Disabled Volunteers

Hi All,

Random question - but does anyone know of any railways that allow volunteers with a disabled or physical impairment in safety critical roles - guard, drivers etc.?

 

You will probably find that each railway has it's own policy when it comes to Safety Critical work (although the HRA has guidance notes). It would probably have to look at this on an individual case by case basis and risk assess it against the Company SMS. So, for example, if a person had only one arm, they may not be suitable to be a standard gauge guard because the risk of climbing up or down from a brake van (and trying to open it) would be deemed too high.

 

Are you asking just in general or do you have someone in mind? These things are usually decided on a case by case basis. So it really depends on the nature or severity of the disability. Generally you have to be capable of handing the demands of the job safely, but that doesn't necessarily mean you have to be an Olympic gymnast.

If you have someone in mind you are better off discussing it with the railway in question to be honest.

Tim

 

So, asking from a different perspective but thinking about what @SpudUk may be looking for, are there any railways out there with a particularly good reputation* for taking an inclusive approach when asked the direct question?

These may be decided case by case, but two different organisations may have very different reactions to the same question.

* - yes, I did deliberately ask for the positive feedback. I don't think we're doing the OP any favours by digging over horror stories.

 

Thanks for the responses - no I'm not thinking of specifics (though I suppose I do have one eye on my little boy when he's older). I'm just asking, as my post said, if anyone is aware of any railways that do use disabled volunteers in safety critical roles, or as 35B says, any railways that have a good reputation for inclusive volunteering

 

If I'm reading the runes correctly, the nub of the question concerns what needs doing to ensure volunteers with disabilities are able to play as full a part as their individual circumstances permit. Although I agree that it'd be all to easy for the discussion to become little beyond a litany of horror stories (of which I'm depressingly certain there'll be many), where serious issues have occured .... and been overcome, these would surely provide an illuminating guide to the place we'd ideally want to be.

 

To exclude a person simply because he is disabled is discrimination. It needs to be established whether a person can or cannot undertake the required role.

 

Depending on the disability and I think depending on the job. For example, I don't think being a wheelchair user would stop you acting as a controller. I am pretty sure that when I was volunteering there was someone on the line I was involved in who had a condition whereby they could fire but not drive (it may also have been that they had to be part of a three person crew). (I am going from memory here so I maybe remembering incorrectly)

But I think if I knew someone who had a disability but who wanted to be involved I would look to lines with strong reputations and support for including volunteers.

 

I’m aware of a profoundly deaf person who has been allowed to work trackside, as part of a specific and close-knit team in which the others obviously kept a close eye on him. I’d say this is quite unusual though.

On another railway I’ve visited there was a group working on carriage restoration who I believe were from a local special needs college, but I don’t recall details of their particular disability.

I think it all depends on the specific circumstances, as to what is possible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Assuming there's an accessible entrance to the control office, on the small number of railway that use the "control office with controllers" model of operations.

There might also be the issue of it being difficult to reach a position such as Controller or Duty Officer without passing through a more physically active role to gain experience.

Incidentally, back in Big Four days my partner's great grandfather lost at least one limb in a shunting accident - so the railway trained him to become a signalman. I've still not worked out, though, how he managed to work the frame

 

Maybe he had a box with a Westinghouse L frame?

Tom

 

Depending upon the frame type and the distance of points and signals, it is often possible to pull or replace levers with one hand. Of course since you say limb, it may have been a leg in which case I see no great difficulty.