Disabled Britons see Paralympic Games as condescending

LESS than a quarter of disabled people and just 11 per cent of Britons overall are excited about the Paralympics, a poll has shown.

Apathy towards the Games is rife, according to the ComRes poll commissioned by disability charity Scope, with less than a third of disabled Britons and 18 per cent of the nation planning on watching all or most Paralympic events.

A significant proportion of disabled Britons also believe that the Paralympics is condescending to disabled people, while only one in five thinks it is inclusive.

A total of 22 per cent believe it is patronising and 20 per cent think it makes disabled people appear second-class. Just 23 per cent see it as empowering, while 61 per cent think it is an opportunity for disabled people.

Nine per cent think that the whole thing is a waste of money, compared with 5 per cent of the nation as a whole.

The charity also found that two-thirds of disabled people polled have experienced aggression, hostility or name-calling – up from 41 per cent in May.

And 46 per cent said they experience discrimination on at least a weekly basis, compared with 50 per cent in May.

Alice Maynard, chairwoman of Scope, said: “Changing attitudes is about visibility and increased familiarity in everyday life.

“But if the only disabled people that get any profile out of the Games are Paralympians – and their feats of sporting success – then it is unlikely that the Games will do much to change people’s perceptions of ordinary disabled people.”