Disabled people call for next year’s Covid Inquiry to investigate their experience
75% of disabled people say they their needs have been overlooked, despite being one of the hardest hit groups of the pandemic
More than three quarters (77%) of disabled people want next year’s Inquiry into the UK’s handling of Covid to investigate their experience, and fear if it doesn’t, the same mistakes will happen again.
A new campaign and petition, by the disability charity, Sense, is calling on the Government to ensure disabled people are at the heart of next year’s Inquiry.
It comes as new research shows:
- Three quarters (75 per cent) of disabled people say they their needs have been overlooked, despite being one of the hardest hit groups of the pandemic, making up six in 10 of all Covid deaths
- Nearly two thirds (63 per cent) of disabled people say their mental health has got worse during the pandemic, with over half (54 per cent) citing a deterioration in physical health.
- More than three quarters (77 per cent) of disabled people say next year’s Covid Inquiry must investigate what has happened to them, fearing the same mistakes will happen again if it doesn’t.
Nicola Slator from Keighley cares for her daughter Rebecca, who has complex special needs and a tracheoscopy.
She said every day has been a battle:
"Our supplies were cut short for tracheoscopy because the supplies were needed in hospital for people who had covid, a lot of people with a tracheoscopy and children, they are still struggling to get supplies now. Completely forgotten.
"So we finally fought to get her back into college, the care company had reduced her care, a huge battle, many many meetings, many phone calls, the day she went back from college, I got a phone call saying the money for her transport would be taking out of my respite."
Nicola and Rebecca are backing the campaign, but she tells us it's been a battle even before the pandemic happened.
We asked Nicola how the pandemic impacted her health:
"You don't want to wake up any morning for another battle, to feel useless.
"I wanted to walk off with my animals, and keep walking, I wasn't interested in life at all, there was no life."
Many people say the pandemic has highlighted and worsened the inequalities for disabled people.
Nicola said:
"It's not a matter of throwing money at everyone, it's a matter of listening to what people's needs are, include them! Ask the disabled people what they need, what would work for them and coming up with a solution."