Abstract
Around one-sixth of the European population have a disability, yet there are few self-declared disabled politicians. Despite scholarly and political interest in the under-representation of various social groups, little attention has been paid to disabled people. This article identifies and analyses the barriers to elected office faced by disabled people by drawing upon interviews with 51 candidates and elected politicians in the United Kingdom. It reveals barriers which occur throughout the political recruitment process, from initial participation to selection and the election campaign. They broadly fall into: (a) a lack of accessibility, including the built environment and documents; (b) a lack of resources to make events and activities accessible; and (c) ableism, including openly expressed prejudices but also a lack of awareness and willingness to make processes inclusive. While people with different impairments encounter some distinct barriers, all of them have similar experiences of obstacles and exclusion which go beyond those faced by people from other under-represented groups seeking elected office.
Highlights
Disabled people1 constitute a heterogeneous but sizeable social group, and yet close inspection of the make-up of our political legislatures reveals few disabled politicians
Despite the stipulation of the UK Equality Act 2010 that parties and local authorities must provide reasonable adjustments, we found that many disabled people face substantial barriers from the point of becoming politically active to competing in elections
Disabled people who stand for election or seek to be nominated as candidates face a multitude of barriers
Summary
Disabled people constitute a heterogeneous but sizeable social group, and yet close inspection of the make-up of our political legislatures reveals few disabled politicians. This article explores the obstacles to political representation faced by disabled people by examining the experiences of disabled candidates and elected politicians in the UK. It reveals barriers which occur throughout the political recruitment process, from initial participation to selection and the election campaign. We have grouped these obstacles into three categories: accessibility; resources; and ableism. The under-representation of societal groups can be an indication that they lack equality of access (Mansbridge, 1999)
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