Improving accessibility for disabled and older people

Roger is a member of DPTAC (Disabled Person’s Transport Advisory Committee) which advises the Department for Transport on accessibility issues relating to disabled people. He chairs the DPTAC sub-committee on research and evidence where he is helping to build up a knowledge hub of sound evidence to underpin policymaking in this area. He has produced a report for DPTAC reviewing evidence on the barriers to access for people with mental impairments including dementia, autism and mental health conditions. Research methods included discussions with stakeholders, examining written reports and analysing survey data. Roger is also a member of the Standing Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility of the US Transportation Research Board (TRB), which enables him to discuss these issues at an international level.

As part of his work on improving access for people with mental impairments, Roger was invited to give keynote addresses at the Prime Minister’s Champion Group’s Dementia-Friendly Transport Conference (July 2017). At the Conference’s ‘Healthy Mobility Symposium’, he spoke on the barriers to travel for people with dementia. He also spoke about travel by people with mental health issues at the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport Seminar ‘Issues for People with Hidden Disabilities’ (January 2017). Roger also chairs the Transport Working Group of the Age Action Alliance and has been involved in ensuring that the needs of older people are included in the Department for Transport’s Accessibility Action Plan.

Roger Mackett’s research involves improving the quality of life of disabled and older people, particularly people with mental impairments such as dementia and autism, by identifying the barriers that make it difficult for them to travel and exploring ways of overcoming them.