“We feel that the voice of tagata sa’ilimalo, tāngata whaikaha and disabled people more widely, has not been given a sufficient profile to influence the public conversation that surrounds the pandemic policy.” (Pacific peoples submission) Across the submissions made to the first phase of this Inquiry, six main areas of concern are apparent, stemming from disability appearing to be an afterthought in the government’s Omicron response. These six areas are outlined in the following sections: • Significant concerns with communications • Staying safe during the pandemic • Support to isolate safely • Disrupted disability support services • Unavailable health services • Lack of support in education settings. Significant concerns with communications While many groups of disabled people have worked tirelessly to find, produce, and disseminate accessible information about Omicron and COVID-19, many submissions to phase one of the Inquiry described a lack of clear and concise official communications targeted to disabled people and their whānau, particularly since the start of 2022: “Early in the pandemic, disability support services advised their communities of support services available during different alert levels… Since moving to the traffic light system, disability-specific information such as accessing disability support services has been received in a more sporadic nature.” (Submission) Specific concerns about communications raised throughout this phase of the Inquiry are set out below. Accurate and appropriate information is hard to find Information about Omicron, specifically prepared for disabled people, is either unavailable or hard to find. This includes information on masks, how to undertake rapid antigen tests (RATs), and where to access supports. When information is available it is often confusing or repetitive, making it hard to identify the most important messages: “Quite often… what we have received is just a barrage of information and it’s not answering the questions that are top of mind for our families and whānau.” (Submission) 19