How we failed our ‘Superhumans’
AS THE WORLD PREPARES TO CHEER ON THE STARS OF THE PARALYMPICS IN RIO, AWAY FROM THE SPOTLIGHT ORDINARY DISABLED PEOPLE ARE SEEING THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE STEADILY DECLINE. JUDITH DUFFY REPORTS
IT is billed as the return of the ‘Superhumans’. In ten days’ time, inspiring stories of disabled athletes will be back in the spotlight as the Paralympics gets off the starting blocks in Rio. But campaigners have warned that rights and opportunities for disabled people have failed to improve in the past four years, despite the excited media chatter that’s surrounded disabled sport since the London Olympics, and continued throughout the Invictus Games.
Statistics uncovered by the Sunday Herald show how Scotland’s one million disabled people - or one in five of the population - are experiencing increased hate crime, fewer opportunities in education and employment, and decreased representation in politics.
They also have far lower participation rates in cultural events and sporting activities than the able bodied, with the gap increasing in recent years.
One group is launching a ‘Rights not Games’ campaign during the Paralympics to highlight the continuing difficulties and discrimination faced by disabled people.
In 2012, coverage of the London Paralympics by Channel 4, with the theme of ‘ Meet the Superhumans’, was credited with redefining how the public viewed disability sport.
The British stars included wheelchair athlete David Weir, who won four golds, swimmer Ellie Simmonds who won two golds, and Scottish athlete David Smith who won a rowing gold.
Layla Theiner, of Disability Agenda Scotland (DAS), an alliance of disability charities, said the positive coverage and increased profile of the Paralympics was welcome and had helped change some people’s perceptions of what disabled people can do.
But she added: “However, just as very few non-disabled people are Olympians, very few disabled people are Paralympians. And while there have been improvements in attitudes towards, and opportunities for, disabled people over the last few decades, the reality for a lot of people could still be better.”
Theiner said the Scottish Government had the opportunity to improve social security and employment programmes, which are in the process of being devolved.
She added: “DAS also believes that the Scottish Government should also fund a public awareness and education programme to tackle issues around stigma and discrimination.”
Jamie Szymkowiac, founder of the One in Five campaign, which aims to increase political participation among disabled people in Scotland, said the Paralympics in London had brought disability-related issues into the public consciousness.
But he added: “Subsequently it drifted away and fell off the radar, with the exception of some of the political issues such as the bedroom tax and other welfare matters.
“I think a lot of disability rights campaigners are hoping the Rio Games, although the budget has been cut, does bring attention to disability rights once again.”
He said the Games could help bring issues such as accessibility to transport and the employment market back into the spotlight.
“Looking back at the Paralympics four years ago, that was one of the benefits of the months afterwards – it was easier to discuss disabled rights and people were aware of different impairments because of the successes of people like (sprinter) Jonnie Peacock and others,” he added.
The campaign group Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) is running a week of action from September 4 to coincide with the start of the Paralympics, which will include protests, lobbying Westminster and a national day of action against welfare cuts.
A spokeswoman for DPAC said: “Since the last Paralympics disabled people’s rights haven’t improved at all. That is why the UK is the first country in the world to be investigated by the UN Disability Committee for the grave and systematic violation of disabled people’s human rights.
“Benefit levels have been frozen and sanctions, homelessness and malnutrition are increasing.”
A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are committed to promoting and protecting equality and human rights for disabled people, including raising awareness of the barriers disabled people face every day through our One Scotland campaign. We know more needs to be done and that’s why we are working to strengthen our Disability Action Plan which we will publish later this year.
“Through our new social security powers we will take a different approach from the UK Government and develop policies for Scotland based on dignity and respect which will help remove the stigma attached to accessing benefits.
“We are committed to reforming assessments for disability benefits, as well as opening up opportunities, for example supporting disabled people wishing to stand in the local government election through our new Access to Elected Office Fund.”
HATE CRIME
THE number of criminal charges in Scotland reported with aggravation of prejudice relating to disability have increased by nearly 50% over the past four years.
According to figures from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS), there was a total of 137 charges relating to this crime reported in 2012-13, the year of the London Paralympics.
But incidents have increased steadily since then, with 147 reported in 2013-14 and 177 in 2014-15.
The most recent figures show there were 201 charges relating to disability hate crime in 2015-16, an increase of 14% on the previous year and an increase of around 47% compared to four years ago.
Since the last Paralympics disabled people’s rights haven’t improved at all. Benefit levels have been frozen and sanctions, homelessness and malnutrition are increasing
The six ways disabled people have been let down since London 2012
The COPFS report notes that racial crime is the most commonly reported hate crime, with 3712 incidents reported in 2015-16. The figure for hate crime related to sexual orientation was 1,020 and religious-related hate crime was 631.
But the report notes there is a “broad consensus” that hate crime linked to disability continues to be under-reported compared to other forms of hate crime.
CULTURE
Participating in activities such as going to the cinema, theatre, museums or attending exhibitions and music performances has become more difficult for people with disabilities, the most recent figures have suggested.
In 2012, according to the Scottish Household Survey, 62% of adults with a disability and 63% with an illness or health problem had attended a cultural event or visited a place of culture in the past 12 months, including cinema trips. That compared to a figure of 83% for adults without any disabilities – a difference of around 20%.
The most recent figures which cover 2014 are broken down by different categories – but suggest this gap between participation by those with and without disabilities has widened. Just 52% of adults with a long-term condition which has a major impact on daily life had attended a cultural event in the past 12 months in 2014. That compares to a figure of 86% for those without any disabilities – a difference of 34%.
For those with long-term conditions which have a minor impact on daily life, the attendance rate was 74%, which is still 12% lower than the figure for adults without any disabilities.
SPORT AND EXERCISE
Nearly nine out of ten adults without disabilities participate in sport and exercise, including walking – but according to the Scottish Household Survey, 47% of those with a disability took part in some form of exercise, including walking, in 2012, with the figure rising to 56% for those with an illness or a health problem. But the figure for those without disabilities was far greater at 82%.
In 2014, while the categories have been changed, the figures suggest there has been a decline in participation by those with the most severe conditions. Just 35% of those with a long-term condition which has a major impact on daily life had taken part in
The employment rate for those with a disability in Scotland was 42%, compared to 73.1% for the total population, a gap of 31%
19% of people in families with a disabled adult were in relative poverty, before housing costs. For families with no disabled adults, the figure was 12%