Study: Instances Of Discrimination, Hate Crimes Targeted To Disabled On The Rise In UK

Miami, FL (AHN) - A new survey has released some startling statistics on how people treat their fellow humans, according to researchers poverty and discrimination experienced by disabled people is on the rise. Furthermore one in ten disabled people reports being the victim of a hate crime.

In its annual national survey of people with disabilities in the United Kingdom. The Disability Review 2009, the charity found that 42 percent of those surveyed were struggling to live on their present income, a rise of 9 percent since 2007.

More than half (55 percent) had no savings, a rise of 6 percent since 2007. This is compared to 12 percent of the general UK population. Researchers also found that three quarters of those surveyed with dependent children were living below the poverty line.

Adding to the dire straits of the disabled, survey respondents reported that almost two thirds, or 63 percent, of respondents were in full poverty. With fall and winter temperatures approaching, failure to heat homes properly can cause pain, raise stress levels, and increase the likelihood of someone developing anxiety and depression.

The report also found that disability discrimination continues to exist across a wide range of other areas. Some of those include crime, employment and education.

• Crime, 9 percent of respondents report they have been the victim of disability hate crime.
• Employment, 43 percent of respondents believe that they have been turned down for a job or jobs because of their impairment, a rise of 7 percent from 2008.
• Education, 35 percent of respondents believe that teaching staff had a negative attitude towards them because of their impairment.

John Knight, Director of Policy and Campaigns at Leonard Cheshire Disability says, "With disabled people entering the recession on a profoundly unequal footing to non-disabled people, the need for a government strategy to tackle disability poverty is now more urgent than ever."

Shocked at the respondents instances of being a victim of a hate crime Knight says, "The fact that 9 percent of respondents report they have been the victim of hate crime is deeply worrying. There is a clear need for more robust identification and recording of disability hate crimes, better support for disabled people who are victims of crime and improved access to justice."