Just because Mental Health Awareness Week is coming to an end, it does not mean the conversation stops here. Transport equity can only exist when the mental load of making a journey is the same for everyone.
As we travel around the UK meeting our grant recipients, one theme comes up again and again: stress and worry. For many, the anxiety of getting from A to B is amplified when they rely on others.
That’s what Charlie told us last week.
Charlie, who has Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, found themselves in a vulnerable position when a relationship ended. But since joining the Motability Scheme and learning to drive, they no longer worry how they’ll make essential trips.
“If I didn’t have my car, I wouldn’t be able to get myself to specialist medical appointments in London. I wouldn’t be able to pick up supplies from the shops or have my puppy. Without the car, it would be hard to take her to a vet in an emergency.
“Having a dog makes a huge difference to my mental health. I’m training her to be an assistance dog, and she has changed my life almost as much as my car.
“Although I still have mobility difficulties when I go out, being able to go out has opened the world to me in the most fantastic way.”
For many disabled people, the stress of making a journey can be enough to stop that journey from happening at all.
That’s why we must keep talking about mental health - to better understand the barriers and, ultimately, remove them.
Mental Health Awareness Week
This year, Mental Health Awareness Week is taking place from 11 to 17 May - visit Mental Health Foundation to get involved.