CONGRATULATIONS: BT Young Scientist success for Tipperary student

In early January, the third-year student, Luke Blackwell, actively participated in the BT Young Scientist Exhibition, presenting a project titled A Statistical Analysis of the Wheelchair Accessibility of Different Towns and a Survey of Public Attitudes and Awareness.

Luke's outstanding efforts were rewarded with two accolades at this year's BT Young Scientist competition. He secured first place in the individual intermediate Social and Behavioral Science category and also received the National Disability Award.

As part of his project, Luke conducted interviews with wheelchair users and carers to amplify the voices of those directly affected by accessibility issues.

The experiences shared were alarming, ranging from being stranded on a platform due to a lack of wheelchair spaces on trains to facing isolation in college rooms while peers were upstairs. Some participants even described having to navigate stairs independently due to the absence of lifts.

The investigation delved into analyzing the journey of a wheelchair user traveling between four services across 13 towns in Tipperary, Laois, and Offaly. The objective was to identify the most accessible town, and understand the contributing factors.

The study also examined the gradient of slopes, misuse of wheelchair parking, and the accessibility of entrances on the main street of each town.Surveys revealed that residents who knew a wheelchair user demonstrated the highest awareness of accessibility.

A comprehensive survey, encompassing 462 participants across Ireland, gathered opinions on attitudes and awareness of accessibility issues.The study identified the top three challenges for wheelchair users, including the condition of footpaths, steep slopes, and gulleys.

Moreover, 37.5% of analyzed toilets proved inaccessible to wheelchair users, with all remaining toilets posing various access challenges. Accessibility of main street entrances varied, with only two towns exceeding 80% and two towns falling below 50%.

Out of 65 measured dished slopes, only 12.3% aligned with IWA recommendations. Eight out of the 13 towns, exhibited misuse of wheelchair parking spaces, with an average occupation of 11 minutes out of 20 by those without a permit.

The primary factor influencing town accessibility, as discovered by Luke, is the distance traveled between services. Additionally, Luke initiated the development of a machine learning model to predict town accessibility based on the gathered data.

Luke proposed several recommendations concerning future town planning, access to services, parking, and public transport. His remarkable success has garnered recognition at both local and national levels.

Dr Aideen, the Director of the National Disability Authority (NDA), congratulated Luke on his achievements and extended an invitation for him to address the NDA staff on his research findings.

Luke expressed immense enjoyment throughout the entire BT Young Scientist experience and highlighted its significance as an opportunity to raise awareness of this crucial issue.

Contributed to School Days in the Tipperary Star by the CBS Thurles.