ALMOST nine out of ten people questioned in a new survey feel that those with disabilities are treated badly – despite new laws that promised to outlaw discrimination.
The research by charity Papworth Trust also revealed that one in seven believed that disabled people are labelled “benefit scroungers” and 12 per cent of disabled people said they felt like second or lower class citizens.
The survey was based on a sample of over 750 people, most of whom were disabled.
It also found that those questioned often felt marginalised by the actions of politicians and the media.
Four out of five people surveyed said politicians did not treat disabled people fairly, while more than two-thirds of people levied the same criticism at newspapers.
Many disabled people said that after years of seeing improvements in attitudes to disability, they had recently noticed a backlash.
“For most of my life things have been improving for us, disabled,” said one participant. “However, in the past couple of years it feels like the clock is being turned backwards, and quickly.”
Papworth Trust director of marketing David Martin said: “While progress has been made in legislation, disabled people have told us that they need further changes in day-to-day attitudes.
“We spoke to people with the same hopes and dreams for the future as anyone else – young people planning careers, people hoping for relationships and people wanting the best for their children in the future.
“We urge the Government to consider the recommendations that have come out of this research.”
The survey was carried out as part of the Papworth’s response to a Government consultation to inform their disability strategy.
The charity concluded that there are two easy changes which could be made to improve attitudes towards disabled people:
1: A Government-led national review of Government and media language to highlight the damage done by pejorative language and negative stereotyping.
2: More education and awareness raising campaigns directed at schools, professionals and the public about disability. This would include a review of the effectiveness of current awareness-raising programmes about disability where they exist and assess where gaps could be filled.
www.papworth.org.uk
