Caleb and Me
You are between 3 and 4 times more likely to die from Covid-19 if you have a registered disability.
According to the latest figures, the ratios are 200 to 70 for men and, incredibly, 140 to 35 deaths per 100,000 for women.
The media seem to have largely passed this by. The furore over the doubly increased risk for members of the black and minority ethnic (BAME) community has rightly made headlines and been the stuff of leader writers and news programmes, but the even greater risk to those in the disabled community has been all but invisible.
A new book by Dorset vicar George Moody suggests this should not surprise us.
Called 'Caleb and Me: Down’s Syndrome through a Father’s eyes', it traces the early years of the life of his son, Caleb, and explores what it is like being Caleb’s dad.
George says:
"It is full of anecdotes, amusing and shocking in equal measure, but the book has a message, couched as a question. Why are we so keen to get rid of those we need the most?
"In an age where we are starved of love, why do we hide away those most able to give it without restraint? Maybe it is time we listened to its message and saw those with additional needs as a gift and not a burden."
Document Actions