Again, we see the able-bodied thinking they are helping the "disabled" by raising money, this time in a concert for Menphys (Mercury, December 5).

I did not see one "disabled" person singing or dancing in the photographs. Why not? Because, when it comes to treating the "disabled" as normal fellow citizens, most people look the other way.

Just how is this money (or all the money in the world) going to make one iota of difference to a harassed mother who has to cope with washing, ironing, cleaning and cooking, while keeping a disabled person happy and entertained, all day, every day? Do these people have "disabled" friends who are treated absolutely normally and expected to go to university and have a professional career the same as everyone else? I doubt it.

My daughter was thought to be disabled at birth - Down’s syndrome - as I was 40 when she was born. The treatment we received was absolutely outrageous. We were not treated like other parents and children. Indeed, the "doctors" would have killed her, if they could.

We have tried school after school and been turned away. Fortunately, being a grammar school teacher, I could teach her at home. She is not disabled at all, but very clever, yet we still get people treating her like a child, even though she is 18.

If you are "disabled", or are caring for a disabled person, you have to fight every inch of the way.

Fortunately, my daughter takes exams privately, from a teacher who also happens to be disabled, but has not let it hinder her in a teaching career of 49 years.

So, instead of giving yourself a pat on the back for raising money, go out and offer to help a disabled person, or just treat them normally and politely. Include them in a group of friends and make sure they are helped to make the best possible use of their life, at work, in the professions, at college and university. Bet you don’t! Miss Margaret F Guise, Long Eaton..

TAG: world disability news