National Rail’s greyscale tribute to Prince Philip isn’t so funny if you’re visually impaired

Readers of a certain age may remember when British Rail was a national joke. It seems National Rail has ambitious plans to rival its predecessor after some bright spark at the top of the organisation decided to redesign the website in shades of grey as its contribution to the new national sport of competitive public grieving over Prince Philip.

You broadcasters, you can devote your entire output to that one story, you can fill your radio stations with solemn music, but we’ve turned our website grey.

One problem that didn’t seem to occur to anyone in the organisation’s hierarchy: While the sombre shades might have demonstrated how terribly sad everyone at National Rail was, they made its website completely illegible to a substantial section of the population, who could neither read its tributes nor, more to the point, use it to find out about train times and book tickets.

I’m obviously talking here of people with visual impairments for whom the lack of contrast represented a very big problem. Cue much sarcastic mockery from that community and its allies, which was no more than the organisation deserved.

“We are listening to feedback about how people are using the website and making further changes today to make it more accessible to all our customers,” said a pinned tweet in response to what represented yet another colossal cock-up by the transport industry vis the treatment of disabled people.

You can add it to a depressingly long list. Want more examples? There’s Frank Gardener, the BBC’s wheelchair using security correspondent, tweeting about getting stuck on planes.

Paralympian Anne Wafula Strike was left in a horrible position while travelling by train after the disabled toilet was out of order (think about it).

I was once singled out and humiliated on London’s tube when it was broadcast over the tannoy that the train was being delayed to accommodate me, “a mobility impaired passenger”.

At the core of all those various scandals, causing misery to people with various disabilities, is the abject failure of the transport industry to put accessibility at the centre of its decision making.

The stories elicit short-term correctives when they are reported on. Sometimes that means an apology. Wafula Strike managed to secure compensation. Transport for London promised to look at its training after my case was raised by Andrew Boff, a Conservative member of the Greater London Authority. National Rail put its website back on track by restoring the contrast.

“We’ve listened to feedback about how people are using the website and have made further changes today to make it more accessible to all our customers,” it tweeted, clearly hoping to draw a line under the matter.

Longer term change? That’s rather harder to discern. So no, National Rail’s statement should not draw a line under the matter because if it is allowed to do so this sort of thing will go on happening.

It’s high time the transport industry was told to drive accessibility out of the siding where it currently languishes on to the mainline. The trouble is, there are too few politicians like Boff who are willing to step up and give it the necessary shove.

Last year Disability Rights UK highlighted the Department for Transport’s official publication of information showing that almost all train operating companies had applied for and (crucially) been granted train accessibility exemptions. Even Eurostar, which only started operating in 1994.

If the Department for Transport so easily lets them flout their responsibilities, where’s the motivation to improve?

We know what needs to happen: Engagement with disabled people’s groups. The hiring of disabled people to senior positions so they have the ability to alert organisations like National Rail to the thin ice they’re stepping on before they fall through. Investment, investment, and investment.

This isn’t rocket science. But the industry does rather need a rocket up it to make it happen.