Disabled people and coronavirus: We won't be forgotten

We’re putting a spotlight on the serious issues disabled people are facing right now. 

Disabled people have been hardest hit:

• 3 in 5 people who died from coronavirus were disabled, according to updated figures from the Office of National Statistics
• 35% of disabled people say their finances have become worse since the start of the pandemic
• disabled people have been waiting too long for a welfare system that gives financial security without cruel, unhelpful sanctions and the need to appeal
• 1 in 4 disabled people feel forgotten by the government

The Prime Minister's response to our open letter fails to recognise what disabled people are facing and the urgency of the situation.

Call for emergency support

Michael Gove is leader of the team responsible for many of the issues affecting disabled people. We want to convince him that emergency support is needed, and that the government needs to act now.

Thank you to the 15,000 people who contacted their local members of parliament (MPs). If you hear back from your MP, please do let us know by contacting campaigns@scope.org.uk.

If you missed out. You can still read our Emergency Policy Briefing.

We will keep you updated with progress and next steps.

Our campaign so far

Prime Minister responds to open letter

The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson responded to our call for a clear plan to factor disabled peoples’ needs into the Government’s response to the pandemic.

In he's response the Prime Minister refers to:

• supporting 1 million disabled people in to work
• the National Disability Strategy

Whilst these are positive Government policies, we are disappointed that the reply does not address our call directly. We believe the Government should do more to support disabled people during these challenging times. And we will continue to campaign for action.

If you'd like to see the full response, please get in touch at campaigns@scope.org.uk.

We handed in our open letter to the Prime Minister on the 17 September, containing 30,696 signatures.

Raising awareness with local MPs

Together we contacted over 570 MPs with our Disability Report, highlighting the effect of coronavirus and lockdown on disabled people.

By sharing our report with your local MP, you have helped us raise awareness of the issues disabled people faced during lockdown.

Read the full disability report

Together, we won’t let disabled people be forgotten.