Visually Impaired MP Praises Parliament Staff, But Says Westminster Still Has "Quite A Lot To Do"
Steve Darling and Jennie with Lib Dem leader Ed Davey during the election campaign (Alamy)
3 min read
There is “quite a lot to do” when it comes to making Parliament fully accessible, a new MP who is visually impaired has said, but the culture of those working on the estate has been “incredibly positive and engaging”.
Steve Darling, the new Liberal Democrat MP for Torbay, is visually impaired, and attends Westminster with his guide dog, Jennie.
He told PoliticsHome that comprehending signage above head height is among the things that he has found difficult on the estate so far.
When asked about accessibility in Parliament, he pointed first to ““signage for committee rooms,” saying: “The numbering of the committee rooms is at the top of the door, so I just have to remember where Committee Room 10 is and things like that.”
He said the same is true for some of the toilets.
“I can’t be the only visually impaired person on the estate. The parliamentary estate employs hundreds and hundreds of people, and some of those must be partially sighted or have a visual impairment of some sort.”
Darling also pointed out that MPs or others on the estate could be inviting in guests or constituents who may also be partially sighted or have a visual impairment.
"There’s quite a lot to do," he said.
However, the new Lib Dem MP said that the “the general culture of the doorkeepers and the staff has been incredibly positive and engaging, so you can’t ask for more than that.”
Darling initially also faced a hurdle in securing the accessibility platforms he needed to be able to work with Parliament’s IT systems, but that has now been resolved.
The former council leader thinks his “biggest challenge” in terms of day to day working on the estate would be using the escalator in Portcullis House, the building where MP offices are located. He hopes Jennie will receive additional training when it comes to using escalators, and that the Whips may be able to secure an office in the main Palace building.
“That’s a really positive thing that they’re looking at doing as far as adaptation is concerned,” he said.
A Parliament spokesperson told PoliticsHome: “It is vital that Parliament is accessible to all. We understand that there is more to be done to ensure that disabled people do not face unnecessary difficulties when working in or visiting Parliament.
"We are committed to making further essential adjustments and ensuring that all our staff are trained in disability awareness.”
Among the issues Darling wants to work on in Parliament for his constituency are the provision of affordable housing and the impact that that has on child poverty, as well as the criminal exploitation of children.
He handed in a petition to Number 10 on Monday calling on the Government to "halt" floating bus stops — where a cycle lane runs between where passengers get on and off the bus, and the pavement.
Being an MP is about “making sure that you’re able to be there for people who are at their wit’s end,” Darling said. “And that is really important.”
He overturned a Conservative majority of more than 17,000 when he won the Torbay seat at the General Election earlier this month, and Jennie is already being referred to by some Lib Dems as the party’s “73rd MP”.
The Liberal Democrats secured 18,937 votes, compared to the second place Conservative candidate Kevin Foster’s 13,588. Foster had represented the seat since 2015.
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