Supercharged: 5000 disabled people speak out during COVID

GDA’s latest report ‘Supercharged: A Human Catastrophe – Inequalities Participation and Human Rights, before during and beyond COVID19’ shows how our disabled-people led pandemic response has stopped thousands of disabled people from falling through gaps.

On 16th March 2020, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, we were forced to suspend all planned programmes – but after 20 years of building a strong community of disabled people, we were able to quickly mobilise our involvement model, to launch a pandemic-response shaped by our members: disabled people, who know where the gaps are.

Between March and July, the GDA team made and received over 8500 phone calls with disabled people, sent 20,000 accessible mail-outs, received over 2000 survey responses and held 218 online discussion sessions with GDA members. Disabled people have contributed over 4000 hours speaking out about their experiences, concerns, priorities, and ideas, so GDA could share these vital voices with the Scottish Government, Glasgow City Council and other leaders, to highlight key issues, gaps, and actions needed.

Disabled people’s insights, and flexibility from our funders, enabled GDA to adapt our vital services– delivering Welfare Rights, Employability, Future Visions and Learning programmes online and by phone – and to quickly develop new ones to bridge gaps and meet urgent needs: like GDA lifeline deliveries, GDA Wellbeing support, and GDA Connects to tackle digital exclusion.

5000 disabled people’s experiences show that COVID19 has supercharged inequalities we already faced; responses have created new inequalities and left disabled people behind; and recovery and renewal risk leaving us even further behind.

Our ‘Supercharged’ report recommends actions and solutions that will supercharge the involvement, rights and support of disabled people. Launching the report on 21st Aug, 170 disabled people will share their experiences and discuss these actions with Cabinet Secretary for Social Security and Older People, Ms Shirley-Anne Somerville, and Glasgow City Council’s Convenor for Equalities Cllr Jen Layden in attendance.

Download the Full Report or Summary Briefing here. An audio version of the Summary briefing is also available.

Contact the office on 0141 556 7103 if you require an alternative format.