Thread by @Inadarkwood

Yesterday, it was revealed that 60% of Covid deaths in the UK were disabled people. The same day, Tory MP Charles Walker was on Channel 4 News, arguing that disabled people like me are acceptable losses. Disabled people in the UK are not fine. Check in on your disabled friends.

Meanwhile, almost everything in this earlier tweet of mine is still true. I repeat, disabled people are not okay.

https://twitter.com/Inadarkwood/status/1354364451194077185?s=19

Last month, Lord Sumption said on the BBC that disabled lives were 'less valuable' than others. I can't stress enough how normalised the narrative that disabled people are 'acceptable losses' has become.

Meanwhile, GPs are STILL phoning disabled people and the parents of disabled children to urge them to sign DNRs, and we're largely being ignored in the vaccine rollout. Disabled people are constantly being told that our lives don't matter in the pandemic, and we're struggling.

As Poppy points out here, the Financial Times had the gall to publish this article. The headline says 'UK scientists call for debate on allowing ‘big wave of infection.'

https://twitter.com/p0ppyfield/status/1360319735276204034?s=20

In the last month, Lord Sumption said on the BBC that disabled lives were 'less valuable' than others, Charles Walker said on Channel 4 News that disabled deaths were 'acceptable' and the Financial times reports on 'allowing a big wave of infection.'

This is what disabled people in the UK are dealing with every day: a constant torrent from the mainstream, arguing that our lives don't matter. Support disabled people. Grieve with disabled people. Talk to disabled people. Ask disabled people how they're doing. We're struggling.

To people outside the UK seeing this thread, I need you to understand that the Tories have been decimating the disabled community here for eleven years now, on top of the pandemic. Before the pandemic, the UN said the Tories' austerity caused 'a human catastrophe.'

When the Tories came into power eleven years ago, I had a lot of disabled friends. Austerity and now the pandemic have made sure that I'm the only one left of my friends now. My friend's lives mattered. Every disabled life matters. 💔😢