Achieving inclusive design: consultation with disabled people

Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) recognises the importance of continuing to innovate and improve accessibility across all modes of transport and associated infrastructure within the conurbation. In 2008, when work began to expand the Metrolink light rail system, TfGM established a consultative group entitled the Disability Design Reference Group (DDRG) to support this major civil engineering project. The DDRG enables TfGM to discharge its legal and ethical duties by providing a means of influencing the next generation of inclusive design by anticipating and proposing practical solutions in relation to gaps in existing accessibility guidance and standards. This paper details the approach taken to enable the DDRG to support meaningful and appropriate consultation using the life experience and technical knowledge of disabled people to support delivery of tangible project outcomes. The DDRG consultation process, recognised as a model of best practice by the UK Equality and Human Rights Commission, encompasses the whole project life cycle, from concept design stage, through detailed design, through to physically testing the installed works. The paper concludes with suggestions on how the model could be applied to other projects.