Today, Wednesday 24^th June 2020 Inclusion London launches its interim report based on hundreds of responses to our survey.  The report is available here The report paints a stark picture. From the outset, Disabled people have been discriminated against, forgotten, and in some cases abandoned as policymakers have ignored our needs. Or, at best considered us as an afterthought.  During the pandemic  Disabled people saw our legal rights diminished, we experienced resource rationing and blanket policies.  This led to many of us struggling to get bare necessities, losing support and independence and living in fear for our lives.

The pandemic has shone a light on the long-standing structural inequalities and discrimination that Deaf and Disabled people experience. The dreadful disparities are reflected in the grim data released by the Office for National Statistics, which says Disabled people were about twice as likely to die from covid-19.

Despite the shocking statistics, the plight of Disabled people was largely missing from public discourse. We are publishing this report to give voice to people who shared their experience with us.

We are launching this report with a panel discussion, where Deaf and Disabled people from Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations will share their personal experience and experience of communities they support and represent and support.

Webinar: Wednesday, 24 June, 5-6.30pm.  To attend this webinar please register via this link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_6OF_zmeHT62IIlkYQatDhA

You can support this campaign by sharing this report with your networks and supporting us on social media.

Download the report here 

Best wishes
Tracey Lazard
CEO, Inclusion London

The following is another email that I feel I should share with my readers. The NHS in Wales are conducting a well-being survey for anyone over the age of 16 in Wales. The link to the survey can be found below:

Good afternoon

The 7 Health Boards across Wales have been working with Swansea and Cardiff Universities to develop a study that aims to understand the impact of coronavirus on the emotional well-being and mental health of the Welsh population. We would like to encourage as many people as possible over the age of 16 years living in Wales to complete the survey.

For those individuals who would be willing to participate in the survey, or wish to gain more information about it, please click this link www.wales-wellbeing.co.uk/survey or visit the website www.wales-wellbeing.co.uk. The survey should take no longer than 10-15 minutes to complete. If anyone would like to participate in the survey but would prefer a paper copy it can be downloaded from the website or individuals can phone 07737558980 and leave their name and address to request a copy. (Unfortunately the phone number is unmanned and has an answerphone that is solely used for posting surveys to people who request this).

The survey results will be analysed at a National, Health Board and Local Authority level and will be used to guide the NHS in Wales, and our local services, to support the well-being of the population over the coming months.

Thank you.

Equality Branch

Megan John

Disability Equality and Inclusion Officer

The following facts are taken from www.did-you-knows.com – I thought they might keep you quiet for a minute or two.

• Did you know 11% of people are left handed
• Did you know August has the highest percentage of births
• Did you know unless food is mixed with saliva you can’t taste it
• Did you know the average person falls asleep in 7 minutes
• Did you know a bear has 42 teeth
• Did you know an ostrich’s eye is bigger than its brain
• Did you know lemons contain more sugar than strawberries
• Did you know 8% of people have an extra rib
• Did you know 85% of plant life is found in the ocean
• Did you know Ralph Lauren’s original name was Ralph Lifshitz
• Did you know rabbits like licorice
• Did you know the Hawaiian alphabet has 13 letters
• Did you know ‘Topolino’ is the name for Mickey Mouse Italy
• Did you know a lobsters blood is colorless but when exposed to oxygen it turns blue
• Did you know armadillos have 4 babies at a time and are all the same sex
• Did you know  reindeer like bananas
• Did you know  the longest recorded flight of a chicken was 13 seconds
• Did you know  birds need gravity to swallow
• Did you know the most commonly used letter in the alphabet is E
• Did you know the 3 most common languages in the world are Mandarin Chinese, Spanish and English