by Silva Payne

Created on: June 29, 2008

I have had the experience of becoming disabled and then losing that disability again, and it has given me a valuable insight into how others view disabilities without actually having to ask them.

My disability, due to osteoarthritis, was reasonably visible. Towards the end of my disabled period, I was using crutches to move about. I truly feel for those whose disability is not obvious, because my experiences have shown me that even visible disabilities have the incredible capacity to be ignored by all but small children. In the UK, we are used to seeing Braille dots on many things, but when someone in the media talks about disabled people, they invariably mean those in wheelchairs. Making places 'disability-friendly' in the main, means installing a few ramps and a wider door, and having a grab-rail in the toilet (only one toilet mind you - heaven forbid more than one wheelchair user might need the bathroom at the same time!). But wider doors and grab-rails don't help deaf people very much.

Over recent years, I have seen several theatre plays that have been signed by a person standing at the side of the stage. A good idea in principal, but if you are watching the signer, how can you follow the actors? The BBC have a signed option on quite a few of their popular programmes now, but viewers must usually wait a few days for the signed versions to appear. With so many television channels at our disposal now via Freeview, is it really too much to ask the BBC to put some more effort into signing many more programmes, especially those that are pre-recorded such as soaps, and to air them at the same time as the non-signed versions?

There is also an attitude within business, particularly medium to large businesses, that because they must fill their quota of disabled employees now by law, they become over-enthusiastic about 'helping' disabled employees. I know it is done with the best intentions, but surely if a disabled person is able to find a job and get to the place of employment, then they are the ones with the expert knowledge on what equipment they may need, not the HR department. I requested a foot stool recently from a new employer, because I need to keep one leg elevated while I am sitting down. I was then booked for a full workstation assessment, which would have taken up to an hour if I had agreed, without anyone actually asking me if I wanted to be assessed. I told my line manager that I really only needed a foot stool, everything else was OK. HR ordered a foot-rest

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