The UK was woefully ill-prepared for the Covid-19 pandemic, and indeed any type of pandemic, with regards to the rights and needs of blind and partially sighted people. This anniversary still demonstrates that critical lessons need to be learned to inform the UK’s response to future national crises. We need to ensure that contingency planning considers the needs and rights of disabled people.
Official data from the ONS shows that in some age groups blind and partially sighted people were 40 per cent more likely to die from Covid-19 than the general population. Five years on, we’re still waiting for research to find out why this was, and how this increased risk could be prevented in future pandemics.
This unpreparedness was not just the result of a new and unknown virus. It was systemic with clear failures from decision makers to learn or act on the experience of previous virus outbreaks when the accessibility of communications for blind and partially sighted people was raised as a concern.
RNIB was formally part of the UK Covid Inquiry's proceedings as a member of the Disability Charities Consortium. As part of this process, we highlighted how persistent problems with inaccessible communications during the pandemic left blind and partially sighted people feeling excluded because they could not read crucial information such as advice on shielding. Five years on, we’ve little confidence that this situation would be any different if a new pandemic was to happen, owing to the patchy implementation of the 2016 Accessible Information Standard in England and similar standards in other parts of the UK.
Despite a legal right to health and care information in an accessible format, too many blind and partially sighted people are still being put at risk with appointment letters, health advice and medical instructions which they can’t read.
We urge the UK government and devolved administrations to improve their understanding of the effects of sight loss and account for this in policymaking and future pandemic readiness planning and to listen to the voices of blind and partially sighted people when developing policies and guidance. Never again must decisions affecting all aspects of people’s daily lives be made without involving blind and partially sighted and disabled people from the very start.
