BY JACK WELCH

CHANNEL 4 has been acting as a vocal champion for disabled people these past few weeks in the run up to this year’s Paralympic Games.

The tournament, in Rio de Janeiro, will begin in September.

Under the ‘Superhumans’ strapline, which I feel poses some of its own limitations, it does brings enthusiasm for what disabled people can achieve, and gives them a spotlight that does not come their way very often.

It’s hard to believe that, only four years on from the excitement that the UK Paralympics brought, figures from a new report by the Crown Prosecution Service indicate that hate crime incidents against disabled people have increased by over 40 per cent within the past year alone, from 503 to 707 convictions made in the most recent figures.

While it can be assumed to be a good sign that more people are now coming forward to tell the relevant authorities about these offences, it still remains a serious problem within society.

Disabled people are mistreated on the street by the same people who celebrate the achievements of Paralympic competitors.

Only a fortnight ago, I wrote another article to coincide with Disability Awareness Day on why hate crime remained such a problem. The lack of real understanding in many cases stems from insufficient efforts to bring awareness within schools. There needs to be a change in education policy and what we’re teaching in schools.

What was more worrying still from my research was the extent of crimes committed by 18-24 year olds and, as Scope’s ‘End the Awkward’ research found, around 20 per cent would actively avoid talking to a disabled person.

This trend of younger generations seemingly afraid of the disabled community is not healthy for building inclusive environments.