when I first heard about the event I immediately thought of those stereotypical big buttons that you often see in elderly care homes.

With that in mind I decided to go along and see what there was too offer and to see if I could get rid of this stigma. I came out of the event with so much different information to consider. But there was thing one thing I knew for sure which is that my perception was incorrect.

With that in mind instead of writing a load of information that you could easily find out else where; I thought I would rank each of the stalls that I visited whilst at the event. My ranking will be based off of my opinion as a blind person, what my opinions are as a young disabled person and if I think it suitable gets away from the stigma of traditional assistive technology.I

6. Yorbl

A picture of the Yorbl logo. The background is green/blue a with the word Yorbi technologies in white. The Word Yorbi is big, bold and centres in the middle the letter y is shaped in a curved arrow with a small white circle just above. The word technologies is smaller and alligned to the right hand side.

Yorbl primarily sells docked devices that have a very simplistic layout and allow a person to either ask for help or confirm your okay. This device does have the ability to work with use of voice by saying “Excuse me, get help”. The premise for making this a lesser used phrase is a good one but part of me (it could be the young adult in me) can’t help thinking that if someone was in desperate need of help they might not be able to say this phrase. This is a docked system with a fairly large display which makes me still associate it with the stereotypical big button.

I wasn’t 100% convinced with how accessible these products would be for me as a blind person. As whilst I could use the voice feature like I said earlier if I was seriously hurt and not in the devices vicinity it makes it rather pointless to have. Especially as a younger person If I am going to use a voice controlled device I am going to be more likely to use something like an echo or Google dot; which are smaller, sleeker and use smaller phrases to activate devices.

This is an example of what the docked Yorbi device looks like. It is a screen with three section the section on the left is red with the words get help in big white writing, the middle section is black and contains the date and time in white on a black background and the right section is green with the words i’m ok in big white letters.

I personally wouldn’t buy the primary products this company sells, however, I did like the Yorbi sensors and peripheral devices. These can be used to detect air humidity, pressure, temperature as well as movement, door and bed occupancy sensors. Whilst these might not be what I need to help me I can see how they may help other disabled people with condition which mean they struggle with things like temperature, eating or even wondering off.

5. ZinMobile/ZinWatches

A picture of the ZinMobile logo it is a purple background with the words ZinMobile in white. The word Zin is in a thicker and bolder font compared to the mobile part with is thinner.
A picture of the ZinWatches logo it is a purple background with the words ZinWatches in white. The wors Zin is in a thicker and bolder font compared to the Watches part with is thinner.

Zin had both watches and handheld buttons I did like these they were portable and semi-discrete. I did find the handheld buttons and watch faces a bit bigger then I personally would have liked. As a blind person i would need to use a watch which has a built in screen reader which these watches have. Unfortunately for Zin they are only this far down as there was another company at the event who I personally liked more.

4. CareCall24/7

The CareFall24/7 logo is a white background with big black letters saying CareFall24/7 there is a red c shape-between the 4 and 7 which almost looks like an apostrophe.

Carecall is a company which provides technology all the way from pendant alarms to detection devices and krysafes. The service can be tailored to suit an individual needs and provide constant help all year round. I personally really like the idea of having a key safe which is set up by the company and can be accessed by care staff when ever a disabled person is in need of help of in danger.

3. Possum

The possum loho is on a white background with the word possum in big black letters aligned to the left above the m in possum there is a butterfly which is an ombre from pink to light orange. Underneath the words possum are the words life enhancing solutions in orange.

Possum is a company which provides assistive technology for people with conditions such as dementia, epilepsy and learning disabilities. I liked the range of variety offered from the Qwato device to the alert-it epilepsy system.

Whilst personally I wouldn’t have need of so,e of these things but the range of variety in products impressed me even from the smaller devices such as pill dispensers.

The 2. Millbrook

The Millbrook logo is on a white background on the right hand side is a circle with the letters MH in blue. Next to that are the words Millbrook HEALTHCARE GROUP in big black bold letters.

Again the wide range of different products amazed me here from the more simplistic products like supports cushions and braces to shower chairs. All the way up to the more niche products such as white canes, doorbell strobe lights and bed/mattress raisers.

I found myself considering what products would generally help me when I was old enough to live alone. I was also really impressed with the consideration that was put into accessibility so that someone with disabilities would be able to use these things independently.

1. Oysta

The Oysta logo is on a pale pink background eith the word OYSTA in big white letters at the start of the word OYSTA is a yellow oblong shape. Underneath the word OYSTA is the words INTELLIGENT CARE TECHNOLOGY. The words INTELLIGENT CARE are in yellow and bold and the word TECHNOLOGY is in white bold letters.

