Catherine Marris

#mobility professional specialising in #accessibility, leading on #partnerships and #policy at Open Road Access (ORA). Views my own! 🇬🇧🇺🇸

[Catherine Marris @CatMarris]

@TheAssistCrew Thank you all - looked into it and it’s definitely the scammers contacting me…! Thankfully caught before too late. Where is @sykescottages in all this??

[Catherine Marris @CatMarris]

Absolutely terrible experience with @SykesCottages. Our holiday only 6 weeks away and they’ve ‘double booked’ our accommodation so cancelling on us when we’ve already paid & made travel plans, activities, etc.

[Catherine Marris @CatMarris]

@TheAssistCrew Followed, please dm me

[Martyn Sibley @martynsibley]

The Royal Lancaster London now offers a mobile hoist at no extra cost for guests booking an accessible room.

For many hoist users, this removes one of the biggest barriers to staying overnight in London.

Find out more and book here: https://t.co/96DjfZvqCE

[Sadiq Khan @SadiqKhan]

Happy 4th birthday to the Elizabeth line - the UK’s busiest railway and a game-changer for London!

💜 800M+ journeys since launch

💜 800,000 daily trips

💜 70,000+ homes received planning permission within 1K of Elizabeth line stations

💜 Over 125,000 jobs created

[Martyn Sibley @martynsibley]

🚗✨ Driving change through accessibility!

I had the pleasure of sitting down with David Dew Veal, founder of Open Road Access, to talk about closing the transport accessibility gap and building a future where disabled people have the freedom to travel with ease.

It’s a powerful conversation about vision, resilience, and creating solutions that benefit everyone.

👉 Watch, listen, or read the full episode here:
https://t.co/8iVgnZgx6y

[EVA England @EVAEOfficial]

📢 New report from EVA England: Cable weight is creating barriers to public #EV charging, with over half of disabled drivers struggling to use ultra-rapid EV charging cables.

As heavier cables are becoming standard, they risk locking many people out of the EV transition.

[Martyn Sibley @martynsibley]

💼✨ Proud to be part of a powerful new report launched by the Disability Policy Centre: “Spotting the Value - Conversations with Disabled Business Leaders”.

This research brings together voices like mine to highlight the untapped economic potential of disabled leadership in business, and the cost of continuing to overlook it.

The findings are clear: empowering more disabled business leaders isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s a smart economic move. With bold, actionable recommendations, this report offers a blueprint for real change.

As we mark #DisabilityPrideMonth, let’s move beyond celebration to meaningful action. The time is now to unlock the talent, insights and innovation of disabled leaders.

📥 See the link to full report in the comments

#DisabledLeadership #InclusiveEconomy #DisabilityPrideMonth #PurpleChangemakers #DisabilityInclusion #LeadershipMatters #EquityInBusiness

[Transport for All @TransportForAll]

Everyone should have access to the new exciting transport developments announced today. We’re urging the Government and transport companies to ring-fence funding for accessibility and listen to disabled people in the design process. https://t.co/lDDXO8vnXH

[Martyn Sibley @martynsibley]

I'm very proud to have played a part in the Lilac Review, a groundbreaking government-backed initiative to tackle the barriers faced by Disabled entrepreneurs in the UK.

Since the beginning, it’s been a privilege to work alongside brilliant minds in business, government, and the disabled founder community. The final report is now live, and it lays out bold, practical recommendations that could unlock £230 billion in business potential.

💡 One standout recommendation? Expanding mentorship and support networks grounded in lived experience and grassroots leadership as shown in the image.

Other key priorities include:
✅ Inclusive finance and investment
✅ Accessible local business support
✅ Using AI as a tool for equity
✅ Making procurement systems fairer

Huge well done to Michelle Ovens and the Small Business Britain team for leading this, and to Victoria Jenkins from Unhidden for brilliantly chairing the Steering Group.

This isn’t just about economic opportunity, it’s about dignity, innovation, and fairness. And with the launch of the Lilac Centre for Disabled Entrepreneurship, this is only the beginning.

