DAY 1 • TUESDAY 15 SEPTEMBER • 15.40 – 16.25
Case study panel discussion: Designing for neurodivergence - inclusive transport environments
A 45 minute panel organised by Transport for London (TfL) exploring how transport systems can better support neurodivergent passengers through inclusive design, policy, and innovation.
The discussion will bring together design, operational, and lived-experience perspectives to examine how transport environments can become more accessible, predictable, and comfortable for all users.
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Sensory-friendly design in stations, vehicles, and wayfinding systems
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Co-design approaches involving neurodivergent users in transport planning
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Staff training and cultural change to improve passenger experience
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Practical and emerging technology solutions supporting accessibility and independence
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Balancing operational constraints with inclusive design principles
Amy Edgar, Diversity and Inclusion Specialist, TfL
Simone West, Principle Engineer, TfL
Jon Hunter, Head of Design, TfL
Allison Peter, Vice chair of TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group, TfL
Amy Edgar
With over a decade of experience in public sector communications, stakeholder engagement, and Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI),
Amy is a passionate advocate for inclusive transport and accessible infrastructure. Her current role helps advise TfL on strategic initiatives that embed the voices of disabled Londoners into the heart of policy and project development.
Amy manages TfL’s Independent Disability Advisory Group (IDAG), ensuring expert input is integrated early in project lifecycles to maximise impact.
Simone West
Simone is a Principal Engineer for Inclusive Design at Transport for London, where she works at the intersection of infrastructure, policy and person-centred design, shaping how inclusion is understood and delivered at scale. With over three decades in the built environment, her career has evolved from traditional surveying into a deep specialism in inclusive design, driven by a simple but persistent question: who gets left out, and why?
Her work has taken her from major programmes such as the London 2012 Games, where real-world testing exposed both the strengths and shortcomings of inclusive environments, through to today’s challenge of embedding inclusion into the everyday processes of one of the world’s largest transport networks. At TfL, she leads efforts to move inclusive design beyond aspiration into practice, developing the processes, standards and knowledge needed to make it a consistent part of decision-making, rather than an afterthought.
Simone’s influence extends beyond projects. She contributes to national standards through the British Standards Institution, including BS 8300 and PAS 6463 “Design for the Mind”, and has played a key role in advancing inclusion within professional practice, from RICS to cross-industry advisory groups. Through this work, she continues to challenge how the industry defines “good design”—advocating for environments that respond to the full diversity of human experience.
A regular speaker and collaborator across the sector, Simone brings a practical, candid perspective to inclusive design—one that acknowledges both the progress made and the distance still to travel.
Jon Hunter
Jon Hunter is Head of Design at Transport for London, leading design, brand and customer information work across one of the world’s most complex transport networks. His work focuses on making public-facing information clearer, more consistent and easier to use for millions of customers.
Jon has led or supported major programmes across signage, mapping, accessibility, partnerships and customer communications. He brings a practical design perspective to neurodiversity, with a particular interest in how clarity, consistency and inclusive thinking can reduce friction for customers and colleagues.
Jon is passionate about design that works in the real world, not just on paper.
Allison Peter
Allison is a disability expert with specialist knowledge in mental health and neurodiversity, as well as measuring impact of projects and interventions. Across her decade-long career in access and inclusion roles, Allison has aimed to bring about positive change for disabled people as an advisor, coach and mentor.
In addition to being a member of IDAG, Allison works as a Specialist Coach and Mentor for secondary school and university students. Her clients include teenagers and adults with neurodivergent and mental health conditions.
Other work has included four years as a Disability & Dyslexia Advisor in the higher education sector; Allison was responsible for assessing individual barriers to education, and making strategic recommendations for reasonable adjustments. She has provided awareness and skills training to both staff and students, and worked with university leaders to advise on inclusive policies and practices.
Previously, Allison spent two years working as an Analysis & Impact Manager. She used surveys, focus groups and quantitative methods to understand barriers to success for adults at university, predict student outcomes, and assess the impact of interventions. She has two Masters degrees; an MSc in Psychology of Education from UCL and MSc in Data Science from UEL.