Sky News Interviewed Psychology Alumna in Supreme Court Case ruling
- Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Sky News recently interviewed Psychology alumna from the University of Roehampton, Layla Harding, a campaigner for people living with disabilities. She responded to the Supreme Court ruling regarding who had priority on buses, wheelchair users or people with buggies.
In a case brought to the Supreme Court by Doug Paulley, it was decided that the policy for ‘requesting not requiring’ non-disabled passengers to move out of designated spaces for wheelchair users was ‘unjustified’ and that spaces for wheelchair users must be a priority.
In response to the Supreme Court ruling Layla Harding said “I do appreciate how difficult it is to manage a small child and a buggy, but I do think where possible that a person should collapse the buggy enabling priority access for wheelchair users. These spaces were originally created as a result of campaigning for wheelchair users. Also, there aren’t many forms of public transport that are easily accessible.”
Layla Harding graduated with a first class honours in BSc Psychology in 2015. She is currently on a Master’s degree in Attachment Studies at Roehampton whilst working part-time as a Policy Coordinator for Scope, a charity that advocates for disabled people to have equal opportunities in society. She will be coordinating and aiding a group of eight charities to advise government around disability policy.
Her advice for students interested in Psychology or campaigning is “Psychology is such a broad area, with so many opportunities, so you are bound to find something you want to pursue. Once you have found that subject you are passionate about try getting work experience to give you a head-start once you graduate. If you are interested in campaigning, have a look around for any charities or existing organisations that support your cause to see how you can get involved.”
Since she started campaigning for people with disabilities, Layla Harding has become a member of the access advisory board for the O2 arena, and has had opportunities to speak at Westminster Abbey, been interviewed by the BBC, Buzzfeed and attended the launch of the Paralympics. She has written articles advocating social change for the disabled including a blog for the Huffington Post.
The Psychology Department at Roehampton offers outstanding undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in three distinct areas: psychology, the arts and play therapies, and counselling psychology. 100% of the Psychology research is rated ‘world-leading’ or ‘internationally excellent’ for its impact (REF 2014).