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A group of people discussing issues at a table. A Motability Foundation logo sits in the background.

Charities come together to share findings from research projects

Thursday, 01 August 2024

In July we held a special convening event in London where five charities shared the results of research projects funded by our User Research Grants Pilot.

The event also brought together organisations with a wide range of expertise to discuss key issues in disability and transport. Attendees discussed opportunities for improving journeys for disabled people across a range of transport modes, and how these could be addressed by sharing knowledge and insight and working collaboratively.

Motability Foundation User Research Grants Event

Latest research

The five charities to present findings from their research at the event were Autistic Minds, Bus Users, Transport for All, Visionary and the Wheelchair Alliance.

Autistic Minds

Autistic Minds’ research has focused on the potential for transport to unlock opportunities for autistic people in both work and education. Findings from their research will be published shortly.

Bus Users

Bus Users’ research project involved disabled people logging their bus journeys and recording their experiences across the period of one month. The aim is to make bus services in the UK genuinely accessible and inclusive. Findings from this research will be published shortly.

Transport for All

Transport for All’s research project has involved exploring options to create an accessibility measure for public transport in London that will assist disabled people when planning journeys. Findings from this research will be published shortly.

Visionary

Visionary’s research explored how public transport could be improved for blind and partially sighted people. The report provides a series of recommendations for charities to provide greater support to people with visual impairments, centred on three main areas – building confidence, having reasons to travel and engaging stakeholder. Read the full report.

The Wheelchair Alliance

The Wheelchair Alliance’s research revealed that the provision of high-quality wheelchairs can not only have significant beneficial impact on disabled people’s lives but also lead to financial benefits for the NHS and society. They have used these findings to make a series of policy recommendations on the future of wheelchair provision. Read the full report.

“No ‘one size fits all’ solution”

Chelsea Fleming, Innovation Manager said: “It’s really important for us to bring organisations together at events like this to identify common challenges in disability and transport and work together on solutions.

“We know there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution to transport accessibility, so developing a greater understanding of the needs of the diverse needs of disabled people will help us provide greater support in future. Each of the research projects we heard about today involved the lived experience of disabled people, which is absolutely vital to us.

“We saw some great ideas and opportunities for potential collaborations emerging during the day, so we’re excited to see what comes next!”

Learn more about our User Research Grants

We established our User Research Grants at the Motability Foundation to support charities and disabled people’s organisations to carry out research on transport and disability with their beneficiaries.

Find out more information on applying for a User Research Grant.

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Find out more

Innovation and research

Our innovation team has commissioned research to better understand the barriers faced by disabled people in accessing transport. We are always looking for partners to get involved.

Innovation

Research reports

We carry out research and evaluation to better understand disabled people's experience of using transport. And we use these insights to create practical innovations that make transport more accessible.

Our reports

Research grants

We offer several grants for research through our Grants to Charities and Organisations and Innovation teams. This includes our User Research Grants.

Our research grants