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The Disabled lockdown experience

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Artwork using watercolour and ink incorporating collaged words throughout the scene. The artwork shows a busy multi-coloured room. On the left hand side of the image a woman with rainbow coloured hair is lying in bed. On the floor there are: packets of paracetamol; toilet rolls; and a toy clown juggling first aid, corona virus and pound symbols. In the foreground the silhouette of two people stand together at a distance from the bed. A rainbow flows across the room where a television mounted on
Our Covid complicity. © Carrie Ravenscroft for Wellcome Collection.

Francesca Martinez invites four Disabled writers and the mother of a Disabled teenager to share their powerfully personal experiences of lockdown. These compelling and fascinating stories highlight the precarious situation faced by those with complex health issues, and the many challenges involved with keeping safe during a global pandemic. During the first wave, shockingly, Disabled people made up nearly two thirds of UK Covid-19 deaths.

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Lying low for lockdown and beyond

For Liz Carr the chances of catching Covid-19 are the same as for anyone else, but as a Disabled person she's at much greater risk of not getting the treatment she needs if she falls ill.

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Caring for our Disabled daughter in lockdown

Jane Holmes talks about the challenges of caring for her Disabled daughter while working and trying to stay safe during the pandemic.

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Society, not Covid-19, makes us vulnerable

Rick Burgess coped with the death of his mother in February 2020 by immersing himself in the task of protecting his community from Covid-19 and challenging the government's failure to protect and support elderly and Disabled people during the pandemic.

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Our Covid complicity

Athena Stevens thought she had a cold that she tried to ignore, but it turned out to be Covid-19. Here she reflects on how we have all put ourselves and others at risk with the choices we’ve made during this pandemic.

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How to thrive in lockdown

Gareth Berliner shares how being a Disabled person has given him the resilience and motivation to find a new creative challenge during lockdown.