A hard-hitting report published this morning by 25 organisations representing deaf and disabled people in Scotland says the pandemic has worsened already deep-seated inequalities faced by deaf and disabled people in this country.

The wide ranging report, including input from hundreds of people with disabilities, is to be presented to a United Nations committee due to undertake the 2023 review of the UK and Scottish governments’ progress on implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People.

One of the most stark findings is that disabled people perceive public attitudes towards their disability as having worsened during the pandemic, with politicians and media blamed for damaging perceptions by open discussions of who should be prioritised for ventilation, and publication of ‘discriminatory’ guidance for doctors making treatment decisions ‘based on blanket approaches to age, medical conditions or disability’.

The report states:

‘The arrival and impact of covid-19 and the consequences of the ensuing pandemic have revealed the deep-rooted inequalities in Scotland that existed before covid-19 arrived. These inequalities have widened as economies, households and public services locked down to contain the spread of the virus.

‘The virus and its outcomes did not of themselves create inequalities, but rather they exacerbated the structural inequalities and intersecting oppressions of discrimination and disadvantage faced by disabled people in Scotland today.’

The research to be presented to the UN points to 3 in 5 people who died with covid-19 between March 2020 and January 2021 being disabled, with infection and death rates higher for people with learning disabilities.

Overall, 96% of respondents to the survey said there is a negative attitude towards deaf and disabled people in housing, building design, transport and employment – with the rights of women and children in particular not being properly met.

The report was produced by inclusion Scotland in partnership with: People First Scotland; the British Deaf Association; Glasgow Disability Alliance; Disability Equality Scotland; Autistic Mutual Aid Society Edinburgh; Human Rights Consortium Scotland; Coalition for Racial Equality; Scottish Independent Living Coalition. In all, 25 organisations have co-signed the document, which includes a series of questions that the UN committee might consider asking the UK and Scottish governments.

Inclusion Scotland says urgent action is needed by the Scottish government to show disabled people that they won’t be left even further behind, adding that one of the things they are most keen to see taken forward is the Scottish government’s plan to incorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People into Scots law. This, according to the report authors, will provide a real chance for disabled people to enjoy the rights they are entitled to.

Inclusion Scotland Chief Executive, Moira Tasker, said the pandemic has set back progress for deaf and disabled people:

“The Scottish Civil Society report for the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People published today, shows that little progress has been made since the UN’s last examination in 2017.

"Disabled people still experience some of the worst outcomes across all areas of everyday life. From living in inaccessible homes and doing worse at school, to not being able to get a job and being more likely to live in poverty.

“The covid-19 pandemic has been catastrophic for disabled people and has exposed and exacerbated the systemic inequalities we face. The loss of life and the devastating impacts of losing social care support will be felt by the disability community for many years to come.

“However, there is real hope amongst disabled people in Scotland that the incorporation of the UNCRPD into Scottish law could mark a paradigm shift not only in the rights of disabled people being enshrined in law, but also in the culture and attitudes of services and the wider public to disability.”

 

The full Scottish Civil Society Report on the human rights of disabled people, alongside supporting documents, are published on the Inclusion Scotland website.

Read more: New rights bill for young disabled Scots; Learning disability health inequalities “entrenched”; Covid inquiry urged to look at care home human rights

 

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