Hello, again! Welcome to Day Three of the 5-Day Journey about raising awareness for individuals with disabilities. Today we turn our attention to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on Americans with disabilities. Over the past two plus years, our world has changed in ways previously unthinkable. The effects of the pandemic have impacted all areas of our global society. The content provided today focuses the lens of COVID’s impact on the ways it has influenced and changed individuals with disabilities.

The Effects Felt By All

A recent report by the National Council on Disabilities (NCD) found that COVID-19 exacted a steep toll on certain populations of people with disabilities, here are some key findings that highlight the influence of the pandemic:

• People with intellectual or developmental disabilities faced a high risk of being triaged out of COVID-19 treatment facilities when resources and supplies were in high demand, resulting in the disproportionate denial of access to care.
• Added exposure to the virus due to difficulty transitioning out of community settings settings to community-based settings at the height of the pandemic.
• The growing shortage of direct care workers in existence prior to the pandemic became worse during the pandemic. Many such workers, who are women of color earning less than a living wage and lacking health benefits, left their positions for fear of contracting and spreading the virus, leaving people with disabilities and their caregivers without aid and some at risk of losing their independence or being institutionalized.
• Students with disabilities were cut off from needed in-person special education services and supports.
• Further exacerbation of inequity in the workplace.

Enhanced communication obstacles related to precautions (i.e., mask wearing) for certain individuals with disabilities (i.e., hearing impaired)