The Living Declaration of Disability, Equity & Resilience

By Graeae Team , April, 30 2020

The Living Declaration aims to raise awareness about the challenges facing disabled people under Covid-19 and beyond.

An international community of disability activists, artists, doctors, scientists and citizens are behind the initiative, which aims to raise awareness and points to solutions for disabled people who experience a lack of equal rights under the Covid-19 crisis.

Almost everyone has experienced the isolation, anxiety, and loneliness under the Covid-19 virus – as nations and societies have been shut down for extended periods. While nations and societies are now slowly beginning to open-up again, for many disabled people the challenges are still very real.

The consequences of Covid-19 for disabled people are broad. In some countries, access to basic healthcare – and other essentials like water, food and safety – are not available for disabled people. In other countries, disabled people face a lack of communication and economic support. The overall consequences for disabled people stem from the fact that they do not share equal rights and access to essential needs – under Covid-19 and beyond.

The Living Declaration is about human rights. 

As a response to the lack of awareness and action from nations and governments across the world, a global community of activists, artists, doctors, scientists and citizens from across four continents drafted The Living Declaration. It is a collective statement and global call to action, drafted by an international community under the organization of Enactlab – a knowledge lab based in Copenhagen, Denmark.

‘Historically, we have been sidelined and this Covid-19 pandemic shows us that we are easily forgotten in the time of crisis. We will not tolerate this any longer. We must use this time and declaration to remember that in many cases, people with disabilities and disabled are even more affected by the Covid-19 crisis.’
Jenny Sealey, Artistic Director & CEO, Graeae 

Get Involved:

Read the full declaration, sign the petition and find out how else you can get involved, by visiting thelivingdeclaration.org

 

The Living Declaration of Disability, Equity and Resilience

Click here to download the full press release.