A Personal Message from Disability Rights UK this Christmas

In solidarity with you, our movement together is stronger As we come to the end of the year, I want to express my solidarity with you all. I know that this year has been a difficult one for so many in our community. Your lived experience and voices continue to be the force behind our collective efforts. We have a rich history as a movement of coming together and challenging the injustice and inequality. The cost-of-living crisis is leaving many of us without heated homes this winter, a scandal beyond words. All of our communities, up and down the UK, are experiencing harsher living conditions as a result – and unsurprisingly, Disabled people are being hit the hardest. We should never be forced to choose between lifesaving and affirming treatments, and having food, heating or social care. All of us at Disability Rights UK are committed to the fight for better, for equal rights and with you this will never waiver. Your voice behind our collective demands is important, I hope you will stay in touch and join us. As we close the year, module 2 of the Covid-19 Inquiry has just closed. We are proud of our contributions to the Inquiry. Our lawyers penetrating questions helped to lay bare the Government’s dismissal of our lives as Disabled people throughout the pandemic. We won’t stop until there is justice and accountability. This can never happen again. This year in response to the attack on our rights Disabled People’s Organisations from across England worked together to create a Disabled People’s Manifesto. It is packed full of radical reforms and transformative policies to improve the lives of everyone in the UK – an inclusive society works for everyone. The manifesto was launched at the People’s History Museum in Manchester, with Disabled activists and organisers across generations. The wealth of knowledge, history and passion was inspiring. Thank you for your continued support of Disability Rights UK and for being such an important part of this movement. I look forward to the coming year and working together for change. A final note from me: we know Christmas can be an especially difficult or lonely time of the year for some of us. As DR UK closes from December 22nd to January 2nd, I wanted to let you know of some support services and helplines available throughout this time: Age UK Advice Line open 8am-7pm, every day of the year. Call them on 0800 678 1602 Trussell Trust Their Help through Hardship line is open 5 days a week, 9am-5pm. They will be closed on Christmas public holidays. Call them on 0808 208 2138 Switchboard Their helpline for LGBT people is open 10am-10pm, every day of the year. Call them on 0800 0119 100 Samaritans Their helpline is open 24/7, every day of the year. You can call them on 116 123, or for their Welsh language line, 0808 164 123. The Silver Line Provides support for anyone over the age of 55 who may feel lonely or isolated. Their helpline is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day. Call them on 0800 4 70 80 90 Beat Their eating disorder helpline is open every day of the year, 1pm-9pm on weekdays and 5pm-9pm on weekends and bank holidays. You can call them on 0808 801 0677 if you're in England, or 0808 801 0433 in Wales. Mind Their helplines are open every weekday from 10am-6pm. They are closed on 25th and 26th of December and 1st of January. You can find out the numbers and more information about different organisations and helplines from Mind's webpage. Disability Rights UK's helplines will be closed the week beginning the 25th December, until January 2nd. From the whole team at Disability Rights UK, we send you our festive wishes, our solidarity, and our commitment to keep fighting for a world where we have justice and rights as Disabled people. Kind regards, Kamran Mallick signature Kamran Mallick CEO, Disability Rights UK