Virgin Media is helping to End The Awkward

End The Awkward is back. This year’s Scope campaign is bigger and better than ever – there is nowhere to hide from the awkwardness.

A staggering two-thirds of non-disabled people feel awkward around disability. Because they don’t know how to behave, they panic or avoid the situation for fear of doing the wrong thing. Considering that disabled people make up one in five of the British population, that’s a lot of time feeling uncomfortable. A worrying one in five 18-34 year olds told Scope they have actually avoided talking to a disabled person because they weren’t sure how to communicate with them.

The knock-on effect? A shocking four-in-ten disabled people told Scope that because of the negative attitudes they face, they have hidden their impairment. This means they may not be getting the support they need at work and they aren’t able to be themselves.

So when you meet a disabled person, Scope says Hide. No – not as in hide and seek – but H.I.D.E:

Say Hi,
Introduce yourself,
Don’t panic and
End the awkward.

Here’s what to avoid doing when you meet a disabled person:

Please find out more on the Scope website: http://www.scope.org.uk/end-the-awkward