The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a great deal of changes to everyone in Australia, and particularly to people with disability.
Australians with disability represent some of the most excluded of all Australians in relation to the impacts of coronavirus. At the same time, many people with disability are particularly at risk from COVID-19, because of barriers that exist to our inclusion, and our need for ongoing support.
Many people with disability have seen changes in our lives from the current COVID-19 public health emergency. These have included:
- increased expenses
- changes to supports, including NDIS supports
- changes to healthcare
Some of these changes have been good, with increased access to services online or on the phone, but many of the changes have had a negative impact on people with disability.
For many of us, the lockdown will continue for many months, and so will these impacts.
People with Disability Australia asked people with disability to tell us about their experiences over the last two months, and this report sets out those findings.