Alan Benson (MBE)

Disability Rights Activist & Campaigner

Alan is a disability rights activist and campaigner, with a particular interest in accessible travel. As a wheelchair user Alan has a firm belief in a pan impairment approach based on a lifetime of lived experience of discrimination and barriers. He credits much of his knowledge and success to the amazing, supportive online community. As Chair of Transport for All and Deputy Chair at London Travelwatch he is a passionate advocate for public transport, for which he was awarded an MBE in 2022. He is also a trustee at Ruils, the independant living charity and a Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts. Prior to this Alan spent a 25 year career running IT teams building and running large computer systems supporting thousands of users all over the UK. He lives in Richmond-upon-Thames where, in 2022, he was proud to be awarded Freedom of the Borough, though he remains disappointed that this does not actually give him the right to drive geese over Richmond Bridge.