So what is the situation more recently?

The following statements and statistics are taken from a DfES Disability Briefing in February 1999. Here are some key facts and figures taken from a Labour Force Survey (LFS) (1998):

■ Disabled people account for nearly a fifth of the working-age population (men 16–64, women 16–59) in Great Britain. There are over 6.2 million people with a current long-term disability or health problems.

■ Estimated number of people covered by the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) in Great Britain: of all ages: current disability: 8.5 million; current or past disability: 9.7 million.

■ Disabled people have fewer qualifications than their non-disabled counterparts. They are more than twice as likely to have no formal qualifications.

■ Disabled people are only half as likely as non-disabled people to be in employment.

■ Employment rates vary greatly between types of disability.

■ There is little difference between disabled and non-disabled people with regards to whether their job is permanent.

■ The average hourly pay of disabled employees is around 10 per cent lower than that of non-disabled employees.

■ The unemployment rate for long-term disabled people is nearly twice as high as that for non-disabled people, 10.7 per cent compared with 5.7 per cent. Their likelihood of being one of the long-term unemployed is also higher.

So the picture is one of gradual improvements in the quality of life for disabled people over a very long period of time. In our current social climate, however, there are still barriers reducing the potential for disabled people to function successfully both in education and in the workplace.

Discussion

How has the history of treatment of disabled people affected our current thinking? Are disabled pupils really emancipated in our current education system?