Survey finds public support for tackling discrimination

Disabled people are often seen as “inferior” “victims” or “figures of pity”, according to a new survey.
But the online survey of more than 2,000 adults, to mark the disability charity Scope’s Time To Get Equal week, also found strong support for measures to tackle inequality.
The survey found that more than half of those questioned think disabled people are seen as inferior to other people; more than half that they are seen as victims or figures of pity; and nearly three-fifths that they are seen as incapable of leading a normal life.
But there was widespread opposition to the use of disablist insults, with 79 per cent finding the word “spastic” offensive and 71 per cent saying “retarded” is offensive.
And 83 per cent say they would complain if they saw a disabled person being treated unfairly, while more than nine in ten support public transport being made more accessible, and more than nine in ten think all public buildings should be made accessible to disabled people.
Alice Maynard, Scope’s chair, said the survey showed that most people realised that disabled people were generally viewed in a negative way in British society.
She said: “This certainly chimes with my own experience as a disabled person, and that of many of the disabled people we work with, who have to battle stereotypes, low expectations and sometimes outright hostility in our daily lives.”
But she said it was “encouraging” that there was strong support for tackling discrimination.
June