Almost two thirds (61%) of the 14.1 million disabled people living in the UK experience 'chronic loneliness', feeling lonely 'always' or 'often', rising to 7 in 10 (70%) of young disabled people.
Sense believe that no one, no matter how complex their disabilities, should be left out life. Now is the time, as we plan our way out of lockdown, to commit to making life inclusive for everyone.
We are calling for greater investment on dedicated services that tackle loneliness and scaled up mental health support for disabled people.
Add your name, today, to stand with Sense and raise awareness of the importance of tackling social isolation and loneliness amongst disabled people.
We have all felt disconnected from others at some point during this pandemic, but loneliness has disproportionally affected disabled people. Many don't have support networks around them and feel cut off from their local community. Others have struggled to leave their homes at all or to access and use digital technology to connect with people.
Even before the pandemic, disabled people would face practical challenges to meeting people and forming connections, and a third (33%) would have under an hour interaction with someone else, each day.
Barriers include accessible transport and buildings, financial support and appropriate social care. A lack of public understanding and awareness of disability is also a significant obstacle to making connections and forming friendships. 2 in 5 disabled people (44%) said it would be the most helpful measure in tackling social isolation, second only to introducing more community activities where people can meet (51%).
That's why Sense is launching 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 empower the public to play a part in tackling the issue.
