Penny Briscoe, head of the British Paralympic delegation, said it was an “absolute disgrace” that 11-time Paralympic gold medalist Baroness Tenny Gray Thompson was forced to “climb off” a train ”.
The former wheelchair racer arrived at London’s King’s Cross station on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train on Monday evening, but there was no one there to help her. Baroness Grey-Thompson had been booked to assist her on the 19.15 train from Leeds, but she missed it and took the 19.45 train instead.
She said she “had a contract” and someone was supposed to assist her off the train, but after 20 minutes, no one came.
“So I decided to climb off the train,” the 55-year-old told the BBC.
She continued: “Trains are supposed to be accessible by January 1, 2020. It’s exhausting. I was really angry last night. I could almost do it (get off the train) but there were so many other people with disabilities Can’t do that and will be stuck until who knows when which is not right in this day and age.
Speaking at the British Paralympic Center in Paris, Briscoe said: “This is the lived experience of disabled people every day. It just doesn’t get reported.
“As a disabled person, you should be able to get on and off trains and go about your daily life, but the reality is far more difficult than that. As Paralympics GB we are working hard to create a better world for disabled people. We want change, and our athletes Want change too. There is still much to do and we cannot slow down to demand change and create a fairer society.
An LNER spokesperson told the BBC they were investigating the incident and “sadly understand that there has been an issue”.
Briscoe, Chief GB Paralympic Team Leader (Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
This is the first time Paris has hosted the Paralympics, and Briscoe said the city is “embarking on an accessibility journey.”
“We know their bus service is 100 percent accessible,” she added. “Their fleet of buses for athletes has six wheelchair-accessible spaces on each bus. We know that Paris has become more accessible because of the Olympics. Their metro system is under construction.
“The number of accessible bathrooms in Paris hotels is still an issue, especially older hotels. There are only one or two per hotel, which is not enough if you are welcoming disabled athletes or spectators into the environment. This is a global issue for accessibility Challenge. We had it in Tokyo.
“Paris’ goal in terms of heritage is to use the Olympics to create a more accessible society for Parisians, and we have to support them in this process, which doesn’t happen overnight.”
Between 1988 and 2004, Baroness Grey-Thompson won a total of 16 Paralympic medals in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m and 4x100m relays. athletes.
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(Boris Strubel/Lawrence Getty Images)
