Alan Richard Benson MBE (1969-17 December 2023) was a British disability rights activist. [1]
Born in Harlow to Joe and Marion Benson, both teachers, he grew up in Lincoln. Benson pursued a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics at Preston Polytechnic, which later became the University of Central Lancashire. [2]
His career began in the IT field, transitioning into local government, where he met his wife, Yvonne. Benson also founded a company providing IT support to schools, and worked in various educational institutions across the UK. [2]
Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at a young age, Benson moved to London in 2012. [3] There, he encountered significant challenges with the city's transportation system, which catalyzed his involvement in disability rights activism. Despite having no prior experience in activism, he became a prominent figure in the field, participating in media interviews and parliamentary discussions about transportation accessibility. [2] Benson also blogged about accessibility in public transportation and shared information about it on social media. [4]
Benson's advocacy in disability rights gained prominence in Richmond, where he began campaigning for improved disabled access. He co-founded the Campaign for Level Boarding in 2019, a group focusing on railway accessibility, [2] and was recognized in the Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list the same year. [5] His efforts included an extensive survey of London's step-free access stations on the United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In 2022, Benson was appointed an MBE for his services to disability rights. [2] He was also awarded the Freedom of the Borough of Richmond. [6]
Benson also served as a board member and chairman of Transport for All, advocating for improved transportation access, including efforts to make the Crossrail project more accessible to disabled individuals. [2] He co-chaired the Department for Transport's inclusive transport stakeholder group, [7] was deputy chair of London TravelWatch, [4] and sat on the board of the South Western Railway. [8]