Covid-19- Advocacy Efforts
Weeks of Action:
This was developed by the American Association of People with Disabilities —
Congress is on recess until April 20, and when they return they will be working on drafting the next COVID-19 relief package. The number of ways that COVID 19 impacts our lives is overwhelming. To help focus our advocacy, consider focusing your social media outreach around 4 priority areas that desperately need to be addressed in the next bill.
04/13: Paid leave for caregivers. As more people with disabilities lose their usual sources of care, family caregivers are scrambling and need access to paid leave and sick days to help their loved ones. Congress should include all family caregivers in the emergency paid leave provisions.
04/20: Making Sure people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to access Recovery Rebates. People with disabilities on SSI are being asked to file needless paperwork in order to access economic stimulus payments. Congress should tell Federal agencies to use their existing authority to share data and file for people on SSI
04/27: Access to personal medications and supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for direct support professionals and for people with disabilities.These are critical needs to keep people with disabilities safe and healthy, and protect the health and safety of this workforce.
- Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities Fact Sheet: Safeguard Against Disability Discrimination During COVID-19 2020-Covid-19 Fact Sheet Center for Dignity in Health Care fact sheet on rights for people with disabilities
- Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities letter on basic legal principles of nondiscrimination in healthcare http://www.c-c-d.org/
fichiers/Letter-re-COVID-19- and-Disability-Discrimination- final.pdf
- Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund resource Preventing Discrimination in the Treatment of COVID-19 Patients: The Illegality of Medical Rationing on the Basis of Disability https://dredf.org/the-
illegality-of-medical- rationing-on-the-basis-of- disability/
- DREDF Know Your Healthcare Disability Rights factsheet (available in multiple languages) https://dredf.org/
covid-19-advocacy-and- resources/
- “Don’t Deny Disabled People Ventilators” op-ed by National Council on Disability Chairman Neil Romano and Sam Bagenstos https://www.washingtonpost.
com/outlook/2020/04/06/ coronavirus-ventilators- disabled-people/
- Guidance from Disability Legal Groups on non-discrimination in medical rationing related to the HHS Guidance: http://www.bazelon.org/wp-
content/uploads/2020/04/4-3- 20-Guidance-to-States- Hospitals_FINAL.pdf
- Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights Bulletin on Civil Rights and COVID-19: https://www.hhs.gov/sites/
default/files/ocr-bulletin-3- 28-20.pdf?fbclid= IwAR351WokrC2uQLIPxDR0eiAizAQ8 Q-XwhBt_ 0asYiXi91XW4rnAKW8kxcog
- “I will not apologize for my needs” op ed by Ari Ne’eman https://www.nytimes.com/2020/
03/23/opinion/coronavirus- ventilators-triage-disability. html
- “May Hospitals Withhold Ventilators from COVID-19 Patients with Pre-Existing Disabilities? Notes on the Law and Ethics of Disability-Based Medical Rationing” Yale Law Review Article from Sam Bagenstos. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/
papers.cfm?abstract_id=3559926
- #NoBodyIsDisposable a “Know Your Rights” toolkit for people facing potential triage discrimination based on disability or weight during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. https://docs.google.com/
document/d/1td5Uq2R_ ivBLzPzamnq41T89nLD1UetHzS- 9tGr1fsk/edit
- Webpage with additional resources and federal and state advocacy (including OCR complaints and state advocacy coalition letters): https://www.
centerforpublicrep.org/covid- 19-medical-rationing/
