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Like Other People

Man Alive! moral panic, sex, and when professionals ruled – life as a disabled couple in 1972

Documentary 1972 51 mins

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Overview

A fascinating BBC Man Alive documentary which focuses on the moral policing of sexual relationships of disabled people in 1972. Combining fly-on-the-wall footage with studio discussion, disabled couples and professionals unpick the barriers that disabled people faced over 40 years ago. Professional and personal judgements abound, but what comes across clearly from the disabled participants is their passion and articulacy around the right to privacy and personal choice.

Like Other People starkly demonstrates how much power professionals had over the lives of disabled people less than 50 years ago. Much has changed, including the right to independent living embodied in human rights legislation – but recent research and campaigns show that attitudes have a long way to go. See: https://www.scope.org.uk/end-the-awkward

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