Making our voices heard – the experiences of disabled people and COVID-19
Are you a disabled person?
We would like to talk to you about the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Glasgow and The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine are conducting research about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting the lives of disabled people in England and Scotland. We are concerned that the experiences of disabled people have not been heard. The information we get from the study will help us understand how the pandemic has affected disabled people’s lives. We will use this information to try and influence policy and practice in order to improve the lives of disabled people.
In Scotland, our research team are seeking to interview a range of disabled people with different experiences. We would ideally like to interview each person twice during the next few months so that we can understand how things change for you over time. We are seeking to interview:
- People with physical, sensory, intellectual, or cognitive impairments.
- Parents of disabled children and the children themselves, with parental permission.
- Disabled adults under the age of 65 who use social care in community.
- Disabled people over the age of 70.
- People with mental health conditions or diagnoses.The first of the two interviews will include questions on:
- The impact of COVID-19 on typical activities (e.g. work, shopping, lifestyle) and services (e.g. healthcare, social care).
- The impact of COVID-19 on personal mental health and well-being.
- Experiences of accessing healthcare for COVID-19, if relevant.
- The impact of the Scottish Government’s response measures.
- How responses to COVID-19 could be improved to enhance the lives of disabled people.We expect that each interview will last up to one hour. One of our researchers will interview each person, whilst maintaining COVID-19 social distancing, using a method that is accessible for each individual (e.g. telephone. zoom, skype or email). All interviews will be audio-recorded and transcribed. Everyone who takes part will remain anonymous, meaning your name and identifying information will not be shared with anyone outside the research team, and you will not be identified in anything that we publish. Taking part in the study will not influence any services that you receive. Everyone who takes part will be offered a small gift voucher to recognise their time.If you would like to discuss taking part in this research study, please contact in confidence:
Professor Nick Watson, Centre for Disability Research, University of Glasgow.
Telephone: 07739 136563
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