Yesterday I was reading a book called Scapegoat – why we are failing disabled people by Katharine Quarmby. This book highlights the institutionalised discrimination practiced against disabled people that has been taking place for hundreds of years.
During the sixties and seventies there were a number of institutional scandals that were exposed that took place at Ely Hospital, Farleigh Hospital, South Ockendon Hospital, Normansfield Hospital and other places. These exposes led to inquiries which showed that disabled people and the other residents of these long-stay hospitals were being treated inhumanely. These hospitals had originally been opened to house disabled people including those with mental health problems. Some of these hospitals, prior to the creation of the NHS, had been workhouses, lunatic asylums
It should not surprise us from the recent exposes about the mistreatment of children in children’s homes that it is children and especially disabled children who are prone to abuser in institutions. Katharine Quarmby is one of many researchers and practitioners who have exposed the degrading treatment of disabled people, people with learning disabilities and disabled children.
Here are just a few reports that have been published:
Put Away: A Sociological Study of Institutions for the Mentally Retarded by Pauline Morris (1969)
Attachment Theory by John Bowlby (1969)
The Empty Hours by Maureen Oswin (1971) drawing on her personal experience of teaching children in long-stay hospitals
Silent Victims: The Continuing Failure to Protect Society's Most Vulnerable: The Longcare Scandal by John Pring (2003)
Longcare Survivors: The Biography of a Care Scandal by John Pring (2011)
There is even a Parliamentary Select Committee report from the early 1800s
Last night I was watching, or should I say, watching again the expose of the Post Office Horizon Scandal – Mr Bates vs The Post Office. When I watch that brilliant dramatisation of the Horizon Scandal it makes me both upset and angry about how the sub-postmasters were used, abused, lied to and wrongly convicted of crimes. It showed how an organisation abused its’ powers to falsely imprison those sub-postmasters and during the programme we came to understand how this abuse of power had led to people’s lives being destroyed through bankruptcy, false imprisonment, some even took their own lives. Whilst the Post Office Scandal was about the abuse of corporate power it was also about exposing the Truth; and remembering that these sub-postmasters are real people, living real lives such as Alan Bates, Jo Hamilton, Lee Castleton, Jas Singh, and the many other sub-postmasters.
This made me think that we need someone to produce a dramatization of the inhumane treatment of disabled people both in institutional care as well as today by the Department of Work & Pensions (DWP) as exposed in The Department by John Pring. This is about real people as well, let me name just a few of those abused in these institutions – Ann Macfarlane, Charles Jarman, Raymond Turner. The victims of Disability Hate Crime including Raymond Atherton, Steven Hoskin, Christine Lakinski, Brent Martin and many others. As well as the Victims of the ‘Institutional Inhumanity’ of the DWP including David Holmes, Stephen Carre, David Clapson, Mark Wood, David Barr, Faiza Ahmed, Jodey Whiting, James Oliver, Errol Graham, Roy Curtis and others.
Disabled People are REAL PEOPLE. Sadly the new Labour Government are continuing with this inhumane and unacceptable treatment of disabled people. TODAY more than ever we need a blockbuster TV series like Mr Bates vs The Post Office to expose the institutional inhumanity and systemic discrimination perpetrated against disabled people.
Let us hope that someone reading this blog is in a position to make that mini-series – there is no shortage of material and evidence to draw upon.
It is Time for the TRUTH to be exposed
Love these book review / recommendations @kevinndaws