Mind the exclusion gap

There
is a huge gulf between how politicians define social exclusion and how young
disabled people experience it, according to new research from disability
charity Scope.

Government
policy tends to assume that social exclusion centres around being jobless, but
many of those interviewed cited lack of control over their lives as a key
factor.

The
research found that very few of the young people had friends of their own age
or independent social lives, very few had any say over the big decisions
affecting their lives and many encountered barriers to going out in their local
community and taking part in leisure activities.

That
Kind Of Life: Social Exclusion and Young Disabled People with High Levels of
Support Needs from Scope on 020 7619 7341.