The disability charity Scope has defended itself against attacks made on a new website launched by a disabled activist.
Dr Laurence Clark criticises the charity's employment record, advertising campaigns and the segregated schools it runs on his website, spastics-society.com. However the charity has hit back and claimed that his assertions are inaccurate and misleading.
Dr Clark claims, for example, that less than 3% of Scope's 3,789 employees are disabled people, that only 2% of their line managers are disabled people, and less than 2% of their senior managers are disabled. "This again reflects how little influence we, as disabled people, have over the organisation," he said.
"Scope is currently not even eligible for the 'two tick' system, the government's kite mark for employers who are positive about disabled people!" he added, refering to the scheme that guarantees an interview for staff and applicants with disabilities who meet the essential criteria for advertised posts.
He also criticised Scope's advertising campiagns for being patronising and stereotypical and questions the use of images of disabled children in the latest advert, which has a strapline: "Don't feel like going to work? We do."
"Surely a better image would have been disabled adults in real jobs?" he said. "By focusing on children they are encouraging the public to think of all disabled people as 'childlike'."
However Christine McGill, spokeswoman for the charity, said that the figures on Scope's disabled employees were from a survey in 1998, when only 50% of the 4,000 staff responded to the questionnaire, with 3% saying they were disabled.
"We didn't force people to declare their disability," said Ms McGill. "The charity is planning to conduct another survey in the next few months."
Ms McGill said the charity would also review whether to join the "two tick" system and defended the use of children in the advert, saying it was supported by focus group research.
She added that the charity had brought about significant improvements in the integration of children into mainstream schooling.
"What we do is informed by our service users and members, perhaps Dr Clark would like to become a member and engage with us in a more positive way," she said.
Rachel Hurst, director of the radical activist group Disability Awareness in Action, would not be drawn on the specific allegations against Scope, but said: "In today's society it is abhorrent that disabled people are not in charge of their own organisations."
The spastics-society.com website was launched last week, taking it name from Scope's former title, The Spastics Society, which it ditched as offensive and outdated eight years ago.
