why is it OK to insult disabled people? — Scope | Disability forum
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why is it OK to insult disabled people?

KatieR2
KatieR2 Community member Posts: 28 Listener
Hi Scope,

I was interested in the article about public transport the other day. I haven't had that specifically but I agree that the current 'climate' makes people think less of disabled people. Comedians seem to think its fair game. And shouting at people on trains ... you couldn't do that to someone of a different race or you'd be hauled through the courts. Not that I'd want to, I just mean how come it isn't illegal? I think it is but somehow people seem to think its acceptable. Also saying things like nutters and looney bins hurts me when I think of how normal the mentally ill really are they just usually have been hurt in some way that they can't recover from. And then there was the cripple word used on telly recently, I don't know if anyone saw that but its not easy to repeat what it said ...

they used to say that charity begins at home

thanks for listening, Katie R

Comments

  • KatieR2
    KatieR2 Community member Posts: 28 Listener


    I'm a scoper
    I'm a hoper
    I'm a midnight joker
    get me a muffin on the run!
  • KatieR2
    KatieR2 Community member Posts: 28 Listener



    I saw a springy trunk
    swaying in the wind
    sex is what you make it
    it happens in your mind

  • popeye67
    popeye67 Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    All humour is usually at someones expense, way you have to look at at is what goes around comes around, few years ago i would probably have thought it funny now i have a five year old daughter with cp and spastic quadriplegia so i think a little differently, but i wouldn't necessarily not find it funny, laugh at the things that are meant to be funny and object to those things that are meant to offend, if the comedian had been in a wheelchair would you have been so offended.
  • KatieR2
    KatieR2 Community member Posts: 28 Listener



    I think its different if people are making fun of themselves
  • KatieR2
    KatieR2 Community member Posts: 28 Listener


    today I went to use a disabled toilet using my radar key. The attendant opened the door from the outside with a master key I think because I had locked it. Some girls had run into the mens toilets and the attendant wanted to offer the disabled toilet to a non disabled man so that he wouldn't encounter them. For a few seconds the door was open with the two of them laughing.

    I took the attendants name but am not sure whether to report this because of the length of time the door was open, they could say that it wasn't aimed at me. It may be they were laughing because there was another female in their way. I feel I've complained about alot of things recently and don't want to feel like a battle axe

    He should really knock though and if necessarily open the door very carefully taking care not to let anyone else look in.

  • popeye67
    popeye67 Community member Posts: 7 Listener
    another way of looking at it is often the only people who do have access to toilet facilities are disabled people, apart from town centres a lot of womens and most mens toilets are often shut due to councils not wanting to maintain them.
  • Talpa
    Talpa Community member Posts: 1 Listener
    Hi Katie,
    I'm really disappointed but sadly, not surprised, to hear of abuse on public transport and so on.

    I hope it's ok to pass on a link to a website, given that I work for the company who created it - but I think it could be a genuinely useful site for you and anyone else who's reading this and wishes they could do more.

    http://www.FixMyTransport.com intends to make it very easy for anyone to report any issue they have with public transport. It's also very easy to invite other people to 'support' your issue so for example, if you wanted to ask for increased staffing of trains in order to make travellers feel more secure, you could do so.

    I hope you'll give it a whirl - we're particularly keen that it represents those who need it most, be that the physically disabled, or anyone else who needs to rely on public transport but often finds it a chore.

Brightness