The Spinal Injuries Association (SIA) has launched its own online travel hub to support people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to feel more confident when travelling.
Announcing the service on its website, the charity said having confidence in being able to travel is crucial for a fulfilled life after spinal cord injury.
The Association said it has collaborated with various travel providers, healthcare professionals, and wheelchair services to evaluate the available information on assistance, travel schemes, videos, and factsheets. The goal is to compile all the information into an easily accessible format and integrate it into our website.
The new hub can be found at www.spinal.co.uk/travel and will include a comprehensive package of resources, information sheets, news, stories, podcasts and videos, featuring many of our members from the SCI community.
The charity identified the priorities for the hub by using its annual “what matters” survey to ask the SCI about the issues which they face.
Between 30 and 40 per cent of respondents reported encountering significant challenges accessing public transport and accessible parking spaces, therefore limiting access to transport facilities and services. In addition 35 per cent of respondents said access to personal transportation and a suitable wheelchair were their main concerns.
As a result the SIA secured funding from the Motability Foundation to launch a ‘Travel with Confidence’ project. Among the new resources are:
- The travel hub with filtered search function and lots of brand new resources.
- 11 Access All Areas videos, from air travel to wheelchair assessments.
- 20 downloadable information sheets written by SIA experts.
- 5 “Access All Areas” podcast episodes with disability inclusion motivational speaker Ollie Thorn.
- Up-to-date news and the latest articles on disability travel.
- Stories from SIA members, including holiday reviews.
Among the subjects featured in the hub will be the use of cars, public transport, boats, train travel and planes. It will also include sections on mobility equipment, wheelchair assessments, getting around your home, how to plan for a day out, and even booking a holiday.
The SIA said: “This is an exciting change of direction for SIA, focusing more on lifestyle rather than solely the clinical issues, and will be entirely complementary to the vast range of support and advice available on our website.
“We will continue to add to this growing hub of content as the project progresses and welcome your feedback along the way to ensure that everyone landing on our site can find the information they are looking for, with a clear menu system and navigation options.”