Commission on COVID-19, Disablism and Systemic Racism 1

With opportunities to participate in projects and programmes delivered by VODG, our members can share their expertise and contribute to positive developments in the sector.

Funded by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust, the Commission is examining the extent to which negative outcomes have arisen from systemic neglect of social care over many years, worsened by confused governmental approaches throughout the course of the pandemic as well as poor implementation of policy and conflicting guidance.

The work will seek to gather evidence, scrutinise the Department of Health and Social Care’s policies and responses to the pandemic, including ways in which systemic racism may have further worsened outcomes for disabled people of colour, and build solutions and support for transformative and sustainable change in social care, based on justice and human rights.

*Please see here for a note on language and definitions. Or for more information visit our Key Facts page.

We have appointed a Board of Commissioners to oversee and steer this programme. The Board is led by Disabled people with a wide range of interests and perspectives included.

Meet the Board of Commissioners

Call for Views and Experiences

Can you support the Commission in gathering the evidence needed to hold the UK government to account over failings during the pandemic, and in building solutions for transformative and sustainable change in health and social care?

We are calling on Disabled people and people with long-term health conditions from Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic groups to share their views and experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic as part of our Call for Views and Experiences.

We’re also keen to hear from their families, carers and people who work in social care.

Call for Views and Experiences

Return to listing

Authors

Katie Hipkiss

Policy and Projects Researcher, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group

Katie is VODG’s Policy and Projects Researcher, responsible for strengthening the evidence base for VODG’s public affairs and campaigns work. She also leads on research for externally-commissioned VODG projects, including the Commission on COVID-19, Disablism and Systemic Racism.

Prior to joining VODG, Katie was a Senior Analyst at the Care Quality Commission (CQC), planning and delivering research for CQC’s national reports on a variety of topics, including the use of restrictive interventions and the response of local health and care systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. Katie also undertook a secondment at NHS England as the analyst for the Transforming Care programme across the South of England.

Katie has an MSc in Policy Research from the University of Bristol, where she focused on designing research for evidence-based social policy. Katie is Chair of trustees for Hawkspring, a Bristol-based charity delivering a holistic, whole-family approach to supporting drug and alcohol recovery.

Email:: [email protected]

Sukhjeen Kaur

Disability Engagement Lead, Voluntary Organisations Disability Group

Sukhjeen is the Disability Engagement Lead for VODG and committed to including disabled people in the projects we work towards, especially those from intersecting communities. A recent graduate in psychology with an interest in health and community psychology.

Sukhjeen also runs the user-led organisation ‘Chronically Brown’ which leads the way in working towards inclusion for disabled South Asians. As a disabled South Asian, Sukhjeen feel's it is important that diversity and inclusion work is achieved alongside experiences.

Email:: [email protected]