The COVID-19 pandemic has created a new set of barriers for disabled people to navigate and has exacerbated many of the existing inequities in health care. Thus, disabled individuals are at greater risk for COVID-19, with evidence for 3 times greater odds of COVID related death in those with developmental disabilities and 2.75 greater odds in those with intellectual disabilities (1).
Examples of inequities include:
Examples of inequities include:
- Difficulties accessing public health information, lip reading is difficult under a mask
- Difficulties social distancing when caregivers need to provide assistance with feeding, medication, and general personal care. These caregivers tend to be rotating, putting disabled individuals at greater risk.
- Increased risk of respiratory issues or severe disease because of existing comorbidities
How does the CDC define increased risk?
At the time this was written, the CDC defines the following conditions as increased risk: cancer, chronic kidney disease, COPD, Down Syndrome, heart conditions, immunocompromised state due to organ transplant, obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease, smoking, type 2 diabetes, and asthma (moderate-severe). They acknowledge this list is not exhaustive and only includes conditions with sufficient evidence to be labeled as increased risk. The list is updated when more data becomes available. For example, advocates have been urging for cystic fibrosis, an inherited disease that fills the lungs with mucus-like fluid, and immune deficiencies to be added to the list.
Unfortunately, disability data is being gathered at much lower rates compared to other marginalized groups, so there is insufficient evidence for many conditions to be labeled as "increased risk." This is leaves a large proportion of the high-risk population untracked. As the neurodiversity and disability justice movements encourages us to do so, we must view disability as another inequity strata like race and socioeconomic status and collect disability data at similar rates.
Unfortunately, disability data is being gathered at much lower rates compared to other marginalized groups, so there is insufficient evidence for many conditions to be labeled as "increased risk." This is leaves a large proportion of the high-risk population untracked. As the neurodiversity and disability justice movements encourages us to do so, we must view disability as another inequity strata like race and socioeconomic status and collect disability data at similar rates.
HOw COVId-19 highlights the lack of accommodation for disabled individuals
In COVID-19, the general public has been asked to stay in their houses and minimize contact with other people in hopes of stopping disease spread. People have long complained about the lack of socialization, the ability to leave their houses, and the loss of freedom they have in general. However, this is the reality of many disabled individuals’ daily lives, whether pandemic or no pandemic. The inability to leave their houses without the help of a caregiver or out of fright of contracting disease. The challenge to communicate in a way society expects, leaving them socially isolated.
In the pandemic, accommodations such as being able to do online school or working remotely from home have been developed. This flexibility has opened up the doors for more individuals to contribute to the workforce or participate in class. Unsurprisingly, these are accommodations that disability advocates have been fighting for years. Perhaps the normalization of accommodations that disability advocates have been fighting for will lead to increased discussions on how we can normalize disability/neurodiversity and fight against the ableist tendencies our society has. However, side-lining disabled individuals is still mainstream; action was only taken in this case because the majority needed these accommodations in COVID-19.
In the pandemic, accommodations such as being able to do online school or working remotely from home have been developed. This flexibility has opened up the doors for more individuals to contribute to the workforce or participate in class. Unsurprisingly, these are accommodations that disability advocates have been fighting for years. Perhaps the normalization of accommodations that disability advocates have been fighting for will lead to increased discussions on how we can normalize disability/neurodiversity and fight against the ableist tendencies our society has. However, side-lining disabled individuals is still mainstream; action was only taken in this case because the majority needed these accommodations in COVID-19.
COVID-19 Vaccination and De-Prioritization of Disability
The COVID-19 vaccine is just one example of how disabled individuals are being de-prioritized in this pandemic. Although disabled individuals are at a greater risk for chronic illnesses and complex health challenges, they are not being prioritized for vaccines, leaving them feeling “disregarded and discarded.” (2) 30 states, including DC and Massachusetts, de-prioritized people who fall into the younger-aged high risk category, reinforcing the medical model of disability of someone being lesser or more disposable. This devaluation is further perpetuated by the fact that in these states, disability care workers are being vaccinated while the lives they are caring for are forced to wait.
- Decentralized nature of vaccine information and policy across state and local domains
- Vaccine registration is very decentralized and mostly online
- Challenging for disabled people, elderly adults, and people with limited technology access to gain information and receive a vaccine
- Limited vaccination alternatives for people who are unable to leave one’s house or have limited mobility
- Individuals with high risk conditions don’t hit the age benchmarks that would have made them eligible for the vaccine
Sources
(1) Makary, M. (2020). Risk Factors for COVID-19 Mortality among Privately Insured Patients: A Claims Data Analysis. https://s3.amazonaws.com/media2.fairhealth.org/whitepaper/asset/Risk%20Factors%20for%20COVID-19%20Mortality%20among%20Privately%20Insured%20Patients%20-%20A%20Claims%20Data%20Analysis%20-%20A%20FAIR%20Health%20White%20Paper.pdf
(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/they-thought-theyd-be-near-the-front-of-the-line-for-the-vaccine-now-they-dont-know-where-they-stand/2021/02/12/31f33b46-6d9f-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html
(2) https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/they-thought-theyd-be-near-the-front-of-the-line-for-the-vaccine-now-they-dont-know-where-they-stand/2021/02/12/31f33b46-6d9f-11eb-9f80-3d7646ce1bc0_story.html