Are We Still Not Accepting Enough Of Those With Disabilities?
Disabled people are over 30% more likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people; That is nearly a 2 million person difference! As well, a survey in 2012 found that only 46.3% of disabled people are unemployed. So, clearly the vast majority of disabled people in the UK struggle to obtain any type of income. This either means that most people with a disability are unable to work because of their physical/mental challenge or British society as a whole is not fit to accommodate those with special needs. If the latter is true then we are evidently discriminating to disabled people by effectively reducing the chances of them taking up their right to work. As well , those who are in work are much more likely to be the victim of discrimination in the work place, indicating that our society is not equipt to accept that some people have a different set of capabilities.
As a society, we know that there are many issues in Britain that need to be dealt with such as racism, classism, misogyny, homophobia, etc, yet I feel as though people that aren’t being accepted because they’re disabled is an issue that has been swept under the rug of impracticalities set by our government. The Conservative party motto is “A country that works for everyone”- the fact that the Tory government will help everyone in the country yet the reality is that this mantra is completely untrue with benefits to those unable to work because of physical/mental abnormalities being ruthlessly cut all the time. As well, disabled people are still treated like clowns. Let’s be honest, we’re all prone to the casual disrespectful jibe at disabled people; whether its mimicking someone with Cerebral Palsy who walks with difficulty or calling someone a ‘mong’ because they did something stupid – we all do it. Its not long ago that Bond villains were stereotypically in a wheelchair, with slurred language, a pale complexion and an ugly scar across their face. Disabled people still seem to be portrayed as these alien outcasts of society.
Nevertheless, you could argue the complete opposite and that things for the disabled community in Britain have never been better; there are more schools and facilities for disabled children than ever before, every car park now seem to have disabled spaces, certain areas of cities have sides of the roads designated to blind people to be able to walk. The list of improvements can go on.
Moreover, there are deeply saddening issues that our society still seems to be ignoring. Due to advancements in medical technology, we are now able to use to detect any dysfunctions that a disabled child may potentially face. Because of this, many parents now have the option to have an abortion and as much as that’s sad it is the kindest thing to do in the most severe cases. This is arguably due to the fact that we are not at all close to finding a way for severely disabled people to obtain some quality of life. Even so, many parents are unable to deal with the upsetting burden with a child that might have Down Syndrome and even if the parents are willing to have them, there are occasions where doctors have informed them that an abortion is the right thing to do. As much as this may be true, disabled people should not have to justify their right to live. They should not feel like an inadequate human being because of physical challenge that they have to face, but time and time again, our ignorant society continuously present challenges on their right to live. For that reason, it is fair to say that we are still not accepting enough of those with disabilities.
By Elijah Michael, JCoSS
