Equality within my Borough (Part 3)

Have you faced discrimination within the London Borough of Sutton and if so, what were the circumstances?

I believe that in everyone’s life education is paramount and is the most important starting block for life’s journey. Changes have taken place within the Borough and I would hope that a similar scenario would no longer take place. My own experience was based around my secondary school education. At the age of 14 years, my school in Sutton took the decision that it was no longer viable for me to continue my education with them and steps were taken to transfer me to a “special school” in Kingston. I do not want this and with the backing of my parents, I was able to appeal against this decision and continued my education at my mainstream secondary school. This situation arose purely by my London Borough of Sutton school not recognising the minor changes that needed to be implemented i.e. ensuring that all my classes were on the ground level etc. It was almost as if myself and my parents had to educate my educators!

Another way in which I have experienced discrimination is within the workplace and I truly believe that this still exists today and that the London Borough of Sutton should be doing more to educate and advise employers within the borough. As I entered the world of employment, I applied for many positions both locally and throughout London. I was rejected time and time again often with the organisations giving me feeble excuses by way of an explanation but it was very clear to me that these decisions were taken due to my disability and amounted to indirect discrimination. At the time, laws were not in place that allowed me to challenge this and today it is a very different story. However, there still exists within the London Borough of Sutton the opportunity for disabled people to engage in “meaningful” employment mainly due to lack of understanding and knowledge of the true access requirements of disabled people. I do feel that not only the London Borough of Sutton but also London as a whole should be addressing this.

Do you live your life in a way that others may consider as different?

My initial response would be “no” – I live, work and socialise just like everyone else. However, on reflection I suppose the true answer would be “yes”. I do live life just like everyone else but the manner in which I do it is somewhat different. I do not think of this as being different merely as a change in the way of working or accomplishing things. These so called differences are purely my uniqueness just like someone picking up the telephone and calling a friend – I would rather grab my phone and text instead which is actually more in line with the youth of today!

Understanding Disability - Physical Impairment

A physical impairment is the most visible of all disabled people and it is for this reason that people with a physical impairment often suffer from the most obvious discrimination.

A physical impairment can be defined as any condition which limits the physical function of limbs or fine or gross motor ability. Partial or total paralysis, stroke, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, amputation are just some examples of physical impairments.

It is not necessary to discuss with a person the cause of their impairment but it useful to be aware of the barriers that people may experience. For example, people may have: tremor or shaking; weakness; pain; reduced control of limbs; inability to sit upright or short or missing limbs.

Physically impaired people may use mobility aids such as wheelchairs or crutches. They may have assistance from other people in daily life and may use a range of assistive devices to control the environment, to manipulate objects or carry out tasks.

Misconception: People with a physical impairment are brave and courageous.
Truth: Adjusting to a physical impairment requires adapting to a lifestyle, not bravery and courage. Going to university, having a family, participating in sporting events and working in a job are normal not heroic activities for people with physical impairments just as they are for non-disabled people.

Misconception: People with physical impairments have lower IQs or cannot be educated.
Truth: People with physical impairments have a full range of IQs and academic abilities. The degree of the physical impairment has no bearing on a person’s mental capacity.

Misconception: People who use wheelchairs can’t get around
Truth: It may well be a fact that some people using wheelchairs cannot walk but others can. Many people who use wheelchairs do so because they tire easily or because their strength is limited and using a wheelchair makes it possible for them to travel longer distances, or to be ‘out and about’ for longer periods of time.

Misconception: People with a physical impairment always need help.
Truth: Many people with physical impairments are independent and do not always require assistance. And while anyone may offer assistance, most people with physical impairments prefer to be responsible for themselves.
There are many obvious things that society can implement to increase access for people with a physical impairment such as ramps, accessible transport links etc but it is often the hidden barriers that get forgotten.

Let’s think about this logically a ramp is of little use if the doorway is too narrow or if once inside, the area is not accessible i.e. no turning space for wheelchair users etc. An access requirement for a person with a physical impairment may be as simple as providing a comfortable chair or a wrist support for computer use.

