The COVID-19 Public Inquiry is underway and one of the issues under the spotlight is inequality. We know that almost 60% of COVID deaths were those of Disabled people. We also know that Disabled people experienced great hardship during the pandemic and for some this still continues to be the case. Some of us were denied health care, some of us struggled to get social care, some of us were left isolated and alone, some of us found that online shopping deliveries stopped and some of us couldn’t get out and about. Disabled children and families were often abandoned, left without support for education and care.
We must tell our stories to the COVID Public Inquiry, so that our experiences are documented and so that lessons are learnt for the future. The COVID Inquiry is collecting personal testemonies through a campaign called Every Story Matters. You can tell your story online – link and there will be opportunities to attend meetings.
Kamran Mallick, CEO of Disability Rights UK said ”It is so important to tell our personal stories, facts and figures are important but they need to be combined with our human experience.
Disability Rights UK is speaking out about the impact of the pandemic on Disabled people. We asked that the Inquiry covered equality issues- which it is, we asked that the Inquiry sought expert reports on the inequality faced by Disabled people – which it is doing, and we will be giving evidence at the Inquiry hearing in early October.
Please share your personal stories with the Inquiry, so that it can be in no doubt about the hardships and inequalities we faced.”
To find out where and how to share your experiences, visit the Every Story Matters website.