Levels of physical impairment are high in the District. The 2001 Census shows that the District has a much higher than average proportion of the population reporting that they are disabled or suffer from a limiting long-term illness. Certain areas within the District, particularly along the coast, report levels of disability that are among the highest in the East Midlands.
Disabled people suffer from common barriers that prevent them from playing a full part in society. The four main barriers for disabled people might be defined as:
Attitude
Other people’s attitudes towards disabled people can provide a barrier. Attitudes that provide a barrier to disabled people can stem from prejudice, ignorance, lack of education, lack of confidence and fear. The attitude of others influences expectations of disabled people and results in assumptions and generalisations about individual abilities.
The environment
Physical access can be inhibited by the design of roads, pavements and buildings if the physical needs of different people have not properly been taken into account. The Disability Discrimination Act aims to make public buildings accessible to all people.
Society
Societal barriers relate to the existence of a culture in which the needs of disabled people are not considered in, for example, decision-making, the development of policy or laws, or the provision of services.
Language
Language can stereotype, dismiss or label people and help to create other barriers that lead to their exclusion.
Am I being discriminated against?
According to the Disability Rights Commission discrimination on the grounds of disability occurs where:
A disabled person is treated less favourably than somebody else, and:
There is a failure to make a reasonable adjustment for a disabled person, and:
- That failure cannot be justified
