Almost a quarter of disabled people in North West accused of faking disability, charity says

Video report by Granada Reports journalist Zoë Muldoon

There are calls for more to be done to challenge harmful and negative attitudes towards disability.

Research given exclusively to ITV News shows almost a quarter of disabled people in the North West have been accused of faking their disability, with some now avoiding socialising publicly altogether because of their experiences.

The research from disability charity Scope UK also shows:

An inclusion and diversity training group in Wigan called Happy Smiles Training delivers training sessions at schools, community groups and businesses across the North West, aiming to change perceptions around how disabled people are seen and valued.

Inclusion Champions Chloe and Victoria both say they have experience negative attitudes from other people, because they are wheelchair users.

Victoria said: "Sometimes it's just simple things, like people parking fully on the pavement and not leaving enough space.

"Someone told me I was just using my disability.

"It makes me feel bad, because I'm not putting it on."

Haydn Smith is the co-founder of Happy Smiles Training and is on a mission to change negative attitudes towards disabled people into positive ones.

He says while it is rare that someone would publicly abuse him, some of his team have been abused on nights out.

Haydn said: "Attitudes towards disabled people are slowly getting better, I think.

"But there is still a long way to go. I hope that our work will continue to positively impact communities to help create the change we need to see."

Alex Winstanley co-founded Happy Smiles Training with Haydn two years ago.

He is not disabled, but he was tired of seeing disabled people being undervalued and stigmatised.

Alex says the team face negative attitudes, sometimes on a daily basis. But the training they provide aims to spark conversations, and encourages people to ask questions.

Alex said: "We want to influence people in a positive way.

"We find that the more people engage through laughing and learning, the more people will take that message on board."

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