A NEW commission is set to examine how black disabled people were disproportionately hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group’s (VODG) Commission on COVID-19, Disablism and Systemic Racism is aiming to investigate the negative impact resulting from years of neglecting the needs of black disabled people.

According to VODG this neglect was compounded by government indecision during the pandemic and poor policy implementation.

The Commission has issued a call for evidence and views from disabled black and minority ethnic individuals about their experience during the pandemic. As well as gathering this evidence it will also analyse the Department of Health and Social Care’s policies and responses to the pandemic.

The commission is also urging families, caregivers, and social care workers to share their perspectives on the impact of the pandemic.

Concerns

Its formation follows concerns raised by the charity Mencap in January last year after it received reports from people with learning disabilities who had been given Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (DNACPR) notices when visiting hospital.

These notices are normally applied to people who are too frail to benefit from resuscitation. However Mencap said that during the pandemic these notices were being issued to some people simply because they had a learning disability. 

VODG has also previously raised concerns about the ability of people with disabilities to access personal protective equipment (PPE).

While much of it was organised around care settings, such as care homes it was difficult for disabled people who live in their own homes, or who use supported living services, to access PPE in the early days of the pandemic.

Shift

The organisation says it hopes that the Commission’s final report will help produce a lasting shift in the government’s social care policies.

Public hearings for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry into how the government handled the Covid-19 pandemic are expected to begin early in 2023.

Kamran Mallick, Chair of the Board of Commissioners told The Voice: “As the wheels of the Covid Public Inquiry begin to turn, the work of our Commission is both timely and never more needed. As a Board of disabled people, we are set up to progress this critical agenda from the perspective of disabled people from black, Asian, and minoritised ethnic backgrounds who have been directly impacted, and potentially overlooked, in the ways in which the government and various bodies acted throughout the pandemic.”

He continued: “With our call for evidence now live we are encouraging as many people as possible to share their views and experiences, and for our collective voices to be loudly heard.”

Understanding

Clenton Farquharson MBE, a member of the Board of the Commissioners said: “I am keen to explore intersectionality because there is no such thing as single issues or struggles. We do not live single-issue lives. The reason l wanted to be a commissioner is because it has a well-defined but not overly restrictive remit with adequate resources and powers to further our ‘knowing’ and ‘understanding’. Each is a distinct mindset involving critical thinking. ”

Farquharson continued: “I would like for this work to point to a support system that is fairer, more inclusive, relationship-based – and above all more human – and for our recommendations and input to be taken seriously.”