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MS: British public's ignorance towards disabled people uncovered - relevant to us too

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
British publics ignorance towards disabled people uncovered

Published date: 27 Apr 2012 at 5:27PM http://www.mssociety.org.uk/ms-news...s-ignorance-towards-disabled-people-uncovered


Too many people in the UK are narrow-minded when it comes to considering the lifestyle people with disabilities, such as MS, can lead.

This is what the MS Societys report 'Fighting Back - ordinary people battling the everyday effects of MS' has unveiled at the start of MS Week 2012.

The report

A ComRes poll, commissioned for the report, of more than 2,000 British adults shows one in five (21%) people think disabled people need to accept they cannot have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people.

A separate poll of over 1,400 people with MS reveals as many as 42% of people with MS feel that, as a result of their condition, people dont consider them equal while almost one in three (30%) say they have been visibly ignored because of their condition.

Such shocking statements are likely to be down to a lack of understanding about disability, and MS in particular as the research shows 71% of British adults admit they dont feel they know enough about MS.

This is why the MS Society is encouraging people to fight back against MS and challenge these perceptions during MS Week.

What we say

Simon Gillespie, Chief Executive of the MS Society, said: Because its poorly understood, living with MS can turn a simple shopping trip or social event into an ordeal where strange looks and hurtful remarks can all be part of daily life.

Yet people with MS have the same aspirations as anyone else. Most want loving relationships, an active social life and a successful career and they can have this, given the right support and understanding. Of course MS presents many challenges, but society can place further unnecessary barriers in the way of people with MS, making it harder than it needs to be to live a full life.

More positively, many people with MS (41%) have found the condition has strengthened the bond with their immediate family, almost half (49%) say it has led them to take up new hobbies and interests, and over a third (37%) of employed people with MS feel their condition does not impact on their work.

Join the Fightback against MS by donating to the MS Society, hosting a Cake Break, tweeting about MS Week or by watching and sharing our videos.

[video=youtube;jH7emZnvwYE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_profilepage&v=jH7emZnvwYE[/video]

[video=youtube;4c75j215K7k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4c75j215K7k&list=UUL-0tPt23-RHupo4Y7UitMw&index=2&feature=plcp[/video]

[video=youtube;BUqP7RnpFPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUqP7RnpFPs&list=UUL-0tPt23-RHupo4Y7UitMw&index=3&feature=plcp[/video]
 
Messages
13,774
Thanks Fire.

A ComRes poll, commissioned for the report, of more than 2,000 British adults shows one in five (21%) people think disabled people need to accept they cannot have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people.

Isn't that true, at least to some extent? I can't imagine a society in which disabled people have the same opportunities as healthy people. That 79% of people think that disabled people should be able to have the same opportunities in life as non-disabled people would indicate to me that the problem is not with the public's attitudes, but with the way in which those in power and authority have subverted the democratic desires of the public in the way in which the state deals with disability issues.

It could just indicate that such polling is of little value.
 

alex3619

Senior Member
Messages
13,810
Location
Logan, Queensland, Australia
Hi Esther12, I think it is less about polling being of little value than that the media fail to properly report on the issues. The report is focusing on the negatives, looking at problems, so that attention can be directed at solving them. Its refreshing to see data that shows that most people do not have such a negative attitude. I think this is generally correct on most issues - even in the UK where the government is making the disabled targets. Its a minority of people who are overly negative, not the majority.

The question was deceptive too in the way its being written about. Many who say the disabled should have reduced expectations are just realists. We do have reduced capacity, and not all of that can be compensated for, even if you have adequate wealth. Only some who answer this question with yes, we should expect less, will be showing bias against the disabled. The issue though is that if this percentage is rising then discrimination against the disabled is also likely to be rising.

Bye, Alex
 

justy

Donate Advocate Demonstrate
Messages
5,524
Location
U.K
Good videos. I think all disabled people should expect to be treated equally, regardless of their ability.
Justyxx
 

Firestormm

Senior Member
Messages
5,055
Location
Cornwall England
I think the report and the video's could also have been talking about ME. Take the boxing gloves video. I mean it's so demonstrative of how hard it is to think about completing such a 'simple' task and how hard said task can prove. And the wearing of the wellies filled with sand? I mean if that isn't an ME-walk I don't know what is. Certainly looked like I feel I do when out and about.

And some of those stats were equally valid for ME I thought e.g.

'Such attitudes may be fuelled by poor knowledge and understanding. One in four (24%) Britons believe disabled people often exaggerate the extent of their physical limitations, with men (28%) again more likely to hold this view than women (20%). More than three quarters of people with MS (76%) can think of at least one occasion when someone has questioned the fact they have MS because they looked well, with over half (53%) able to recall at least one occasion when their symptoms have been mistaken for drunkenness.'