“There is no ‘one stop shop’ for all COVID-19 related information and the COVID-19 website does not have enough disability specific information.” (Submission) Many concerns were also raised around how the information that was available was not actually designed for disabled people: “The communications side of things is really important… it was easy to find what to do if I test positive but what do I do if I test positive AND I have a disability?... The biggest communication breakdown is that there is nowhere to go if you’re slightly outside the box.” (Submission) Often the lack of appropriate information from government sources (such as the Ministry of Health) designed for disabled people meant that community groups, networks, organisations or rōpū, and whānau and individuals had to look for, and share information themselves: “We have had to source information from outside the Ministry of Health as they could only provide generic information and even this was very delayed.” (Submission) Several submissions highlighted that the lack of accurate and clear information designed for disabled people and their whānau created unnecessary worry and stress, on top of the already heavy demands of the pandemic: “Disabled people and whānau reported that information about managing COVID was in many cases variable, inconsistent, misleading and in some cases created stigmatisation and disadvantage.” (Submission) Information is not in accessible formats Information is not always available in accessible formats, which limits the ability of disabled people to make fully informed decisions during the Omicron outbreak: “Despite obligations under the UNCRPD and repeated requests, many government communications continue to remain inaccessible. For example, images without descriptions and videos without captioning.” (Submission) Significant effort has gone into producing information in a range of accessible formats (including New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) translations) often led by disabled peoples’ organisations and other disability groups. Information shared as part of this Inquiry outlined the growing workload of people skilled in producing Easy Read material as they aimed to provide accessible versions of complex messages around COVID-19 as quickly as possible. Submissions highlighted disappointment around material being developed that was not disseminated in a way that was user-friendly for disabled people, specifically, the lack of printed copies of Easy Read material produced for the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. 20 Inquiry into the Support of Disabled People and Whānau During Omicron