I had an amazing experience as a disabled person at school in the 70s. Since then, discrimination has got far worse | Mik Scarlet
Source: Guardian Jobs ↗
Mik Scarlet, a disabled media personality who survived a rare neuroblastoma diagnosed in 1965, recounts how his early education in the 1970s benefitted from the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act, allowing him to attend mainstream schools in Luton with substantial adaptations such as wheelchair‑accessible toilets and a lift at Putteridge High School. After a collapse of his spine at age 15 left him a full‑time wheelchair user, his school and later Luton Sixth Form College made further modifications under his guidance, enabling him to sit exams without difficulty. These inclusive measures contrasted sharply with his later experiences in the workplace, where two jobs ended in dismissal after he took sick leave following a lift accident and a car crash, illustrating the persistent barriers disabled people face in employment.
The turning point in Scarlet’s life came when he pursued music, touring the UK and Europe before being discovered by a television producer. He became one of the first disabled celebrities, fronting shows on the BBC, ITV and Channel 4, with his programme “Beat That” winning an Emmy and sustaining a media career of over fifteen years. However, from the late 1990s onward, public sentiment shifted dramatically; his Motability vehicle was repeatedly vandalised and he and his wife endured violent attacks, including threats to burn down their home. Scarlet attributes this hostility to government‑driven narratives that portray disability benefits as “free car, free house and loads of benefits,” a rhetoric amplified under Tony Blair’s administration and reinforced by successive governments and media outlets that falsely claim widespread fraud in the benefits system.
Now in his sixties, Scarlet works as an access consultant after retraining, yet he observes that the toxic stereotypes he endured have become entrenched in the national psyche. He describes recent incidents, such as being punched in the street for being labeled a “scrounger,” as evidence that discrimination against disabled people has worsened rather than improved. Scarlet argues that an accessible, inclusive society benefits everyone, and he calls for a reversal of the prevailing myths that vilify disability benefits, urging policymakers and the public to recognize the contributions and rights of disabled citizens.
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The U.S.'s central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The U.S.'s economy is growing at 2.3% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the U.S.'s own central bank rate closely. With the U.S.'s unemployment at 4.4%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the U.S. depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UK's central bank rate currently stands at 3.75%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UK's economy is growing at 0.8% with inflation at 3.2%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UK's own central bank rate closely. With the UK's unemployment at 5.6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UK depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
France's central bank rate currently stands at 2%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. France's economy is growing at 0.9% with inflation at 1.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track France's own central bank rate closely. With France's unemployment at 7.9%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is already under strain. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in France depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
Romania's central bank rate currently stands at 6.5%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. Romania's economy is growing at 0.7% with inflation at 7.8%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track Romania's own central bank rate closely. With Romania's unemployment at 6%, personal-finance effects like this land on a labour market that is currently fairly stable. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in Romania depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.
The UAE's central bank rate currently stands at 3.65%, so a global rates move like this could feed through to local borrowing costs. The UAE's economy is growing at 3.1% with inflation at 2.5%, the backdrop this story's effects play out against locally. Housing-market effects like this are usually felt most where mortgage rates track the UAE's own central bank rate closely. Health-system effects are harder to localise from economic indicators alone — the real impact in the UAE depends more on local healthcare capacity than the figures above.