In light of this week’s Deaf Awareness Week (4th May – 9th May 2021) West Midlands Trains, operator of both London Northwestern Railway and West Midlands Railway, is looking to recruit members to join its Stakeholder Equality Group (SEG).
The Stakeholder Equality Group is currently made up of over 50 members from across the rail industry and interest groups that represent the needs of people from the full range of protected characteristics. The group helps to advise West Midlands Trains on various initiatives and plays a crucial role in monitoring performance and making a real difference to its passengers, with a particular focus on accessibility.
The support from the group has enabled several key projects to take place, including providing valuable input into the new disability equality training being delivered to all staff this year. In addition, they have given crucial feedback on their experiences whilst travelling, as well as helping to endorse West Midlands Trains’ annual minor accessibility works to enhance accessibility at stations.
Rebecca Preece, leader of SEG, at West Midlands Trains, said: “We are committed to providing an accessible and inclusive service for passengers. In order to inform the decisions we make and to feedback on how we’re delivering. The SEG plays an important role, and we want to ensure that a range of members are involved, representing various protected characteristics and disabilities.
“We recognise that deaf passengers and those with hearing impairments may face many unique challenges when travelling, and so we are looking to recruit some additional members to represent this group and learn from their experiences.”
The group meets bi-monthly throughout the year and is supported by various members of Senior Management. West Midlands Trains also supports similar groups hosted by other train operators and organisations to promote best practice throughout the rail industry.
If you or someone you know is interested in applying or you’d like to find out some more information, visit the websites: