Membership

Details of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) members.

What DPTAC membership involves

Members of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC) are mostly, but not exclusively disabled people.

They are public appointees recruited to serve for about 3 years.

DPTAC members require a high level of understanding of the transport needs of disabled people.

They are required to work with others to constructively and pragmatically increase opportunities for disabled people to travel independently and safely. DPTAC members do this by working with:

  • Department for Transport (DfT) officials
  • representatives of the transport sector
  • organisations representing disabled people

How DPTAC members are recruited

DfT ministers appoint the DPTAC Chair and committee members.

The Commissioner for Public Appointments regulates these appointments in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.

DPTAC Chair

DPTAC Deputy Chair

DPTAC members

DPTAC member biographies

Professor Matthew Campbell-Hill, Chair

View Matthew’s biography.

Sue Sharp, Deputy Chair

In October 2023 Sue Sharp retired as CEO of the Royal Society for Blind Children (RSBC), a national charity supporting vision impaired children, young people and their families. Before joining the third sector in 2006, Sue spent almost 2 decades at the Department for Transport where she worked in transport and accessibility policy at both national and international level.

Sue has particular interest in the accessibility of the built environment and has an MSc in Inclusive Environments from the University of Reading. In addition to her membership of DPTAC, Sue is also a member of the Independent Gatwick Advisory Panel (IGAP) and National Rail’s Built Environment Access Panel (BEAP).

Carly Danesh Jones MBE, Aviation and Maritime Working Group Chair

Carly Danesh-Jones MBE is an autistic advocate who has been improving travel, employment, accessibility and safeguarding for autistic people since 2008.   

Her previous roles with major transport organisations including Heathrow Airport, East Midlands Rail and Great British Rail focus on making travel more equitable for neurodivergent individuals.   

As Global Neuro-inclusion Lead at Enna, she now works to improve employment opportunities for Neurodivergent people while maintaining her dedication to safeguarding through her role as lead of co-production at NHS England and the Ministry of Justice.

Mary Doyle, Local Transport Working Group Chair

Mary Doyle is dedicated to improving inclusion and understanding in society, especially in transport so disabled people can participate in every area of life.

With a background in software engineering and a technical career spanning over 25 years supporting electronic payment systems, Mary has international management experience in billion-dollar companies and is a worldwide traveller.

Since retraining, and now founder of Rocket Girl Coaching, Mary works with clients including multinational corporations to embed inclusive behaviours and accessibility into everyday practice. Mary is on advisory panels for aviation, rail, business and wheelchair standards.

Bryan Matthews, Rail Working Group Chair

Bryan Matthews is a lecturer at the Institute for Transport Studies at the University of Leeds. He leads and contributes to several aspects of the institute’s student education portfolio, including lecturing on public transport policy and practice, transport and social sustainability and understanding travel behaviour. Prior to this, Bryan’s research focused on transport policy analysis and economics – particularly in relation to disability and ageing and travel technologies.

Beyond the Institute, Bryan is a member of the university’s Centre for Disability Studies and a former chair of the Intelligent Transport Systems UK’s Inclusive Mobility Interest Group. Bryan has been blind since age 17 and joined DPTAC in October 2017.

Edward Trewhella, Personal Mobility Working Group Chair

Edward began his disability-related career as Chief Executive at Cornwall Mobility, one of the largest Mobility Centres in the UK, some years later being appointed as CEO of Driving Mobility, the national network of Mobility Centres offering clinical driving assessments and other transportation-related services. 

In 2024, he retired to become part-time in the role, with responsibility for strategic development. Owing to this background he has in-depth knowledge and experience of working with the NHS, DVLA, DVSA, Motability, National Highways, the Aviation industry, ShopMobility, in the Mobility Equipment field, and in related commercial and regulatory affairs.

Mike Brace CBE DL

Born in Hackney in 1950 Mike was blinded aged 10, by a firework concealed in a bottle. Mike has had 2 parallel careers: he represented his country at cross-country skiing in the Paralympics and he we was part of the London 2012 Olympic Committee. Outside of sport Mike has worked as a social worker and manager in 4 London Boroughs. Mike later set up VISION 2020 UK (an umbrella charity in the sight loss sector) and served as its CEO for 11 years. Having retired in 2012, Mike now undertakes speaking engagements to challenge perceptions of disability, and to raise funds for his many charities.

Niki Glazier

Niki worked for many years as co-ordinator of the Mental Health Action Group, a user-led group which worked extensively for greater recognition and understanding of the travel needs of people living with a mental health condition. 

In 2012 she helped produce a report into the experiences of people across England which highlighted the many barriers experienced by this community of people. She organised the first Mental Health and Transport Summit, sponsored by DfT, in February 2016. Prior to her appointment as a committee member, Niki attended DPTAC as an observer for several years.

Damian Joseph Bridgeman

Damian has been a key figure in shaping transformative legislation, including the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 and the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, advocating for coproduction and person-centred care.   

His leadership roles span various organisations, including the National Centre for Accessible Transport and founding member of the Purple Pound Foundation, which highlights the economic power of disabled consumers. Damian is Deputy Chair of the Fellowship Council at the Royal Society of Arts and also works to provide accessible travel solutions through his company Freedom 365. 