Read the full report: https://t.co/mX2UrkTNQK

#LilacReview #DisabledEntrepreneurs #Inclusion #SmallBusiness #Equity #Accessibility #DisabilityInBusiness #Entrepreneurship

[Purple Goat Agency @purpgoatagency]

Sun, Sea & Accessibility - a better experience for *everyone* in travel ✈️

We’re hosting a webinar for travel & hospitality brands who are ready to move beyond good intentions and start building genuinely inclusive experiences!

Sign Up Today:
https://t.co/AwiLO9prxJ

[National Centre for Accessible Transport @NCAT_UK]

🚀 Big news!
We’ve funded our first Scaling Innovation projects tackling transport accessibility for disabled people. 🚌✈️
From smarter bus stops to disability awareness training, innovation is driving inclusive change! 🌍
More info 👉 https://t.co/flJLTKGdL3
#AccessibleTransport

[National Centre for Accessible Transport @NCAT_UK]

🚨 New @ncatUK report shows gaps in transport accessibility data are holding disabled travellers back. Poor journey info & lack of real-time updates are key barriers. We need better, standardised data now. 👉 https://t.co/5328t2Az5e #TransportAccessibility #Inclusion

[Martyn Sibley @martynsibley]

Transforming Mobility, One Journey at a Time

I’m proud to share that I’ve joined Open Road Access (ORA) as a Non-Executive Director. A bold and brilliant startup on a mission to close the UK’s transport accessibility gap.

ORA is launching as a standalone venture to bring flexible, dignified, and accessible travel options to disabled and older people, starting with the rental of wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVs).

I’ve known David Dew-Veal, ORA’s founder, for years. We’ve had many in-depth conversations about disability inclusion, and from the beginning, it was clear we shared a passion for making real, lasting change. Early on, Purple Goat was proud to support ORA with it's branding and general market insights straight from the disabled community. Vital in ensuring the business is built by the community, for the community.

But this is just the beginning. The vision is much bigger: A world where everyone can move freely and independently. Where accessibility is designed in, not bolted on. Where mobility is a right, not a privilege or afterthought.

As someone who’s spent my life working at the intersection of disability, innovation, and impact, this mission speaks deeply to me. ORA is combining lived experience, technology, and real-world insight to build a future where transport works better for everyone.

Huge respect to the team already driving this forward. I’m excited to support the journey in whatever way I can. Especially around community engagement, inclusive design, and broader changemaking strategy.

Let’s go 💜

#DisabilityInclusion #AccessibleTransport #SocialImpact #OpenRoadAccess #WAVs #TechForGood #explORA

[EVA England @EVAEOfficial]

⚡ The year-long PAS 1899 technical review wrapped up last week.

The process has taken a huge amount of work across multiple organisations, ably led by @Motability, the @transportgovuk and @BSI_UK, and tackled key concerns while maintaining a minimum standard of accessibility for public chargepoints.
The recommendations from this process should mean accessible chargepoints installations in the coming months.

But the work to improve accessibility in EV charging is far from finished.
Ensuring that drivers with disabilities can access chargepoints when and where they need to is essential to making the EV transition work for everyone.

[National Centre for Accessible Transport @NCAT_UK]

good to hear Sarah Sharples DfT talk about wanting to use research more effectively in the multimodal transport planning here at the @CPCatapult Summit
#accessibletransport

[Motability Foundation @Motability]

🎉 We're thrilled to have grant-funded CoMoUK to explore innovative ways to improve disabled people's access to shared micromobility services such as e-scooters and e-bikes.

Read more here: https://t.co/ZpydO6A0rm

[Motability Foundation @Motability]

📢 Exploring the roles and responsibilities of accessible transport staff in local government, @NCAT_UK has published their Equipping Councils for Change report - read it in full here: https://t.co/N4Jts3cfJX

[Mobility & Access Committee for Scotland (MACS) @WeAreMACS]

'Just Transition: draft plan for transport in Scotland 'has been published and is out for consultation until May 19th.
If you work with disabled people, please make sure that they have a voice.

@transcotland
https://t.co/USq8oVW7c4