Is Scope Disability Friendly anymore?
Comments
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That must be hard i dont leave the house for other reasons are yoi still doing your arts and crafts id like to do something like that
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Have you considered turning off notifications?
I have all notifications including tagging turned off on here, and many other websites/apps.
That way I'm in control of how I use a website or app.
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Yes, I'm doing a peaky blinders diamond art
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Kimi87
How do I do that ?
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I do not have sensitivity issues, but I am very aware that many do, and over the past year I have been genuinely concerned by some of the replies I’ve seen here.
This is not about misreading tone or being overly delicate. It is about comments that are unnecessarily sharp, dismissive, or mocking. I have also seen instances of deliberate provocation that have gone unchallenged. When responses shift from addressing the topic to focusing on the person, the purpose of a support forum is fundamentally undermined.
Suggesting that someone turn off notifications places responsibility on the wrong person. It asks the recipient of harmful behaviour to adapt rather than addressing the behaviour itself. When workarounds are normalised instead of the issue being dealt with, the conduct driving people away becomes accepted by default.
Members have said openly that their mental health has been affected by how they have been spoken to here. This is a disability support forum. Many come here because other spaces in their lives are already difficult or unsafe. If this space begins to replicate that hostility, something has gone fundamentally wrong.
I have also seen threads deliberately derailed until they are eventually closed. It does not feel like genuine disagreement, it feels like a tactic. And when the outcome is a locked thread with a generic message, it is the person who raised the concern who loses their voice, not those who took it from them.
I am not asking for a space without disagreement. Disagreement is valuable. I am asking for a space where people can raise concerns and seek help without being mocked, dismissed, or strategically silenced.
Moderators have a role to play, but responsibility also lies with all of us to ensure that a disabled community does not become another hostile environment that mirrors the discrimination many already face elsewhere.
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I love the way you write you have always been so so supportive shared your knowledge with me on many occassions and really broke topics down for me i really appricate that and it saved me hours days of worry
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Several members feel they are targeted by others usually the same ones. So when they post anything it is immediately criticised.
They feel their opinion is undermined when they are trying to help others, or looking for support themselves.
We should be looking to support and help each other, not make another member feel worse than when they came on the forum.
We seem to have lost the ability to have a difference of opinion with respect for each other.
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This place does have issues, but it's nowhere near as bad as some other forums I've been on over the years where they attack you for the slightest thing.
I permanently deleted my Twitter account last year because of how toxic it was/is, especially when anything Political, and I'm strongly considering deleting Facebook, and this time it STAYS deleted.
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I have never used Facebook or any other social media platforms as they have never appealed to me. Before joining this forum, I spent some time reading as a guest while looking for PIP guidance, and what stood out was how respectful and supportive it felt.
In the end, I joined because I needed specific advice, and the advice I received was better than anything I could find on any PIP advice line. The members back then genuinely wanted to share their lived experiences and support people like me who were confused and lost in bureaucratic systems.
For many years, even when disagreements arose, they were handled constructively. The change over the past year has been noticeable. The whole point of Scope, for me, was that it was different. It was a community where people treated each other with care and respect.
We do not need to be better than Facebook or Twitter. We are here for a different purpose, and that purpose deserves to be protected.
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See notifications
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I deleted all fb tiktok instergram i go on youtubetiktok was the worst for me always scary stories
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YouTube can be pretty toxic, hence the rare times I upload my own content, I turn comments off by default, especially if I'm physically in it.
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I use facebook where I never encounter any negative issues.
I have seen the threads here on scope which have been quite unpleasant at times and uncalled for.
For that reason I have not engaged in particular topics, especially politics for fear of being subjected to ridicule because I disagree with the fact that some politicians have been insulted based on perception of their physical appearance and their supporters have been labelled with the most unessacery derogatory insults.
This is not grown up debate and it can create unnecessary tension rather than allowing healthy discussions in an environment where we can all feel safe to engage with others who accept differences of opinion and agree to disagree in a respectful manner.
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Hi all, we've removed a couple of posts this evening as they were directed at another member, or spun off from that discussion.
We want to be able to keep this discussion open but if posts continue to be made pointing fingers or assigning blame we will have no choice but to close it.
If anyone else is looking to share feedback, please avoid naming or criticising other members in this thread. If you have concerns about specific interactions, report them directly so we can review them fairly.
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I honestly hope that this thread stays open, as, even tho not everything has been positive, I really think members have tried to explain to the best of their ability issues they've identified.
It seems like we all want this to work, so let's work together. I also appreciate Adrian's input about 'some' issues. The difficulty may be in part how we word things, or come across; perhaps that sometimes a difficult one, but, as had been said by both Adrian & our members, the main thing is that we should be mindful that we address an opinion/the matter being discussed, & not another member, should we disagree.
Like @OverlyAnxious - I've been around since 2019, & tend to respond where I hope I can help with something factual, as others do. Quite honestly I'm amazed at the breadth of knowledge some of our members have. This is so good, & hopefully helps others.
Adrian, sorry but I take issue with saying that perhaps members have been hurt; it can be way more than that; members have stayed away (& been missed), & we don't know how many members we've lost, or never joined due to the content they've seen. Members have been more than hurt, they feel like they don't want to always engage on a forum that is for them. Minimising the effect of such words perhaps doesn't help.
It must be so difficult to act preemptivily, & I know you try, but, may I say as someone who takes a long type to type due to my problems, that it's more than frustrating when your comments disappear due to the action of others.
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Me thinks ya all need a bit of heliotherapy
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This is really well put, and it reflects what many members have been trying to express. The distinction you make between someone feeling hurt and someone choosing to step away is important. When people quietly stop contributing, that has a real impact on a community that exists to support those who need it most.
The point about lost members is one that deserves consideration. We can see who has stepped back, but we can never know how many people visited, read what was there, and decided this was not a safe space for them. That invisible impact is very hard to measure, but it is real.
The frustration of spending time on a thoughtful reply only for it to disappear when a thread is removed also resonates. That tends to affect the people who are trying hardest to contribute constructively, and it is discouraging when their efforts are lost because of the actions of others.
Your commitment to the community comes through clearly. Long standing members who continue to engage with care and clarity help set the tone for what this space can be at its best.
Hopefully the discussion here, leads to something more consistent and positive going forward.
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I think we need to remember that all members express themselves in different ways. No judgement should be made as to how they do this.
As a disability forum we should accept different reasons for members writing the way they do. It does not make their contributions any less valued.
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Interesting point. It might help if the moderators could explain how they approach situations where different communication styles start to affect the tone or safety of a thread, so everyone understands what the expectations are.
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Sometimes it is something as simple as leaving certain words out that change the tone of a post.
Like " This is really well put, and it reflects what many members have been trying to express" implying they did not get it quite right.
Whereas " This is really well put, and it reflects what many members have been expressing" is more inclusive.
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