This resource is to introduce children to the social model of disability through the lens of public transport.
It will support pupils to understand how many of the barriers faced by Disabled people are ‘built in’ by a society that often fails to acknowledge their needs – and that these barriers can, and should, be removed.
The lessons are intended to be used together or separately, and all include a range of activities to suit different ages and abilities. They complement the NEU’s disability equality toolkit and The Full Story, a resource about books that promote disability inclusion.
KS2 teaching resource to understand the social model of disability - that people are disabled by physical and attitudinal barriers in society, not by their impairment or difference
KS2 teaching resource to learn about using maps and how we could make travel easier for Disabled people.
KS2 classroom resource identifying travel barriers in the built environment that may be disabling for people with impairments/differences.
KS2 classroom resource exploring actions to campaign for improved access to public transport for Disabled users.
For more information see the NEU’s disability equality toolkit.
The social model of disability argues that people are disabled not by their impairment or difference but by barriers in society. These barriers can be physical but just as often, they are the result of other people’s attitudes. Removing these barriers – which can sometimes involve quite small modifications to our own behaviour or ways of thinking – can create greater equality and promote the inclusion of Disabled people.
In addition to the disability equality toolkit, The Full Story – also includes information on the social model as well as details of a range of books (some referenced in this resource) that can be used alongside and to support the lessons plans.
One of the key aims of this resource is to promote an understanding of the central role that activists have played in campaigning for the removal of barriers that affect Disabled people. In particular, it focuses on the following:
Barbara Lisicki is the co-founder of the Disabled People's Direct Action Network (DAN), an organisation that engaged in nonviolent protest to raise awareness and advocate for the rights of Disabled people.
She was working as a comedian when she met fellow performer Alan Holdsworth with whom she was involved in protests against early charity ‘telethons’ which, according to Lisicki, "portrayed disabled people in a manner where they should be pitied, [weren’t] representative of the disabled community and [were] patronising".
Lisicki and Holdsworth established DAN in 1993 to organise protests and nonviolent civil disobedience to promote the rights of Disabled people, for example by blocking roads and chaining themselves to buses and, on one occasion, to the gates of Downing Street.
Doug Paulley is a Disabled person and transport rights campaigner. As well as his awareness-raising activities, he has contributed to government enquiries and brought numerous, mostly successful, court cases against organisations that fail to make appropriate adaptations for people with impairments. In 2024, he was awarded compensation against Network Rail after it failed to provide booked assistance at London’s Euston station.
Perhaps most famously, the case he pursued against his local bus company established a legal precedent requiring transport providers to make greater efforts to ask non-disabled passengers to move in favour of wheelchair users.
Transport For All organises campaigns and raises awareness about the barriers people with impairments face when using public transport. Its stated aim is that all people should be able to “make the journeys we want, with freedom, dignity, ease, and confidence”. Its work is concerned with all stages of travel including finding information and planning a journey, purchasing a ticket, getting to a stop or station as well as boarding and leaving vehicles, and travelling safely and in comfort.
Several of the terms included in the resource may be new to pupils. They may also be familiar with them in different contexts, so the definitions here relate specifically to their use in relation to disability.
People with impairments/Disabled people – The Equality Act (2010) states that “a person has a disability if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities”.
Throughout the resource we use the terms ‘people with impairments’ and ‘Disabled people’. These terms can include individuals with both physical and mental impairments and conditions – for example, mobility issues, learning difficulties, impairments related to sight or hearing, dyslexia, asthma, stroke, depression, eating and bipolar disorders.
Some impairments are related to fluctuating, recurring or progressive conditions – such as rheumatoid arthritis, ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, cancer or HIV – or caused by an injury to the body or brain.
A ‘child-friendly’ definition might be:
An impairment or disability is a physical or mental difference that means that some people may find it harder to take part in certain activities. The social model shows us how these difficulties arise because of barriers put in place by society.
We also use the term accessible to refer to public transport. In this context we mean that public transport is accessible if everyone can easily use it. This would include not just their being able to board vehicles but also to plan a journey, buy a ticket etc.
Neurodivergent is a nonmedical term that describes people whose brains develop or work differently. It is a broad term covering autism, ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), dyslexia, dyscalculia and dysgraphia. Many people who are neurodivergent may also find some social situations challenging or they may struggle in noisy environments.
