ID - 'Look Up' Campaign

Although TFL implemented this scheme to be able to get people to offer priority seats to those who need it, there is still an issue with people using the seats and feeling the courage to be able to talk to people to ask them to move out of the priority seat. Unfortunately, due to the nature of travel for London no one really looks up or socialises with each other whilst using the transport, which in turn, also means no one looks up to see who actually has the patches and needs priority seating. As previously discovered within my research a lot of people with invisible illnesses actually, feel too anxious to be able to discuss the illness and feel they do not need to justify their use of this disabled facilities, which they should not have to. Therefore, even though this the scheme is in place it is not used to its optimum ability, this is another the factor of non-awareness of invisible illnesses and another reason why it is evident that another awareness campaign is needed.

Previous the awareness campaign called lookup was created by a woman called Corry Shaw, who is a 40-year-old comedy producer who lives with a disability. Please see the article below from the Metro regarding the story.

Metro Article:

This disabled woman is determined to change the way Londoners ride the Underground. Instead of burying your head in your mobile phone, or awkwardly avoiding any eye contact whatsoever, Corry Shaw wants you to ‘Look Up!’ Like many other disabled people, Corry has chronic pain and desperately needs to sit down as she travels into work. Corry Shaw, 40, has even inked her ‘Look Up’ campaign on her arm (Picture: Jerry Syder) 

Transport for London has started to address the issue with the roll out of ‘please offer me a seat’ badges, but Corry says she still finds herself pleading with passengers to give up their places. But the 40-year-old comedy producer has a solution – she wants TfL to make a simple announcement after every stop: ‘Look up. Does someone need your seat?’ Corry says that even if one person takes notice, it could significantly change a disabled person’s life. She told Metro.co.uk that her chronic pain makes tackling the steps at South Ealing station, which has no step-free access, a daily struggle. Corry wants ‘Look Up’ to be as ingrained in our minds as ‘Mind the Gap’ Corry struggles every day tackling South Ealing station, which has no step-free access but if she’s then made to stand up, her journey can become completely unbearable. She told Metro.co.uk: ‘Sometimes I have the strength and gumption to interrupt people and ask them to move but I’ve been refused several times and it is embarrassing, making each subsequent time I need to ask more and more difficult. ‘I feel I should not have to beg someone to give up a priority seat. ‘And in fact, I’ve given up my own seat when I’ve seen people even more in need than me when able-bodied travellers ignore them. Corry says some passengers purposefully avoid her eye contact ‘I think the consciousness has to change. We need to try to have it ingrained in our psyche that priority seats are not just a luxury they are a necessity for some travellers. ‘We need “Look Up” to become as commonplace and as instinctive as “Mind the Gap”.’ Corry has Scheuermann’s disease, tendinopathy, bursitis, osteoarthritis, DDD, nerve damage and endometriosis. Her disability has also left her suffering from depression, panic attacks, anxiety and PTSD.

Corry suffers from Scheuermann’s disease, tendinopathy, bursitis, osteoarthritis, DDD, nerve damage and endometriosis  It got so bad three years ago that she became bed-bound, and has only recently regained enough mobility to return to work part-time. She describes herself as a ‘reluctant’ activist but says she has no choice but to fight for change. ‘I really hope I can get everyone’s backing with this,’ she added. ‘I know there would be a cost to roll out such a campaign, but it would make such a massive difference to the lives of those most struggling.’ Corry has met with representatives from TfL to discuss her campaign, who admitted ‘more work’ can be done to help disabled passengers. Mark Evers, London Underground’s Chief Customer Officer, said: ‘Being able to get a seat on public transport can make a real difference to people who are less able to stand and we’ve been working hard make services more comfortable for people with accessibility needs.

Petition: https://www.change.org/p/transport-for-london-get-tfl-to-add-look-up-does-someone-need-your-seat-to-their-announcements-lookup