December 2025
Blog
In December, I attended the National Centre for Accessible Transport (ncat) and Policy Connect Parliamentary Reception at the House of Lords, held through the Accessible Transport Policy Commission and hosted by Baroness Tanni Grey Thompson DBE.
Set in the beautiful Cholmondeley Room and Terrace, it was a brilliant EDI and accessibility focused evening that brought together parliamentarians, transport professionals, advocates, and organisations working to improve disabled people’s experiences of transport.
I went to share our Rail Cadet concept, which we hope can become a supportive and realistic route for neurodivergent people into the rail industry. At its heart, it’s about creating a clearer entry point and a more navigable pathway, so talent is not lost simply because recruitment, training, and early workplace culture can be unnecessarily hard to decode.
Throughout the evening, I spoke with new connections about what “good” looks like in practice, including the small adjustments that make a big difference: predictable processes, clearer expectations, confidence building support, and environments where people can succeed without having to mask.
We heard from Baroness Grey Thompson, Accessibility Minister Simon Lightwood MP, and from Emma Partlow and Clive Gilbert representing ncat and Policy Connect. The talks were engaging and thought provoking, with a clear emphasis on progress, practical change, and the role of partnership in getting it right.
A consistent message came through: accessibility needs to be treated as core infrastructure, not an optional extra. Transport is the gateway to work, education, healthcare and community life. When it works well, it expands opportunity and independence. When it fails, it quietly closes doors.
Policy Connect described the reception as a chance to reflect on progress towards a more inclusive transport system and to hear the policy direction for what comes next, and that really came through in the room.
It also reinforced something I feel strongly about: if we want accessible transport, we also need inclusive workforce pathways. We need roles, training and progression routes that recognise difference as normal, and support people to thrive. That’s where Rail Cadets can add value, and why I left feeling energised about what we could build with the right partners around the table.