Deputy CEO talks to Big Issue

Cath Murray-Howard, Director of Business Development Performance and Deputy CEO at Community Integrated Care has given her expert insight on discrimination in a thought-provoking feature in this week’s edition of The Big Issue in the North.

Cath Murray-Howard The Big Issue in the North is a magazine sold by homeless people or people at risk of being homeless, to support them in improving their lives. The magazine appeals to a highly diverse readership by tackling a range of issues facing society today.

In the article, Cath challenges the misinformed attitudes of those who are uneasy and fearful of living near a person with a disability or mental health concerns. She talks about the struggles that people with learning disabilities and mental health issues can face when joining a community due to opposition from neighbourhood groups.

She says: “Often, discrimination comes from a lack of knowledge and understanding of vulnerable people and how much of a positive contribution they can make to communities.”

Cath argues that providers should be active in challenging discrimination and uncompromising in striving to give the people they support their rightful stake within society.

She concludes: “A real society isn’t about the most fortunate, but about protecting and supporting the most vulnerable people,” she said. “If we don’t do that as a society, we have to question whether we are a society at all.”