His passion and advocacy for a more equitable and accessible society is shaped by his personal experiences as a powered wheelchair user with cerebral palsy and dyslexia.

Mark Cutter 

Mark Cutter is an expert by experience in many aspects of disability including physical disability, mobility impairment, neurodiversity and mental ill health.   

An advocate of the social model of disability, his interests include social security, additional support needs, special educational needs, hate crime and accessible travel.  

He is a member of various stakeholder panels and is Chair of Northern’s Accessibility User Group (NAUG) and the Rail Accessibility and Inclusion Forum for the North (RAIFN). A polymath, he says he will never stop learning.   

Following his own experiences of mental illness, he retrained as a psychologist, psychotherapist and coach to help him better understand his own experience and the experience of others. He is also a lawyer, philosopher and social scientist.

Paul Finnegan

Paul Finnegan is the Chief Executive of Lighthouse, the suicide prevention charity in Belfast.  

He has over 25 years’ experience working in the voluntary sector, 12 as Chief Executive.  He was Director of Development at Autism NI (2008 to 2012) where he established the family support service.  

He is currently Chair of the NI Independent Medical Examiner Sub-Group (2018 to present), led by the Department of Health. He was on the committee of the NI Deaf Youth Association for 3 years and was on the Board of Disability Action for 10 years (2010 to 2020), chairing 2 sub-groups and playing a key role in the establishment of Assistance Dogs NI.  Additionally, he was a Cruse Bereavement Volunteer for nine years (2013 to 2022).

Dr Miro Griffiths MBE

Dr Miro Griffiths MBE is a Disability Studies scholar at the University of Leeds.   

His research is primarily focused on disabled people’s imaginings for accessible and inclusive societies. He is the Co-Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, which is an interdisciplinary research network based at the University of Leeds and is focused on disabled people’s experiences across political, economic, social, cultural, technological arrangements.   

Beyond academia, Dr Griffiths maintains several policy advisory positions across government departments, civil society organisations, think tanks, and research institutions across the UK and mainland Europe.   

He is a former strategic and confidential adviser to the UK government, and former member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission Disability Advisory Committee.

Prof Mari Martiskainen

Mari Martiskainen is a Professor of Energy and Society at Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex Business School, University of Sussex.   

She is also Director of the UKRI-funded Energy Demand Research Centre (EDRC).   

Mari is a social scientist with a specific interest in how people use and are affected by different energy and transport systems. Her research has focused on topics such as the intersection of energy and transport inequities, lived experience of transport poverty, and what actions can ensure a more inclusive and just net zero transition.   

Mari has published widely and works closely with a range of stakeholders. She is an avid user of public transport and has lived experience of disability as a neurodiverse person.

Rachael Mole

Rachael is a consultant and advisor within accessibility and people management, looking at recruitment and retention. 

She has recently completed a Churchill Fellowship international research report on ‘how to build inclusive and accessible work cultures to drive innovation within organisations’. Disabled since the age of 12, and a frequent traveller, she focuses on the application of accessibility and barriers to employment as a means to work towards innovation.

Ruth Murran

Ruth Murran taught English and drama for 25 years and has life-long experience of navigating the world as a disabled person. 

As a non-driver, she has always relied on public transport for her independent travel. 

She has worked with Scope and Brunel University, on co-produced projects, and has presented at the Cerebral Palsy Scotland conference. She joined DPTAC in 2024.

Maral Nozratzadeh 

Maral is a postgraduate researcher at the University of Leeds School of Law, focusing her PhD on examining the effectiveness of advocacy in securing rights to independent living for disabled people in Iceland and England, exploring access to rights, practical difficulties and issues disabled people face in enforcing their entitlement. 

Maral joined the School of Law in 2019 after completing her Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) and Master of Laws (LL.M) and was awarded a doctoral scholarship to start her PhD in 2023. Her previous studies and research experience shaped her interests in disability law, human rights, and advocacy.  

In addition to the PhD, Maral is a Teaching Assistant at the School, delivering seminars and serving in various representative and organisational roles.

David Sindall

David spent his career working in the field of disability rights and disability equality. This has included work in the public, voluntary and private sector and 12 years as Head of Disability & Inclusion for the Association of Train Operating Companies.  

David has worked at a UK and international level on transport accessibility. 

He lives on the Wirral and is also a novelist and occasional playwright.

Zamila Skingsley 

Zamila is a former Cabinet Office Director with extensive experience in policy, strategy, transformation, and inclusion. 

She maintains multiple Non-Executive Directorships including UNICEF-UK, TORUS Foundation and the Lord Jeremy Heywood Foundation.  

Zamila is Advisor to Julia Gillard’s Global Institute for Women Leaders at King’s College London and is a Visiting Senior Fellow at CASE, London School of Economics.  

Zamila was International Director at the Department for Education and Deputy Head of Unit for Strategy & Insights at the Race Disparity Unit, where she led on the award-winning Ethnicity Facts and Figures website.  

She previously worked for the United Nations, Open Society Foundation and Brookings Institute, and has been on the board of the UK-US Fulbright Commission, UNESCO and Concern Worldwide.

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