Making sure no one is left out of life

The severe impact of the pandemic has meant that isolation and loneliness is alarmingly high among disabled people. Almost two thirds of the 14.1 million disabled people living in the UK, are ‘chronically lonely’, rising to 70% for young disabled people.

We've all felt disconnected from others at some point during this pandemic, but loneliness has disproportionally affected disabled people. Many have felt cut off from their local community and now, as society looks forward to life beyond lockdown, many are at risk of remaining isolated.

We believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be left out life. Now is the time, as we exit lockdown, to commit to making life inclusive for everyone.

We're calling on the government, individuals, and communities to come together to make our local areas more welcoming and accessible.

Our highstreets, venues and social activities should be accessible for all, and changes to local areas due to Covid-19 should be done with the needs of disabled people in mind.

Even before the pandemic, disabled people would face practical challenges to meeting people and forming connections, and 33% would have under an hour interaction with someone else, each day.

That’s why we've launched the Left Out of Life campaign. We aim to highlight the issue of social isolation and loneliness amongst disabled people, call for national action from government, and also empower the public to play a part in tackling the issue.