The 2012 Paralympics was a truly amazing occasion. The public support for our exceptionally talented disabled athletes was palpable, electric, and showcased just how far Britain has come towards becoming an inclusive and enlightened society.

Disability still gets very little attention in the British press, but for over 11 days the achievements of disabled people commanded front pages of all our newspapers, streaming live through our TV screens and into the public’s hearts and minds. While watching the remarkable opening ceremony – where disabled people took centre-stage in front of a sold-out crowd of 80,000, 11 million more watching at home and four billion people globally – it’s hard to think that just over 40 years ago the very basics – shops, workplaces, and streets – were not accessible to disabled people. It was not until Labour-Cooperative party MP Alf Morris, later Lord Morris of Manchester, who passed away last month, pushed through the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 as a private member’s bill that disabled people got these basic rights.

The act was the first piece of legislation in the world that gave disabled people rights and obliged local authorities to give them support to live independently. Significantly for deafblind people, the act includes the very first mention of deafblindness in UK law, which paved the way for future legislation improving the lives of deafblind people by ensuring they get the support they need to communicate and access the world.

So I am very sorry that Lord Morris could not witness these games with pride. Without his lifelong and steadfast campaigning on behalf of disabled people, it would not have been the wonderful event we have thrived on and enjoyed as a society. Current support for disabled people in this country is still based on his pioneering initiatives. It is important to remember that without this support, many of our athletes simply would not have been able to achieve the incredible feats of human determination that we are now witnessing.

Even so, there are some worrying recent trends. Disabled people are the hardest hit by the government’s austerity measures, and cuts to benefits and services will mean that many will not be able to leave their homes, let alone win a gold medal for Great Britain. Sense supports deafblind people, who have both sight and hearing impairments, which means many need support to do things others take for granted everyday – going to the shops, buying food, opening a letter, going to the doctors, and indeed, follow the Paralympics. We are concerned that many deafblind people are finding it harder and harder to get support – too many tell us that without it they are prisoners in their own homes.

Lord Morris’ achievements for disabled people will never be forgotten. I only hope that current initiatives, particularly around welfare benefits, learn from the past and don’t take us back there. We need our politicians to not only cheer at the sports stadiums and celebrate our disabled athletes. We wish them to ensure that disabled people have the support they need to not only be exceptional athletes and active men and women of our communities but for those, perhaps less able, to feel safe, healthy and supported. We need more champions like Lord Morris.

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Gillian Morbey is CEO of Sense and Sense International