Over half of Americans publicly witnessed discrimination against people with disabilities

More than half of Americans have encountered some form of discrimination against people with disabilities, according to new research.

A new survey reveals that out of 2,000 respondents, only 43% said they’ve never witnessed any examples of a disabled person being discriminated against.

Meanwhile, 56% said they’ve seen discrimination taking place, most frequently at restaurants (30%), malls or stores (27%) and public transport (24%).

But despite these sobering numbers, most Americans think the country is becoming more inclusive towards people with disabilities.

The survey was conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative, a 501 c3 nonprofit dedicated to creating places for people of all abilities.

Results found that only 28% of respondents are involved with a local disability advocacy group in their community — and out of those who aren’t, 24% cited a lack of personal connection to the issue.

When there is that personal connection, the number jumps up; in fact, 78% of parents of children with a disability are involved in disability advocacy groups.

“We’ve seen firsthand that strong and continuing emphasis needs to be focused on bringing together those with and without special needs for a greater understanding of one another,” said Gordon Hartman, chairman of the board of Morgan’s Inclusion Initiative.

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Parents also listed some of the difficulties they face in their local community around disability awareness.

According to one respondent, people need to make more of an effort to “recognize [that] not all disabilities are physical.”

Another said that their adult child has “a chronic illness disability. There is very little support for these types of invisible illnesses.”

“We’ve come a long way in spotlighting inclusion, yet we need to continue looking for opportunities to make this a more inclusive nation for individuals with special needs,” Hartman added. “All of us – whether we have a personal connection to this issue or not – can become advocates for inclusion.”