People With Disabilities In UK Twice As Likely To Live In Poverty

Discrimination and poverty are increasing problems for people with disabilities in the United Kingdom, an annual survey finds.

In a survey of over 1,250 adults with disabilities, the advocacy group Leonard Cheshire Disability found that 42 percent of British people with disabilities are struggling to live on their current income. That’s a 9 percent rise since the group did a similar study in 2007.

“Disabled people are twice as likely to live in poverty as non-disabled people,” says John Knight, director of policy and campaigns at Leonard Cheshire Disability. “With disabled people entering the recession on a profoundly unequal footing to non-disabled people, the need for a government strategy to tackle disability poverty is now more urgent than ever.”

Meanwhile, discrimination also appears to be increasing. Nearly 1 in 10 survey respondents said they had been a victim of a crime committed based on their disability. And, 43 percent reported that they lost out on job opportunities because of an employer’s attitude about their disability.