It would be easy to respond to Philip Davies comments on the disabled with shrill outrage. It would be easy to react with anger. But that would be too easy. And, frankly, it wouldn’t achieve very much. Instead, I’ll respond with fact and reason.
In a world with a minimum wage, Davies' proposal if enacted would do a tremendous disservice to those individuals for whom minimum wage would not apply. Why? Because it sends a signal: ‘people with disabilities aren’t worth as much’.
Put another way, his approach would send a government sanctioned signal that those with disabilities who seek employed simply aren’t as good as those without disabilities.
For sure, there is an extent, often significant, to which disability places an individual at a natural disadvantage against a candidate without the disability. My sister, for example, has hemiplegic cerebral palsy.
Jobs which require standing for prolonged periods of time are out of the question for her. Equally, jobs which require the lifting/moving of goods aren’t possible.
But there are plenty of jobs where she can compete with equal ability to individuals without any form of disability. She’s a driving instructor and competes in a market saturated with skilled competition. And she does well because, ultimately, clients trust her ability to deliver a service that meets their goals at a price they consider reasonable.
Davies appears to be talking specifically about individuals with learning disabilities. But for the purposes of understanding the devastating effect his proposal would have on that group, let’s assume it applied to disabled people generally.
It would send a very simple and powerful signal about all those with disabilities: ‘disabled people aren’t as good’.
Now, imagine you’re a disabled driving instructor offering your services in a crowded market. Suddenly, your ability to win clients and provide for your family is fatally undermined by fact that the government has placed a great big stamp on your life which says ‘this person isn’t worth as much’.
And that is nothing short of a disgrace.
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