COVID-19 and Disability
Persons with disabilities generally have more health-care needs than others – both standard needs and needs linked to impairments – and are therefore more vulnerable to the impact of low quality or inaccessible health-care services than others. Compared to persons without disabilities, persons with disabilities are more likely to have poor health: among 43 countries, 42 per cent of persons with disabilities versus 6 per cent of persons without disabilities perceive their health as poor.
To achieve the highest attainable standard of health for persons with disabilities, the following actions should be considered:
Strengthen national legislation and policies on health care in line with the CRPD.
Identify and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility in health-care facilities.
Improve health-care coverage and affordability for persons with disabilities as part of universal approaches to health care.
Train health-care personnel on disability inclusion and improve service delivery for persons with disabilities.
Empower persons with disabilities to take control over their own health-care decisions, on the basis of informed consent.
Prohibit discriminatory practices in health insurance and promote health insurance coverage for assistive products and rehabilitation services.
Improve research and data to monitor, evaluate and strengthen health systems to include and deliver for persons with disabilities.
While having a disability probably doesn’t by itself put someone at higher risk from Coronavirus, many persons with disabilities do have specific underlying conditions that make the disease more dangerous for them.
Over 100 disability advocacy organizations and a coalition of disability rights and emergency management experts in the host country recently made an urgent call for immediate response, addressing the specific needs of persons with disabilities to maintain their health, safety, dignity, and independence in the community throughout the COVID-19 outbreak and related health emergencies.
UN Resources on Persons with Disabilities and COVID19
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Persons in the Arab Region by UNESCWA
- The Impact of COVID-19 on Older Persons in the Arab Region by UNESCWA
- People with disabilities in the face of COVID-19 in the Americas and the Caribbean by UNDRR
- Persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response: Ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities at all stages of the response by ILO
- Rapid Assessment of the Socio-economic impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities in Vietnam by UNDP
- Joint Statement “Local governments and persons with disabilities in relation to Covid-19 by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General on Disability and Accessibility | English | Español
- Joint statement in support of the Secretary General’s Policy Brief on a disability-inclusive response to COVID-19
- UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19
- UN DESA Policy Brief on “Leaving no one behind: the COVID-19 crisis through the disability and gender lens”
- UN Secretary-General’s Policy Brief: COVID-19 and Human Rights: We are all in this together
- UN DESA’s web portal on COVID-19 to closely monitor the economic, financial and social impacts of the crisis and help Member States navigate the policy choices ahead in a way that leaves no one behind.
- Report on “Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19
- The Secretary-General’s UN Response and Recovery Fund
- Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak by WHO
- COVID-19: Who is protecting the people with disabilities? by Ms. Catalina Devandas, Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Preventing discrimination against people with disabilities in COVID-19 response by UN News
- COVID-19: How to include marginalized and vulnerable people in risk communication and community engagement by UN Women
- The COVID-19 Outbreak and Gender:Key Advocacy Points from Asia and the Pacific by UN Women
- COVID-19 and the world of work by ILO
- Useful links for disability-inclusive responses to COVID-19 crisis by UNESCAP
- COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities by UNICEF
- Risk Communication & Community Engagement for COVID-19- Engaging with Children and Adults with Disabilities by UNICEF
- IASC briefing note on addressing mental health and psychosocial aspects of COVID-19 Outbreak
- UNESCAP Policy Brief: Ensuring Disability Rights and Inclusion in the response to COVID-19
- 7 ways employers can support working parents during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak
- The COVID-19 Outbreak and Gender: Key Advocacy Points from Asia and the Pacific by UN Women
- Disability Inclusive social protection response to COVID-19 crisis by UNPRPD, IDA and UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities
- Technical Brief COVID-19: A Gender Lens – Protecting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Promoting Gender Equality by UNFPA
- Webinar Disability Inclusion in COVID-19 responses in the World of Work by ILO
- Persons with disabilities in the COVID-19 response by ILO
- Combatting the Dual Challenge of COVID-19 and Climate-Related Disasters by UNDRR
- COVID-19 and The Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Guidance by OHCHR and related UN News here
- ITU guidelines on how to ensure that digital information, services and products are accessible by all people, including Persons with Disabilities during COVID-19
- Leaving no one behind during the pandemic: Children with disabilities and COVID-19 by UNICEF
- Life in the Times of COVID-19: A Guide for Parents of Children with Disabilities by UNESCO
- Persons with disabilities and coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Latin America and the Caribbean: status and guidelines by UNECLAC
- Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Long-Term Care Facilities in the context of COVID-19 by WHO
- All Means All – How to support learning for the most vulnerable children in areas of school closures by UNICEF
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