A BARRHEAD disability rights campaigner was invited on to a BBC Radio show to discuss the Rio Paralympics.

Michael McEwan, 32, shared his views on Good Morning Scotland ahead of the Games' opening ceremony last week.

The flagship programme gave Michael, chairman of East Renfrewshire Disability Action (ERDA), with an opportunity to speak about the way the Paralympics present disabled athletes.

Though he enjoys the event as a spectacle, Michael feels more should be done to ensure disabled people are celebrated for their achievements on a more regular basis, rather than just once every few years.

"It's brilliant to have people speaking about the Paralympics over the next two weeks but it dies off over a period of time," he said.

"You take the 50 events, put them on for two weeks and there's a big hullabaloo but then after it, it doesn't come to light for the next two or three years.

"Disability sports go on all year round. It's quite disappointing how they don't get the same coverage as the Paralympics.

"I suppose if we all speak about it, whether it's in the Barrhead News or on Radio Scotland, hopefully we will see more sports covered by the written press or the broadcast media.

"The next step I would like to see is individual sports covered. It's quite sad because they don't get covered the same as able-bodied sports."

Michael has been striving to improve the lives of the disabled community in East Renfrewshire through his work with ERDA.

The group aims to tackle a multitude of issues by raising awareness of the impact a disability can have on a person and by promoting advocacy and inclusiveness at a local and national level.

And Michael is extremely grateful to the BBC for giving him the chance to express his concerns on such a prestigious platform.

He said: "It was a bit of a surprise because I don't get a lot of phone calls at the weekend to do with work. I'm on a contributions list on the BBC and they called me up.

"They wanted me to speak about the Paralympics and its legacy. I'm a big believer in disability issues and rights, particularly disability sport because I play football."

Along with presenter Ken Macdonald, Michael was joined on the show by James Taylor of the disability charity Scope.

Recently the charity conducted a survey which showed just one in five disabled people in Britain think the country is a better place to live in after the 2012 Paralympics in London.

Michael, who has cerebral palsy, can understand why some remain unhappy with the manner in which certain sections of society treat the disabled community having gone through some degrading experiences growing up.

One of the most common instances involved others refusing to speak to him directly.

Michael said: "It used to happen when I was younger when I was out with my mum, the usual questions like 'How old is he now?' or 'Is he working?'

"I felt a bit stupid because I was standing there and the person was speaking to my mum instead of me. Now as I get older people speak to me without saying 'We can't speak to him because he's got a disability'.

"That's the way it should be."

He added: "I would like to see people going into schools and speaking about disability awareness. Even colleges or universities, or work places, because that's the only way you're going to get round this stigma.

"You always get one or two idiots, you're always going to get that. The only way you can get round that is by educating people about visible and hidden disabilities."

Michael was a guest on Good Morning Scotland on September 5.

To listen to his views in full, visit www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b07qfszd and go to 02:46:47.