RiDC, with funding from the London Community Response Fund, is undertaking an extensive research project to record and share the voices of disabled people living in London at the time of the Covid-19 pandemic.
As a group whose lives have potentially been one of the most affected by the crisis – with many needing to shield for long periods of time – accounts of their experiences this year have been largely missing.
Our aim is to create a current and historical account of how the crisis has shaped their daily lives. As the country shifts into recovery and reform, we want to make sure that the voices of disabled people are heard, understood and acted on.
The study involves 50 RiDC panel members living in London and uses three approaches to collect stories about the day to day impact of Covid-19 on their lives.
Online focus group meetings via Zoom
- Digital ethnography: video clips of panel members' experiences over a three-week period
- An online community forum to share experiences
The study is led by disabled people and allows participants to guide the flow of the conversation so that facilitators can collect first-hand accounts of events, experiences and feelings during the pandemic. Our aim is to both create a historical account of the impact of Covid19 but also ensure that disabled people’s experiences are heard and valued so that change can be made where it is most needed.
The project finishes in February and we’ll be releasing the key findings alongside the stories themselves on our website. Anyone wanting to find out more can contact us on [email protected]
Read the findings from our COVID-19 research series