The horrifying impact of the Covid pandemic on Disabled people risks being ‘airbrushed out of history’, Disability Rights UK and its partners have warned ahead of the looming public inquiry.
The warning comes in a formal response to the inquiry’s draft terms of reference (ToR).
The response has been drafted by law firm Bhatt Murphy Solicitors on behalf of a number of disabled people’s organisations after DRUK Chief Executive Kamran Mallick attended a ‘stakeholders meeting’ last month.
The response says: “The Draft ToR appear broad, however our clients are concerned that there is no specific mention of Disabled people anywhere in the document with an associated risk that Disabled people’s experiences will be airbrushed out of history. The ToR’s ability to facilitate a comprehensive investigation into the impact upon Disabled people therefore depends upon its interpretation, about which we seek urgent clarification.”
Urging the inquiry to investigate the factors behind the hugely disproportionate death rates experienced by Disabled people, the response continues: “Throughout the pandemic Disabled people have experienced mistreatment, reckless indifference and gross negligence. They have been dehumanised and afforded inadequate health care, social care and financial support in full knowledge of the harm that would be caused. This is not simply a case of thoughtlessness but of deliberate policy decisions.”
Other issues DR UK and partners are urging the inquiry to examine include:
*Poor communication
*The ongoing impact of Care Act ‘easements’ which have allowed local authorities to cut back social care support
*Difficulties accessing vaccines and the impact on clinically extremely vulnerable people of policy decisions around ‘opening up’ and easing social distancing restrictions
*The widespread use of DNACPR (Do Not Resuscitate) notices without the knowledge or agreement of individuals affected
*The extent to which people covered by several protected characteristics such as race, ethnicity and disability have had even worse outcomes than other Disabled people.
DRUK and its partners are seeking core participant status at the inquiry – together with public funding of their legal representation. Kamran Mallick from DRUK said: “The pandemic has scarred the entire population but Disabled people have died in grotesquely disproportionate numbers. The public inquiry simply must examine why that happened and ensure it never happens again.
The impact of the pandemic has also been devastating for millions of Disabled people in so many other ways. We need our experiences recognised and policies put in place to ameliorate the harms caused by both the virus and the official response to it.”
