UK Disabled People Face 5th Heatwave With Overlooked Risks to Travel, Work and Health
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
UK Disabled People Face 5th Heatwave With Overlooked Risks to Travel, Work and Health
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Aug 11
Summary
A fifth UK heatwave due this week is intensifying risks for disabled people, who campaigners and researchers say are still poorly served by public advice and emergency planning.
Guide dogs unable to travel safely, powered wheelchairs losing battery faster and lift failures in overheated buildings can leave people stranded, forcing cancelled work, missed appointments and lost independence.
Common heat guidance can also backfire: open windows may feel unsafe for blind residents, while fans and altered room layouts can create trip hazards and hotter transport can turn short journeys into hours.
University of Bath research says heat compounds existing inequalities in housing, transport, care and income, raising cooling costs and sometimes forcing a choice between health and food.
Campaigners say hotter summers make disability access a climate-policy issue, arguing decisions are still too often made for disabled people rather than with them.