Oysta aims to help bridge the gape between health and independence. This is something I personally felt they managed to do really well with and whilst they didn’t have as many products as some other companies they had enough to give you an option. The primary use of Oysta technology is fall detection and to make sure a disabled person is living life independently. I really liked the buttons that they sold as they were small enough you could stick them on to a lanyard or a key chain and were built to withstand water. I really liked these buttons because I can easily place them somewhere that is discreet yet still accessible and as someone who is living in temporary accommodation having something you can attach with adhesive is very useful. I also liked that you could get the buttons in a lanyard style.

The buttons can be used in conjunction with the Oysta app which is built simply and can allow a person to se5 up a contact to be called when they experience a fall. These contacts can also get in touch to make sure the person is okay. The oyst app can also be used on its own which is even more handy for young people as it makes it even more discreet. Whilst currently the app isn’t accessible with screen reader technology the company is about to update the apps features.

I don’t know what it was about Oysta that drew me in more than any of the other companies there, Whether it was how discreet the product. Is or. How inclusive of age, ability and needs it is. Whatever it was it sure worked

A picture of the Oysta app the app has a simplistic look with a blue background and the home button in the top left corner below the home button is the OystaCareApp logo. The middle of the app shows for buttons going vertically the first one says SOS and is on a red background the second one says contacts and is on a grey background, the third one says reminders and is also on a grey background and the last button says How are you feeling and is on a yellow background. At the very bottom of the app on the right hand aide their are two buttons one says view settings and the other says about us.

Overall there was nothing majorly wrong with any of these companies and they all had great products available. A massive thank you to anyone who spoke to me at the event and even answered the questions I asked on accessibility of your products that I just threw at you.

I found the event very insightful and was opposite to what I had expected. If there is an event in your area similar to this I would recommend going, even if it is just for half an hour.

Accessibility on buses

As a disabled person I rely on public transport; however I feel public transport isn’t very accessible for people with a disability. This particularly applies to buses.

Before you even get on a bus you have to be able to figure out what bus you need to get and where from, this tends to be done by using an app which is where the first hurdle comes. Each region of the country uses a different bus company which means if you travel a lot you may need 2 or 3 different apps. Having to use different apps is annoying for anyone but for someone like me who is blind and has to use a screen reader to navigate phones using different apps that are inaccessible is even more annoying.

Image shows a Cheltenham bus route on the stagecoach app, detailing the stops and times.

One of the options is to plan your journey which is essentially as the only part of the bus app that as a blind person I can interact with. Although there are still challenges with this as I have found that the screen reader will skip over information, I have primarily found this with the Stagecoach bus app. By planning your journey it gives you the time the bus is scheduled to arrive. There is another feature on bus apps which allows you to track your buses live locations. If you can see that is, because I use a screen reader it doesn’t register anything and just classifies it as either “button” or “interaction area” which isn’t much help.

You might think that its fine but bus drivers are supposed to stop if they see a disabled person; this doesn’t always happen in reality and buses will often just drive past if you don’t signal them down.

I personally feel bus drivers need slightly more training on disabilities as they are often very impatient; I was recently waiting for a bus and after no one had gotten off I got on only to have the driver yell at me for getting on a bus because there was someone coming from the very back of the bus. I understand that people have to get off but to have a driver yell at me was not the most pleasant thing. This said bus driver also left before I had managed to find a seat so I nearly went flying. This happens a lot on buses and for disabled people this can be quite dangerous especially as buses aren’t built for the disabled.

@amyepohl

something could surely be done about this… i’m sure i am not the only wheelchair user that’s turned down and has to wait in the cold (and even rain sometimes) on a regular basis. ONE SPACE is NOT ENOUGH! Especially in an area where it’s impossible to get accessible taxis! #chronicillness #wheelchairuser #rant

♬ original sound – Amy Pohl
@kaosdisabledsupport

little video about travel + accessibility inspired by a journey i had the other day, i hope you enjoy! – quinn🕯 | #fyp #disabled #disabledtiktok #accessibility

♬ QKThr – Aphex Twin

After getting on the bus the next challenge is to know when you need to get off. As a blind person I have to use another app called Moovit which is an app that tells you when your stop is coming up. The problem with this app is that sometimes it does not register the buses you need to take; for example I needed to get the N bus but on my app it wouldn’t appear properly. This makes it harder to know when your stop is especially if it is an unfamiliar route. The other problem with this app is it doesn’t know diversions or timetable changes.

Image shows the Moovit app in the app store

When you are approaching your stop you press a bell to alert the driver that you want to get off. More and more recently I am finding that braille “s” on the stop button is being picked off which you can feel and the plastic is sharper.

Image shows how one of the braille symbols has been removed next to the stop button on the bus
Image shows how the braille should look and feel before people remove it

In my opinion bus companies should all adopt a London bus style system which says which bus stop is approaching as this would benefit a lot of people, not just disabled people.