Invisible disability hate crime is on the increase and many disabled people fear leaving their homes or even using the priority parking spaces and disabled access toilets they are legally entitled to.
Invisibly disabled public transport passengers are being accosted for using priority seating and made to feel ashamed for not giving them up when they have every right to use them.
The main aim of this project is to use visual communication to raise awareness of invisible disabilities, and the legitimate right of the invisibly disabled to access priority accommodations under the current symbol, without having to constantly verify they are “disabled enough”.
Questions in parliament and a two-year campaign to redesign the ISA has failed to find a workable solution, so this defective mark will be with us for another fifty years.
People with invisible disabilities are often subject to negative “ableist assumptions” when utilising disabled services such as parking spaces and priority seats on public transport.
A prominent ableist assumption is that you are not ‘really’ disabled unless the disability is visible, especially through an assistive device. Only 1% of the WORLD population uses a wheelchair.
There are
14 Million disabled people in the UK
22% of the population
1 in 5 People in the UK are disabled
However, 80% of disabilities are invisible
Those who have an age, health or disability reason for not wearing a face covering should not be routinely asked to give any written evidence of this, including exemption cards.
Disability Hate Crime Reporting
Even with the toilet signs designed by The Crohn’s & Colitis Organisation my daughter who has ulcerative colitis is often subjected to judgmental stares, rude comments and upsetting challenges.
Not all Disabilities are Visible
‘Microaggression’, “A comment or action that expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.” Invisibly disabled are often subjected to microaggressions in the form of ‘Nasty Notes’
Access to a disabled toilet is not a privilege it is a necessity!
When it comes to disabled priority space on public transport, invisibly disabled people are at the back of the queue, because they have no visible proof of requirement.
In 2019 the government extended the Blue Badge parking scheme to include many invisible disabilities that previously were not recognized.
