Letter: Disabled still lack equality

Sir: In a useful point about not patronising disabled people, Virginia Ironside ("Dilemmas", 10 October) paints a picture of near-equality of access and opportunity and of resolved difficulties for disabled people. This could not be further from the truth.

Scope's own survey Disabled in Britain: A World Apart (1994) shows that disabled people would like to enjoy things that the rest of the populace do, if only the proper provision was available.

Disabled people do not have freedom of access. Contrary to her view, ramps are not available on request and, it may surprise your readers, neither are wheelchairs. Public toilet facilities are still very difficult to find, while obtaining funding for private adapted facilities, an everyday need, is often a long and difficult process.

Our survey shows that more than two-thirds of disabled 18 to 24-year- olds have been called names and a majority felt excluded from work and social activities. Clearly most of Ms Ironside's opening paragraph is dangerously misleading.

RICHARD BREWSTER

Chief Executive, Scope (formerly The Spastics Society)

London W1