Paralympics effect

Three-quarters of Britons feel more positive about the role of disabled people in the UK following the Paralympics, according to a BBC survey carried out three months on from the Games.

Nearly 80% of 2,400 non-disabled people questioned for the BBC also said they thought wider perceptions of disability had improved.

But the figure dropped to 65% among the 600 disabled people who were surveyed.

Richard Hawkes, chief executive of the disability charity Scope, told the BBC: “It’s a tough time to be disabled ... It can be a struggle to get out and about in the community.” But Hawkes said we shouldn’t write off the Paralympics effect.

“We need to build on the momentum. It’s about visibility and greater discussion.

“Let’s ask what else we can do to increase disabled people’s visibility in the media, in politics, in the arts and above all in everyday life.”