New research reveals over a third (38%) of disabled people think that attitudes have not improved or got worse since 2012 (1).

• A quarter (28%) of disabled people did not feel the Paralympics delivered a positive legacy for disabled people.

On the fifth anniversary of the London 2012 Paralympic Games new evidence from the disability charity Scope shows despite the success of the games themselves, there has been little change in the way disabled people feel they are treated by society and supported by the government.

The poll of 1004 disabled adults also reveals:

• Three-quarters of disabled people have seen no change in the way that members of the public talk to them (75%) or the language that is used (72%).
• Nearly two-thirds of disabled people found no change in awareness of disabled people's needs (63%) or to make reasonable adjustments (63%).
• One in six (16%) disabled people feel they have been talked to in a patronising way since London 2012, rising to a third (33%) of disabled people aged 18 to 34.

​The London 2012 Paralympic Games ran between 29 August and 9 September. At the time it was Lord Coe's view that "we would never think of disability in the same way again", and polling from Channel 4 found Paralympic Games shifts attitudes towards disabilities.

The Games themselves saw disability given an unprecedented platform, with Paralympics GB taking home 120 medals, and para-athletes like Sarah Storey and Ellie Simmonds becoming household names.

Sports Think Tank Director Andy Reed said "The annual SCOPE survey/ opinion poll tends to try to lead on the negative headlines to get airtime. We will look at the details in more depth but I don't think the Paralympics set themselves up to create this type of legacy - to change all of societies attitude towards disabled people despite the rhetoric of Seb Coe slightyly carried away by the initial boost the Games gave to the issue. A 17 day event can only achieve so much. The sell out crowds for the 2017 Championships in the same stadium outline what that legacy was!

"We will return to the issue of Legacy in our Opinion piece this year and hopefully in our #sttroundtable series too."