Burrowing Owl Consulting
is proud to annouce:
A Hybrid UK Government-Facing Conference:
Eco-Ableism in Sustainable cities, transport and active travel
a uK wide policy and practice conference
| Date | Winter 2027/Spring 2028 (TBC) |
| Main Location | Kings College London (KCL), England |
| Parallel Locations | Edinburgh, Belfast and Cardiff (TBC) |
| Online | Cross-national contributions and an online audience |
what is this disabled people’s lived experience-led, multisectoral, multidisciplinary conference about?
It is about eco-ableism – the inaccessibility, non-inclusion and therefore disability discrimination, and potential violations of human rights – that some disabled, neurodivergent and chronically ill people , including older adults, in the UK and globally are experiencing under the implementation of national and local government climate change mitigation and adaptation policies pursued through sustainable cities, transport and active travel policies, programmes, projects and plans with carbon (CO2) reduction goals and targets.
who is involved in the conference?
We are a group of disabled professionals from different organisations collaboratively organising this UK-wide conference on a voluntary basis or by using extra time within our paid roles. The conference is initiated, designed, and led by disabled people, rather than just being ‘co-produced’.
Dr Cathy Mungall-Baldwin (Burrowing Owl Consulting, University of Glasgow); Professor Stuart Dunn (KCL), Dr Ellie Cole (UCL Global Disability Innovation Hub), Peter Quinn (Goss Consultancy), Anna Landre (UCL Global Disability Innovation Hub) Professor Jenny Mindell (UCL); Professor Tom Shakespeare (LSHTM), and colleagues from Disability Rights UK; Transport for All; Edinburgh Access Panel; Transport & Health Science Group; KCL Digital Humanities; UN GRAN-ESC Disabilities, Intersectionalities and Eco-Social Futures Working Group; Sensing Climate Programme; Friends of the Earth UK; Anglia Ruskin University; University of Glasgow; University of Edinburgh; Connected Places Catapult; Neurodiversity Architects Network; Research Institute of Disabled Customers (RIDC); ULEZ campaigner; Inclusion Scotland; Arup; Disability Action Northern Ireland, and a growing coalition of disabled professionals and organisations.
which design and service delivery measures used in sustainable cities and active travel environments are problematic for disabled people?
Disabled people face barriers across transport, planning and urban design. These include inaccessible vehicles, broken lifts, complex or poorly coordinated assistance services, and negative attitudes from staff or passengers. Missed ramps, refusal to vacate wheelchair spaces, and poor enforcement create stressful and unsafe journeys.
Low-emission zones can impose unaffordable charges on disabled people who rely on cars for essential mobility. Active travel policies often assume all disabled people can walk, cycle or wheel, ignoring impairment-related, neurodiversity-related and structural barriers. Weather, queues, lack of seating, overstimulation and risks of being knocked can trigger pain, meltdowns or stigmatised mental health symptoms.
Low Traffic Neighbourhoods and pedestrianisation can remove vital Blue Badge bays, direct drop-off points and on-street parking. Road closures can pose risks to health and life by blocking access to healthcare, food, water and social support, and impeding safe evacuation during heatwaves and other climatic events.
Floating bus stops and crossings over cycle lanes pose serious risk for visual- and hearing-impaired people. While continuous pavement crossings create smooth wheelchair transitions across roads, kerb-free environments are hazardous for blind and partially sighted people. These are just some examples of eco-ableist challenges.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
This conference is the largest disabled-led challenge to eco-ableism in UK urban and transport systems. It is initiated and designed by disabled professionals, led by Dr Cathy Mungall-Baldwin (Burrowing Owl Consulting). Its underlying conceptual model uses seven concentric ‘sectors of influence’ to map socio-ecological factors shaping disabled people’s experiences of eco-ableism. Each Sector’ will produce a meta-synthesis of evidence of these experiences from autumn 2026 to April 2027:
- Disabled people’s lived experiences (lived experience)
- Society, culture, community, social networks (social research)
- Biophysical and built environment (urban and transport planning, design and engineering)
- Health and well-being impacts and healthcare (public health and epidemiology)
- Civil society panel (NGOs, access panels, campaigners)
- National and local government policy and law (legal sector)
- International influences on national governments (international law and UN)
Sector teams will identify trends across impairment categories, analyse causes, and develop solutions. Cross-sector collaboration will reveal how factors interact to amplify eco-ableist impacts. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will contribute nationally-specific analyses.
Objectives and intended impact: The conference aims to: a) present a comprehensive evidence synthesis of eco-ableism in UK urban, transport and active travel environments; and b) propose solutions and a roadmap for governments to create accessible, equitable and sustainable futures for disabled people.
The ultimate goal is to outlaw eco-ableism in UK urban built, transport and active travel environments and systems and support a just climate transition, by challenging governments to adopt and develop our proposals. International perspectives will be shared through the UN Sector, with the UK positioned as a global exemplar.
Morning sessions across all national venues will showcase Sector findings using verbal, text, visual and performance methods. After lunch, government representatives will be invited to respond. A disabled Equalities Designer will lead a Co-Design and Transdisciplinary Workshop to imagine accessible, inclusive future scenarios for sustainable cities and travel systems.
The conference is independently run by disabled volunteers, with in-kind support from University College London (UCL), Kings College London (KCL) and Sensing Climate, and donations sought.
In-person participation at the KCL event is by invitation, with capacity for 150 disabled people, essential companions, advocacy organisations, technical planning and design bodies, government representatives and media. Virtual participation is open UK-wide and internationally; parallel conferences in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales will set their own in-person policies. To join a Sector Group or volunteer, email us.
Each Sector coalition and all national conferences will produce a chapter for a government-facing policy report. A book, technical guides, creative outputs and multimedia products are proposed. A preliminary seminar will be held at King’s College London (KCL), alongside press conferences and government briefings.
