In September 2011, the Equality and Human Rights Commission published a report which for the first time exposed the fact that disabled people experience repeated harassment, abuse and violence, often on a daily basis, to the extent that this has become normalised. The NUJ's failure to investigate my GP's belief that I had been assaulted had been regarded as being entirely reasonable by the Panel, who agreed with the NUJ's defence barristers that 'no one would wish to harm a disabled person'. (This presumably was a reason why the Irish police also failed to investigate, along with their expressed wish not to damage tourism.)
Disability hate crime, now believed to be by far the most common form of hate crime (particularly when disabled people are also lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and/or from a minority ethnic group), was not even recognised in law until 2003, a law which did not come into force until 2005. However, the failure to recognise disability hate crime as existing at all was a principle reason why my lasting impairments as a result of the incident were attributed by the Panel to psychological causes, with the blame placed largely on my GP for 'upsetting' me with his diganosis. Today, the increasing evidence about Tramadol drug interactions and the prevalence of disability hate crime make a psychological cause for my illness and subsequent impairments seem increasingly unlikely, unpleasant though experiencing the discrimination undoubtedly was at the time.
Other disability-related websites by Ju Gosling
Dr Ju Gosling aka ju90's ABNORMAL: How Britain became body dysphoric and the key to a cure is available now for just £3.09 for the Kindle or in a limited-edition hardback with full-colour art plates for £20 inc UK postage and packing. |