Social isolation and struggling to get access to food and medicines are among the issues disproportionately affecting disabled women in the Covid-19 pandemic, found an analysis from Women's Budget Group, Fawcett Society, Queen Mary University of London and London School of Economics. Coronavirus has stranded normally independent disabled women at home, with more than half finding it hard to cope with isolation. Disabled women are also under significant financial pressure: 34% said their household had almost run out of money compared to 24% of non-disabled women, and 38% of disabled mothers said they were struggling to feed their children. Professor Sophie Harman from Queen Mary University of London fears there may be further hardship ahead for people with disabilities with the easing of lockdown. She said: "From specific issues such as face coverings and who can wear them with the impossibility of lip reading, to wider isolation, to sector cuts and restricted access to services - there needs to be an urgent need to account for and include people with disabilities in all decisions over lockdown easing."
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