When 'Friends' Judge: A Raw Account of Modern Disability Discrimination

I was in a coffee shop writing when I overheard a group of older people discussing a "friend" of theirs.

What I was hearing shocked me and also left me feeling a bit rubbish about myself. Why? These people were being judgmental and naïve about the realities of living with a disability.

For clarity, I do not know who they were talking about, and I certainly don’t know them personally. But to me, that doesn’t matter. I am a fellow human being who’s capable of feeling genuine empathy towards others.

They spoke as if they knew this person well and made it out like they spent significant amounts of time with them. So one could assume they were friends and I certainly use this term lightly.

Who needs enemies when you have friends like that?

Understanding PIP

The conversation seemed to be based around a welfare benefit available in the UK called PIP or Personal Independence Payment. This disability benefit comprises two parts; daily living and mobility and within each of those parts, you can either qualify for a low or high rate.

I will not go into all the details of how this works, as to be quite honest, it isn’t relevant to this post. For more information or to see if you qualify (UK citizens only), visit this link.

If a claimant receives the high rate for the mobility component of their PIP claim, they can also apply for another scheme run by a third party. This is called Motability.

Motability aims to help disabled individuals maintain their independence by providing access to vehicles of their choice. They also offer necessary adaptations, such as wheelchair hoists and hand controls for braking and acceleration.

They fund the scheme by deducting the disabled person’s high rate mobility element of PIP. The DWP will send monthly payments directly to Motability to fund the lease for claimants.

Now you have the context of how this works in the UK, the rest of this post will make a little more sense. But unfortunately, there needs to be more understanding of the societal dynamics currently at play in the UK.

Societal Dynamics & Politics

Historically, in the UK, there have been two main political parties, one representing the left and the other the right. If you aren’t sure on these terms, don’t worry, you aren’t alone. I had to look up the best way to describe them for this post and the short answer was that there was no short answer, really. So, I thought I would ask AI for a one word description - which for reference is the only input AI has had on this post.

So, I went and asked four super smart language models for their input, and here's what they came up with.

Now, why did I decide to ask AI for these? In short, I am apolitical and I want this blog and my writing to be too. Of course, I will have opinions on what any political party has done and yes, I may voice them. Politics over the last 15 years has become so divisive and not just in the UK, in many western countries. By using simple, one-word descriptions, I can remain apolitical and make it easier for my readers, especially those who aren't interested in politics. That’s how it went in my head, anyway!

Back to the point. These descriptions reveal that they each have varying and very different ideologies.

From 1997 to 2010, the Labour Party, when in power, introduced the National Minimum Wage to protect workers from exploitation and ensure everyone earned a minimum hourly wage. They introduced Tax Credits, a welfare benefit aimed at supporting low earners by supplementing their income.

When the Conservative Party came to power in 2010, they implemented one of the largest peacetime austerity programs in Britain, remaining in power until the summer of 2024. Cutting spending to all government departments except for the NHS or National Health Service.

The Infamous Note

This was because of the apparent overspending by the previous administration, the Labour Party. Liam Byrne, the former Labour Chief Secretary to the Treasury, left a notable note on his desk for his successor to find.

For those that don’t remember, didn’t know or who can’t read his terrible writing, he wrote;

“Dear Chief Secretary, I’m afraid there is no money left.”

This didn’t go down well, and the other side repeatedly raised it when arguing with Labour about their economic track record.

Anyway, I digress. Labour overspent, the Conservative created a monster in the austerity program. So how does this link with the topic of this blog post?

Right-wing views often portray benefit claimants as a burden on society, believing that individuals are solely responsible for their situations and can improve without claiming help. This ideology is right but also very wrong all at the same time.

It's true that there will always be a few individuals who take advantage of the system, but thankfully, they represent just a small fraction of all the claimants out there. Most people are genuinely in need of support!

The Role of Media

However, since 2010 when the right leaning Conservative Party took over government, the media supporting this political persuasion exploded. I've noticed that newspapers and other media outlets seem to produce more content that focuses on creating a divide between people on benefits and those who are working hard. It's interesting how narratives can shape our perspectives! Figures showed that many individuals and families receiving state support were working families. Many believed that people should simply work harder, despite working 40 hours a week at minimum wage and still needing support.

This period saw the rise of documentaries, which were more like reality TV, such as "Benefit Street." Highlighting what life was like for those on benefits, when in fact these weren’t your typical benefit claimants at all. Shows like this portrayed a lifestyle of laziness, alcohol and drug misuse and other non typical activities.

The next group targeted by the government and their media allies were individuals receiving disability benefits. This group faced negative portrayals that questioned their legitimacy and dependence on support. As welfare reform discussions increased, these individuals became more vilified, facing public scrutiny and unfair stigmatisation. The combination of government rhetoric and media representation aimed to shift public perception, ultimately affecting the lives of countless vulnerable people.

Distasteful and misleading characterisations have often permeated historical narratives surrounding disabled individuals. People unfairly branded these individuals as work-shy, lazy, or accused them of “swinging the lead”—a colloquial term suggesting they are feigning or exaggerating their condition to gain additional support. This rhetoric undermines genuine struggles and spreads harmful stereotypes, negatively impacting how society views and treats disabled people. This ongoing stigma emphasises the need for better representations that honour the resilience and contributions of disabled individuals.

This aligned with the government's austerity measures, gaining public support for their spending cuts.

Unfortunately, the divisive and, to be completely honest, untrue, sensationalism journalism caused tremendous damage to society. It widened the divide between "them" and "us," making anyone claiming disability benefits a target. It has worsened mental health issues for a marginalised group, making people afraid to apply for needed support. Those already receiving help are anxious because of frequent reassessments.

Bringing this back to my experience in the coffee shop a few days ago and hearing the way these older people spoke regarding another human who was given a vehicle through the Motability scheme - which I feel it is important to add are not “easy” benefits to qualify for and most times require face-to-face assessments with a qualified medical professional and lots of medical evidence from your NHS teams.

Is Humanity Broken?

My coffee shop visit reminded me of people’s judgmental nature and humanity’s loss of essence.

Our empathy. Our understanding. Our compassion for others. Our want to see others succeed in whatever that may mean to them and their life circumstances.

I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect me. If it didn’t make me think about any of the state support, I may receive or am entitled to. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wonder if people saw me as a burden on society. These thoughts and feelings overwhelmed me for a day or two. Until I realised I am better than them. I am a better human being than them. While my body and brain may not function as well as others, I still possess essential human traits like love, care, and empathy for others, which I value.

Most are trying to improve themselves and their lives. We should never compare our journey with others, as we all have our own paths to follow.

On reflection, I considered speaking up, but unfortunately confrontation and stress do not play well with my body because of my conditions. I chose not to engage in this battle since it wouldn't change these people's behaviour, and it wasn't worth spending a day or two recovering from the interaction.