Letter

Forget ‘us’ and ‘them’

Dear healthmatters — While it is important to attack the Thatcherite approach of relating everything to profitability, don’t fall into the trap of always blaming ‘them’ and always defending ‘us’.

Your magazine will fail unless it is prepared to make a stand and focus on discrimination and bad practice wherever it exists. One could ask: Why don’t all swimming pools have access lifts and harnesses for disabled people? Why don’t all sports stadia, theatres and cinemas have disabled access? And why is the occasional self-righteous fuss made about mobility allowances when at the same time the whole public transport system in this country militates against people with disabilities?

The answer in every case is that the attitude of able-bodied people to people with disabilities — either of looking the other way or expressing pity — is as much the reason for discrimination continuing as is government penny-pinching.

If all of ‘us’ were fighting for equal access to public life for everyone, then it wouldn’t leave ‘them’ with much option other than to do something about it.