I saw a post on social media that stated: ‘Pride is important because somewhere out there is a confused teenager who still thinks maybe being dead is better than being gay and that’s not okay’. I did a little research and discovered that the current suicide rate for disabled people living in the UK is 48% (Office of National Statistics). The same source states that that there are 14.6 million disabled people, me being one of them, so that indicates a suicide rate that can potentially see 7 million people dying annually because they see no value in continuing to live.
I do not support the hierarchy of suffering; pain is pain, it is not a competition to see who suffers the most. However, I am motivated by the fact that society willingly selects some groups for support while consciously ignoring others. The truth is that society does not really care about disabled people. I tried a little experiment, posting the 48% suicide rate to social media using various platforms and it provoked a response from only 5 people. That did not surprise me at all.
It has been my contention that society has become greatly apathetic about such issues, but Helen Keller observed the same indifference and she was active several decades ago. As uncomfortable an admission as it is people do not care until it affects them personally. It is also undeniable that some rights campaigns are seen as more deserving of support than others. I would go so far as to say that some social issues become more fashionable than others and receive greater coverage from the media and, consequently, celebrities, achieving a higher profile as a result. There is no ‘crumbs from the table’ scenario, however. The benefits won by one minority group do not easily transfer to other minorities. Whatever successes Black Lives Matter achieved disabled people have not experienced an improvement in how they are treated, perceived, or even represented. There is no national campaign to protect the disabled from suicide despite the number of potential suicide victims recognised. I do not apologise for reminding you that there are 7,000,000 individuals out there somewhere who might be thinking that being dead is better than living with a disability because that should not be okay.
Peter C Whitaker 
It baffles me that some disabled people get help and others fall through the net. Who decides? I have a friend who has had cerebral palsy since birth and is wheelchair bound. The varied access problems he faces from one venue to another determine whether or not he can visit that particular pub or restaurant or coffee shop etc. As you can imagine his daily life is a huge struggle. YET I have never met a more positive and caring person. Always ready to listen to and help others, he is heavily involved in campaigning for our local A+E and often stewards and helps out at other charitable events. he’s a thoroughly good guy…yet there are those in our society who would take one look at him and not give him the time of day…worse still there are some despicable beings (who should not be allowed to walk this earth) who would mock and make rude remarks…yes, you’re right, I have to agree, society does not care!
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Supporting certain minorities appears to have become something of a fashion statement for some sections of society. It is cool to be pro-race issues or support the LGBT community, it has never been popular to show the same consideration for disabled people. Even the ‘Special Olympics’ has not done much to change the life experiences of the majority of disabled people.
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