Alan Benson

Activist & Campaigner

Alan is an activist and campaigner seeking to fundamentally change the way society approaches disability. He believes that this must be achieved by changing attitudes towards disability through the widespread promotion and adoption of the Social Model and by changing the structures of involvement of disabled people that currently exist, essentially that disabled people themselves must be empowered to be the agents of change.

Through the media Alan seeks to raise understanding of the barriers created by our current approaches and regularly appears on radio, TV and print media, even in cartoon form. He was one of the faces of the International Labour Organization Global Business and Disability Network project to promote the value of employing disabled people.

Alan believes that partnership and coproduction are powerful drivers of positive change and this is reflected in his work. He continues to promote the work of Richmond Independent Living Charity, Ruils, of which he is a trustee, to improve access to local SME’s and the Councils ongoing consultation with disabled residents. Alan was a significant contributor to the Greater London Authority investigation into accessible transport, opened Transport for London’s Access All Areas. He has also been working within Soho to make the West End theatres more accessible.

Alan is Chair of London based Disabled persons’ organisation, Transport for All and Deputy Chair of London Travelwatch. He also Co-Chairs the DfT Inclusive Transport Stakeholder Group, and sits on both Disability Advisory Group on Access and Active Travel Advisory Group of Richmond Borough Council. He chairs the Richmond Mobility Forum and Ruils ‘Your Say’.