Has there ever been a more pressing time for inclusiveness? With divisions rippling their ugly affects all across the globe, stemming from political differences and social injustices, a healthy dose of tolerance and acceptance is just the antidote we require. I fear, however, we’re a long way off it.
In a BBC article published online in October 2019, it was reported that Disability Hate Crimes are on the rise. From 2018 to 2019, reported Disability Hate Crime had risen by almost 12% on the previous year. It’s difficult for me to conclude whether this increase in reported incidents is down to an actual upturn in hate crimes, or whether it’s more a result of disabled individuals taking courage from other minorities standing up for their rights and defending themselves from discimination. I’m inclined to believe it’s the latter – as for the benefit of my own sanctitude, I refuse to accept that we’re in fact regressing as a society when it comes to matters of tolerance and acceptance.
In 2013 The Huffington Post published a blog post titled ‘Are Trolls Really Responsible for Teenage Suicide and What Can the Websites Do About Them?’, written by Cognitive Neuropsychologist; Dr Nicholas M. Almond. In it, Dr Almond brazzingly suggested that those dealing with online abuse should simply ‘leave the website’, which seems an awful lot like telling a victim that it’s their own fault they suffered abuse, because they failed to take proactive action.
In what can only be described as an interesting coincidental twist, it transpires that Dr Almond (in his own words) suffers from severe Cerebral Palsy. One could be forgiven for assuming that being a severely disabled Neuropsychologist would leave you predisposed to being slightly more empathetic towards those dealing with a tirade of abusive slurs and insults. Alas, perhaps I should refrain from such assumptions.
I myself have recently witnessed first-hand how mentally damaging online abuse can be, when a fellow disabled blogger Able Emily had one of her pictures doctored and reposted, only to receive a barrage of nasty comments, largely centred on making disability jokes. You only have to conduct a quick Twitter search including offensive words such as ‘spastic’ to find an array of people, from all different backgrounds, loosely using the term, intended solely as an insult, as if it were completely acceptable. Just a couple of months ago, I also had the distressing experience of witnessing a group of young men laughing at, and mimicking; the appearance of three disabled individuals who feature in a prominent television advert – their mocking came just moments after the same group of men had hurled derogatory abuse at somebody else due to their race.
Without getting into specific terms and causing yet more upset, I’m sure all of you reading this can think of plenty racist, homophobic, and sexist slurs which have long been condemned, and which routinely cause rightful outrage – so please tell me, why are people getting a hard pass when it comes to hurtful comments derived from disability?
I’d like to temper some of these comments by outlining that I myself have received very little in the way of abuse, either online or in person. I am well aware that I am probably the exception, rather than the norm – and I pray that my good fortune continues in a similar vein. I still experience people staring from time to time (I don’t think this will ever change – and I’ve grown not to mind it), but it’s been an awful long time since I’ve encountered incidents such as sniggers, comments, and jeers from members of the public here in the UK – something which I faced as a teenager.
Why is it that quips about disability are just brushed off as being ‘banter’, when in fact, it’s extremely hurtful to those living their life as a disabled individual.
On the whole, I’d like to think that attitudes towards disability are changing. As a child growing up, disability was often treat with uncertainty and confusion, bullying was rife at school, and adults often spoke to my parents as if I wasn’t truly present. Contrast that with today’s society where disability is increasingly receiving exposure within the public domain; through mainstream media, politics, and the arts, to name just a few important social avenues. This rise in familiarism is one of the strongest tools for combating harmful stereotypes and fighting against unfair treatment. Don’t get me wrong – there’s still far too many tales to be told of disabled people in as recent as 2019 receiving unfair treatment on a regular basis. For example, why must a disabled person feel like they are less likely to be hired for a job, purely down to the fact that their prospective employer wrongly assumes they’ll be absent on ‘sick leave’ too often? Why should it be a common occurrence for disabled people to feel marginalised and isolated from society simply because buildings aren’t being designed with inclusion-for-all in mind?
The most obvious answer to the question of how best to overcome discriminatory behaviour which still prevails, is an increase in Disability Awareness Training (D.A.T) and general education on what it means to be disabled. When thinking of D.A.T, often it’s referring to training provided to employees and business owners who wish to improve their services for disabled customers and members of staff. But I’d level that what we really ought to be focusing our attention on when it comes to education and training, is a ground-up approach, with an increase in disability representation in schools and colleges – coupled with continued training for said businesses and organisations.. As cliche as it sounds – children are obviously the future – and if we want to enact change on a holistic scale, then familiarisation of disability for children as their views and morals are taking shape, is essential.
Better understanding about disability and how certain impairments affect people is also pivotal information if we’re ever going to achieve widespread awareness. If you’re reading this and find yourself acknowledging the fact that you don’t know much about disability, nor what is appropriate or inappropriate when engaging with a disabled person (e.g. whether it’s acceptable to crouch down to speak to somebody in a wheelchair), then now’s the time to educate yourself through some disability training – either online, or via an organised disability awareness training programme – the likes of which are available to businesses and organisations through accessibility training providers.
Settling on better understanding, compassion, and acceptance of disability, isn’t enough, however; as a greater emphasis on accessibility is required in order for disabled individuals to fully appreciate and enjoy any and all future shifts in societal attitudes. It seems easy to say that goods and services should be readily available for all, not just those who are able-bodied – but far too often disabled individuals are limited by their surroundings. The medical model for disability suggests that disabled individuals are limited by their physical or mental condition; though the (far more accurate) social model for disability clearly states that individuals living with a disability are limited solely by their environment – not the disability itself. If provisions are put in place to ensure that all buildings, communities, public transport, (and more), are fully accessible; then it simply means that those living with some form of impairment will no longer be held back. A barrier-free society is a must, although we fall short of achieving this all too often.
The need for better access should be at the forefront of contractors minds when setting about new-build projects. It’s also another reason why regulations and guidelines surrounding accessibility and discrimination should be far more legally binding and enacted upon whenever possible. In 2020 I’ll be doing all that I can with the platform I have to lobby for improved access wherever disabled individuals are being neglected. I’ll also be doing my bit to help champion those businesses, councils and organisations that already take disability access and awareness seriously – writing about, and reviewing, various places around the UK and beyond – from the perspective of a wheelchair user. I also aim to work with businesses and organisations to help improve services for disabled people, through the likes of accessibility audits, consultancy, and other forms of general feedback/advice.
An accessible society is an inclusive society, and an inclusive society is a more tolerant one. Taking the needs of others into consideration should be deemed a burden, but instead should be celebrated as a thoughtful, forward thinking act, which can increase prosperity for all not just on a micro level, but on a widespread macro level too. Let’s do the right thing.