Not all disabilities are visible... discrimination and judgement in our everyday lives!
There is still a persecution even in 2023, that if you're not in a wheelchair or in very old, you're not disabled. We've all had the stares and glares, for example when you go into the disabled toilet or park in a blue badge parking space. We haven't asked for these different abilities and conditions... life had just dumped a huge pile on us!
All of this amounts to discrimination, which we all have to deal with whenever we manage to get out our front doors and when we are out and about. One of the ones which really ignores me is complete strangers thinking its acceptable and their business as to what I've done to my leg (as I have to wear a knee brace which goes from my thigh to my ankle) and that they are entitled to know. If I walked(ish) up to them and asked what was going on with them medically... I can pretty much guess the answers I would get; so why is it acceptable to ask someone who is disabled.
My other main frustration is when I park in a blue badge space... I've been told to get out of it as I don't look disabled. I wander round and they soon shut up when they see my brace, but then they think they are entitled to know what has happened. Personally, I find the elderly generation the worst for this; as I am 49 told I don't look it! My replies are quite often either 'none of your business' or if they have really gone for it ' we don't all have to be in God's waiting room to have a blue badge'.
All of this amounts to discrimination... so what is discrimination?
In the UK, it is defined as A person (A) discriminates against another person (B), if because of a protected characteristic (eg disabled, gender, etc); therefore if A treats less favourably than A would treat others; this is discrimination in a nutshell. If the protected characteristic is disability and person B is not a disabled person, A doesn't discriminate against B only because A treats disabled people more favourably than A treats B (www.legislation.gov.uk - Equality Act 2010 - Discrimination).
However, there are types of discrimination. Firstly, there is Direct, which means treating one person because of their protected characteristics differently; or Indirect which happens when an organisation for example, puts a rule or policy or a way of doing things in place, which has a worse impact on someone with a protected characteristic than someone without one.
The Equality Act became law in 2010, and it covers everyone in the UK and protects everyone in Britain from discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone is protected. As part of this act, there are nine protected characteristics, which are age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership; pregnancy and maternity; race, religion and/or beliefs; sex (gender) and sexual orientation (Equality & Human Rights Commission - Your Rights under the Equality Act 2010).
The Equality Act 2010, protects you from harassment and also under the Harassment Act 1997; the protection is it becomes a criminal offence if you are cause alarm; harassed and stressed more than one as a result of the action conducted against another person (Problem Neighbours, 2023). The law on Harassment in the UK, is someone you know could be harassing (for example a neighbour) or stranger. Harassment is when someone repeatedly behaves in a way that makes you feel scared, distressed or threatened (www.police.uk - Stalking and Harassment, 2023).
Harassment comes in a variety of forms, it might be verbal (for example, shouting things in the street about you; or non-verbal (for example sending malicious messages to you). It doesn't have to be the same type of action on each occasion, for example neighbours shouting things about you or having a conversation with another neighbour about you, but load enough to hear, or putting things through your letterbox, etc... I think you get what I mean, or at least I hope so. If these actions make you feel alarmed, harassed or distressed by their actions, then it is deemed as harassment even if it wasn't their intention (Problem Neighbours, 2023).
Harassment in a nutshell means if person/people cannot threaten you in a way that violates your dignity or creates a hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. Whereas, Victimisation means a person/people cannot treat you unfairly if you are taking action under the Equality Act (eg making a complaint of discrimination) or if you are supporting someone else that is doing so (Equality & Human Rights Commission - Your Rights under the Equality Act 2010).
Attitudes and persecutions towards people who are disabled still in 2023 have alarming and disgraceful figures. 3 out of 4 people have experienced negative attitude and/or behaviour in the last year, just for being disabled! Rigorously, 9 out 10 who have experienced negative actions towards them due to being disabled have reported it has a negative impact on their daily life. 33% have had assumptions or been judged about their capacity; and 19% have been stared at or given looks. Sadly, 25% of disabled people have had accusations of faking their impairment or not being disabled (Scope, 2023). In 2023, none of this is acceptable! How would someone without disabilities cope with this?
I personally have experienced all of these attitudes and behaviours. It's not right, you wouldn't if I wasn't disabled so why because I am?
I have even heard my ex carer talking loudly (as they only have one volume) talking to a neighbour about how they thought I was faking my impairment and disabilities. I wasn't faking it to them, when they were getting their carers allowance every week; or being chauffeured around London, when I was a clinical trial during the first COVID lock down!
When are people going to learn how to treat everyone with dignity and respect as they would wish to be? Treat people the way, you want to be treated and stop judging; instead try putting yourself in their place... how would you cope?
Could you deal with being in a disabled person's shoe, leg or wheelchair? How would you cope with the daily discrimination, just for having conditions you never signed up to, never asked for or wanted?
Think... before you stare and judge! Treat people the way you want to be treated.