As with all disability issues, it is best to ask the individual what access requirement they have – they know better than anyone else what is best suited to their needs.

Understanding Disability - Learning Difficulties

Learning Difficulties covers many different conditions including people with Dyslexia, Downs Syndrome and some behavioural difficulties.

A big part of the misconceptions surrounding Learning Difficulties is due to misinformation. Some of the common misconceptions are:-

Misconception: Learning difficulties are in some way environmental and therefore the parents are to blame.
Truth: Learning disabilities are not due to parental neglect. They are genetic, and therefore they are an inherited characteristic just like height, skin tone or eye colour. Just because a child's parent is dyslexic doesn't mean that a child will be.

Misconception: Learning Difficulties are all the same.
Truth: Not all Learning Difficulties are the same as there are many different types. Some of the most common include dyslexia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, auditory and visual perception impairments, and memory conditions. Some may well face similar barriers but that does not automatically mean they are linked to one another and therefore there is no uniformed approaches. In many cases, people with the same Learning Difficulty respond differently to learning, life scenarios etc. Therefore, it is important to focus on the individual rather than the Learning Difficulty.

Misconception: People with Learning Difficulties require special education.
Truth: This is not the case and a broad assumption should not be made. The type of learning required is very dependent on the person and in many cases learning within the mainstream schooling system is more beneficial. For those with mild to moderate academic requirements simply providing class-room assistance may be all that is needed.

Misconception: Learning Difficulties indicate a lack of intelligence.
Truth: Definitely not! Many people with Learning Difficulties are just as intelligent (if not more so) as everyone else. Whilst some people with Learning Difficulties may find it harder to process different types of information i.e. letters, numbers etc they may be more creative or possess improved memory skills. Learning Difficulties have absolutely nothing to do with intelligence just the way in which information is processed.

Looking beyond these misconceptions to the access requirements, it is important that we think less about the Learning Difficulties and more about the individuality of the person.

There are some access requirements that generally cover most people with Learning Difficulties i.e. ensuring information is presented in an easy way to understand; whether it is large and clearer print, easy read documents or pictorial. As well as this there are some people with Learning Difficulties who do not read and use an audio tape and for this we must ensure that the wording is easy to read and therefore easily understandable.

The best advice that we can heed when considering access requirements for people with Learning Difficulties is to remember that Learning Difficulties vary across the board and even though there are general things society can do, they do not catch everyone in the net. The surest way of being fully accessible to people with Learning Difficulties is to ask them and listen to what they have to say.

Understanding Disability - Visual Impairment

There are many misconceptions about people with visual impairment.

Misconception: Visually impaired people see nothing.
Truth: The majority of Visually impaired people have SOME useful vision - distinguishing between light and dark and only about 18 per cent of visually impaired people are totally without useful vision.

Misconception: Visually impaired people have special gifts and a “sixth” sense.
Truth: There are no special gifts or “sixth” sense and many visually impaired people have a poorer sense of hearing or touch than sighted people particularly as they grow older. It is just having the appropriate support and training together with good old fashioned common sense and practice that makes all the difference.

Misconception: All Visually impaired people feel other people’s faces.
Truth: A very small number of visually impaired people use touch to identify people. 77% of visually impaired people retain enough sight to recognise family and friends close up.

Misconception: All Visually impaired people can read Braille.
Truth: It is estimated that approximately only 13,000 Visually impaired people can read Braille fluently. Far larger numbers rely on large print and audio instead of Braille.

Misconception: All Visually impaired people own guide dogs.
Truth: There are approximately 4,800 guide dog users in the UK. This is a tiny percentage of the estimated two million Visually impaired people in the UK.

Misconception: Visually impaired people cannot work.
Truth: Due to the advances in new technology, such as speaking computers etc, there are very few jobs that a visually impaired person cannot do.

There are many things society can do to increase access for Visually impaired people. These include:-

* The use of large print and font size – best practice recommends Ariel 14
* Colour contrasting and tactile markings
* Use of audio

These are only a few general examples and you should NEVER assume. ALWAYS ask about access requirements – i.e. those things needed to enable us to take part in something.