ONS latest report on social impact of CV19 on disabled people

Posted 12.10.2020

This is the third look at how the pandemic is affecting an estimated 13.7 million disabled people. Whilst everyone’s experience is different, and the term ‘disabled’ is a very broad one, at a time in which lockdown restrictions began to ease in parts of the UK, disabled adults experience was different from that of the wider population.

Their concerns about well-being and accessing healthcare were higher than among non-disabled people. Disabled people were more likely to go out to attend medical appointments or take care of others than non-disabled people were, and less likely to be socialising and eating out.

According to the report, disabled people more often than non-disabled people indicated that the coronavirus affected their life in terms of:

  • well-being (58% for disabled people, compared with 37% for non-disabled people)
  • health (23% compared with 7%)
  • access to healthcare for non-coronavirus related issues (41% compared with 16%)
  • access to groceries, medication and essentials (37% compared with 17%)

Disabled people less often than non-disabled people reported concerns about:

  • personal travel plans (40% for disabled people compared with 53% for non-disabled people)
  • work (27% compared with 40%)
  • schools and universities (19% compared with 27%)

READ THE REPORT

BBO is having a significant impact on individual lives, supporting people to increase their confidence, independence and achieve their employment aspirations.

See what our participants have to say in these case studies …

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