The power of lived experience when developing inclusive Passenger Services

The power of lived experience when developing inclusive Passenger Services

Yesterday we joined the global community in celebrating International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD), recognising the theme for 2024: "Amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities for an inclusive and sustainable future." This powerful message resonates deeply with our mission at Wilson James, particularly as we launch our Disability Stakeholder Network - a new initiative that brings together people with lived experience to guide and shape our Passenger Assistance Service for airports and transport hubs worldwide.

Why lived experience matters

At the heart of exceptional service delivery is understanding. True understanding isn’t just informed by data, policies, or good intentions; it’s enriched by the real-world perspectives of those we serve. When we actively include people with lived experience in the design and delivery of services, we move beyond assumptions to build systems that work for everyone.

Their insights help identify practical challenges and solutions that might not otherwise be evident. For instance:

• Designing an accessible transport service isn’t just about installing ramps; it’s about understanding the entire passenger journey from booking to boarding to post-journey feedback.
• Creating inclusive digital tools requires insight into how screen readers, adaptive technologies, or cognitive load impact how usable a service is in real-time.
• Improving staff training involves exploring communication preferences, patience, and empathy required to serve passengers with a wide range of needs effectively.

By engaging those with lived experience, we can anticipate barriers and enhance the "usability" of the service itself. Their input ensures our services are truly accessible, equitable, and aligned with their needs—not just our perceptions of what those needs might be.

Breaking barriers together

Through dialogue, we uncover barriers that go beyond infrastructure or service. Some challenges may lie in existing policies, inaccessible communication channels, or inconsistent colleague awareness.

There are several examples of barriers that are often only fully understood when heard directly from those impacted. This is often reported by individuals with hidden disabilities, as they often face challenges that are overlooked in traditional accessibility plans. Their experiences highlight the importance of flexible, human-centred approaches. Equally, barriers multiply for those who experience disabilities alongside other marginalized identities, such as race, age, or gender. By fostering diverse lived-experience discussions, we can create solutions that address the unique needs of all passengers.

These insights inform not just reactive fixes but proactive design, ensuring that inclusivity becomes the default, not an afterthought.

Building an inclusive future through leadership

The IDPD theme this year focusses on amplifying the leadership of persons with disabilities. This isn’t about listening, it’s about empowering. When people with disabilities take leadership roles in shaping policies, services, and organizations, the result is not only more inclusive systems but also a society that celebrates diversity.

Through our Disability Stakeholder Network, we aim to provide a platform where people with disabilities can lead the way in shaping the future of passenger assistance. This initiative will:

• Act as an advisory group, offering insights to continuously improve our Passenger Assistance Service.
• Facilitate co-design workshops, enabling participants to directly influence tools, resources, and training programmes.
• Foster ongoing dialogue to ensure our services evolve with the needs of the community.
• Champion the importance of lived experience across our organization and the broader transport ecosystem.

Lobbying for change

Inclusive services cannot thrive in isolation. They require systemic support through policy, funding, and industry-wide collaboration. We recognise the importance of lobbying decision-makers to modernise our accessibility regulations to reflect the realities of diverse disabilities, allocate funding for training and infrastructure improvements, and incentivising cross-industry partnerships to prioritise accessibility. The lived experiences of individuals with evidence-based advocacy will be key as we seek to influence policymakers to create frameworks that genuinely support inclusion.

A call to action

As we reflect on the IDPD theme, I encourage others in the aviation, transport and service industries to amplify the voices of persons with disabilities. Let’s not only include their perspectives but empower their leadership to shape an inclusive and sustainable future.

Inclusion shouldn't only be a checkbox and instead we should all be taking forward a commitment to listening, learning, and evolving. The journey we’re embarking on with the Disability Stakeholder Network is just one step toward a future where every passenger feels not only accommodated but valued. Our Disability Stakeholder Network is open to new members, collaborators, and ideas. Whether you’re an advocate or someone with lived experience, we invite you to share your voice and help shape this initiative as we move from dialogue to action and transform accessibility for generations to come.