Disabled urged to share their virus challenges
ROCHDALE’S disabled residents are being called on by the borough’s disability advocacy group to share the challenges they have faced during the coronavirus pandemic in a unique survey which is one of the first of its kind nationwide.
Rochdale & District Disability Action Group (RADDAG) says the Big Disability Survey being run by the Greater Manchester Mayor Disabled People’s Panel will be used to inform services and policymakers in Greater Manchester of the needs of disabled people in the area and how these can be met.
Sarah Cross, RADDAG’s project manager, says the survey will also serve as a litmus test for how effective services have been operating during lockdown so far.
Ms Cross said: “We hear individual stories from our members, but what we really want to find out is what’s actually happening across Greater Manchester so that when we’re saying that perhaps in one area, services aren’t amazing, we have evidence to back up what we’re saying.
“We might also identify good practice that’s happening in some areas that can then be duplicated across Greater Manchester.
“It’s just about finding out what are the problem areas, what are the barriers, and what are the solutions we can work on with local authorities and the combined authority to make life better for disabled people.”
RADDAG represents the borough of Rochdale on the Greater Manchester Mayor Disabled People’s Panel, which was commissioned by mayor Andy Burnham and whose recommendations have recently seen the Greater Manchester Combined Authority increase its use of radio to convey information and advice surrounding lockdown.
Ms Cross said the survey was not only the first time that testimonies from disability advocacy groups from across Greater Manchester have been collated together, but also a unique project on a national level.
She said: “This has been looked at as good practice because I don’t think this is happening anywhere else - Greater Manchester will be the first to have this data specifically about what disabled people are facing.”
RADDAG has been active in the Rochdale area as a user-led organisation and charity for more than 30 years, and under normal circumstances, it runs regular focus groups to consult disabled residents on local issues so that their voice can be represented in decisions around policymaking in the area.
Some details of the challenges disabled people face during lockdown are already known, from information access to mental health concerns.
Ms Cross said: “A lot of resources are online or you have to make a phone call, and that’s not always accessible to disabled people.
“There are practical issues around shopping as well - people have been told they’re on the shielded lists, but they’re not always getting the priority slots with the supermarkets. Local authorities are trying to pick that up, so we’ll be able to tell from the survey where that’s working and where things maybe need to be changed.”
She added that PPE supply issues were an especial area of concern for those disabled people who relied on private carers or personal assistants employed through direct pay.
“There is the potential that those carers don’t necessarily have access to the same equipment that the care agencies might.
“But the big one is loneliness in isolation if people can’t get out to the groups that they normally engage with. It’s about finding different ways to connect with people.”
The survey can be completed online (with full and abbreviated versions available) until 11th May, with links available via RADDAG’s Facebook page.
Its findings will then be presented to GMCA with suggestions from the panel on how issues can be rectified.
Ms Cross said: “The more people fill it in, the more evidence we’ve got to say to the decision makers that this is really what’s happening and the stronger the voice will be.”
To help the borough’s disabled residents who have issues accessing the internet, RADDAG is compiling a newsletter, Connected, which will be delivered door to door.
Enquiries about Connected and how to receive the newsletter can be made over the phone on 01706 571236 or by emailing connected@raddag. org.