Disability and political representation: Analysing the obstacles to elected office in the UK
| Author | Elizabeth Evans,Stefanie Reher |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120947458 |
| Published date | 01 November 2022 |
| Date | 01 November 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
https://doi.org/10.1177/0192512120947458
International Political Science Review
2022, Vol. 43(5) 697 –712
© The Author(s) 2020
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DOI: 10.1177/0192512120947458
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Disability and political
representation: Analysing the
obstacles to elected office in the UK
Elizabeth Evans
Goldsmiths, University of London, UK
Stefanie Reher
University of Strathclyde, UK
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.
Keywords
Disability, political representation, United Kingdom politics, ableism
Introduction
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. While disabilities are
sometimes invisible or ‘hidden’, and people seeking elected office might be hesitant to disclose
them, all available figures and estimates suggest that the proportion of disabled politicians vastly
Corresponding author:
Elizabeth Evans, Department of Politics and International Relations, Goldsmiths, University of London, Lewisham Way,
London SE14 6NW, UK.
Email: Elizabeth.evans@gold.ac.uk
947458IPS0010.1177/0192512120947458International Political Science ReviewEvans and Reher
research-article2020
Article
698 International Political Science Review 43(5)
lags behind 20%, the approximate proportion of disabled people in Britain. 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.
According to the UK Equality Act 2010, a person is disabled if they have ‘a physical or men-
tal impairment. . . [that] has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person’s ability to
carry out normal day-to-day activities.’2 The disability rights movement has long recognised the
marginalisation of disabled people in positions of power, arguing that they must be directly
involved in political processes where decisions are made that affect their lives (Maroto and
Pettinicchio, 2014; Prince, 2009) – reflected in the slogan ‘nothing about us without us’ (Charlton,
1998). The importance of equality of access, participation and representation is mirrored by
democratic theorists who identify increased political participation as a necessary part of a well-
functioning representative democracy (Phillips, 1995; Powell and Powell, 2000; Przeworski
et al., 1999). Indeed, the under-representation of societal groups can be an indication that they
lack equality of access (Mansbridge, 1999).
There has been extensive research into the descriptive, or numerical, under-representation of
social groups in politics, primarily focusing on women (e.g. Norris, 1985) and ethnic minorities
(e.g. Bird, 2005). In contrast, with a few notable exceptions (D’Aubin and Stienstra, 2004; Langford
and Levesque, 2017; Levesque, 2016; Sackey, 2015; Waltz and Schippers, 2020), there has been
little scholarly analysis of the barriers to elected office for disabled people. Neither has there been
much political interest on the part of parties, legislatures or governments to increase the number of
disabled politicians.3 Our research aims to shed further light on the experiences of disabled people
seeking elected office, using the UK as a case to generate insights that can help inform research and
policy on a global level.
To analyse the barriers that disabled people face during the political recruitment process, we
draw on interviews with 51 disabled politicians, candidates, and people who have thought about
standing for national or local election. Our sample covers a broad range of different impairment
types, including physical and learning disabilities, chronic health conditions, and mental health
problems. Our findings show that although disabled people experience many of the obstacles iden-
tified in research on women and ethnic minority candidates (e.g. Norris and Lovenduski, 1995),
they also face a very distinct set of additional barriers. We have categorised these as related to: (a)
accessibility; (b) resourcing; and (c) ableism.4 While the specific impact of the barriers vary
dependent on the nature of the impairment(s), all interviewees encountered difficulties that are
generally not experienced by non-disabled people, and many barriers were experienced by people
with all kinds of impairments.
This study contributes to ongoing debates surrounding political recruitment processes, specifi-
cally the role of political parties as gatekeepers, and the cultural and institutional norms that shape
selection and election processes (Gallagher and Marsh, 1988; Kenny and Verge, 2016). It also adds
to the diverse body of scholarship on the under-representation of social groups within our political
institutions (e.g. Celis et al., 2014; Giger et al., 2012). In addition, our findings may be useful for
governments and political parties when (re)designing processes and measures to improve disabled
people’s access to elected office and, thus, their ability to fully participate in shaping society.
Literature review
Scholars have identified various factors that explain why certain groups in society remain under-
represented in politics, and why others remain over-represented, all of which are grounded in
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