Just under two thirds of workers avoid people with disabilities because they are unsure of how to act around them, while a third view them in an actively negative light.
These are the key findings of a survey undertaken among 3,000 UK adults by BT.
The study also revealed that among those who had negative attitudes towards disabled people, some 38% saw them as a burden on society. A further 28% were unhappy about the perceived extra support they received, while 79% cited personal worries and sensitivities made worse by recession.
At the same time, only two out of five workers believed that employers should make more reasonable workplace adjustments to cater the needs of staff with disabilities. But in an apparently contradictory fashion, a huge 85% felt that they could do more to boost their employment and career progression options.
Caroline Waters, the telco’s director of people and policy, said: “In order to give some people a fair chance, you sometimes treat them differently. Until we understand that fair doesn’t always mean the same, our society will unnecessarily compound any limiting effects of disability and continue to waste the potential of thousands of our fellow citizens.”
It was important to access that attitudes could be, and often were, more damaging than the disability itself, she added.
Carers’ rights day
But disabilities themselves were assumed to be purely physical by around 52% of respondents, with only 7% even considering mental issues on being told that an individual was disabled. Moreover, only a quarter of people saw facial disfigurement as a disability, although two thirds classed hearing loss in that way.
On the other hand, three out of five respondents admitted to staring at a disabled person because they were different, while just over half admitted that they felt uncomfortable on meeting a disabled person for the first time. Men (54%) were less at ease than women (50%), however.
The news came to light as Sainsbury’s announced that it was sponsoring the publication of 50,000 copies of charity Carers UK’s essential advice guides to coincide with Carers Rights Day today, which is aimed at raising financial support.
A new Carers UK report entitled ‘The Cost of Caring’, which was based on a survey of more than 4,200 carers, pointed to the difficult financial position faced by many.
It revealed that 47% were cutting back on essentials such as food and heating to make ends meet and about the same number were making themselves ill over money worries. A further 45% were in debt as a result of their caring activities, while 31% were living on an overdraught.
One in eight of the UK workforce combine employment with caring for ill or disabled loved ones. There are currently a total of about 6.4 million carers in the country.
Sainsburys joined the Leadership Group of membership body Employers for Carers, which is chaired by BT and supported with expertise from Carers UK, at the end of last year.
