Tag: Covid-19

COVID-19 Resources for the Disabled Community

Information and resources are developing quickly as we shift to protect ourselves and our communities from COVID-19. This will be an ongoing space linking you to resources from previous Monday Morning Memo articles and a variety of other sources addressing our communities needs during this pandemic.

From The Arc of the United States:

From the Monday Morning Memo Archives:

Additional Resources:

Webinars:

  • Telemedicine for People with I/DD is Critical to Achieve Medical Care During COVID-19 & Beyond:

The COVID-19 Stimulus Package and the Disability Community

The stimulus package or the third COVID-3 package was signed into law late last Friday. This will impact our community in some positive ways, but there is still much work to be done as we move forward.

To learn more, please read this fact sheet to learn what is in the stimulus package and what we will need to advocate for in the next one.

This fact sheet offers information on the stimulus payments, breaking down who is eligible for them, how they interact with asset and income limits, and what amount they will be.

UPDATED: Healthcare Rights for Disabled People During COVID-19

Many people with disabilities are at greater risk from the COVID-19 virus due to our underlying medical conditions. We are also at greater risk of being denied treatment should hospitals fill to capacity and beyond. There has been much talk of rationing care in the news and social media recently which is frightening, but denying medical care to a patient based on their disability is a violation of the ADA. Now more than ever it is critical that members of our community know what our rights are so that we and our families can assert them.

Here are a few resources:

NEW: What can people with I/DD and their families and advocates do now to help make sure the news reaches the front-line providers? Here are some possible steps:

  • Call your local health departments. Ask them to contact the health care providers and reemphasize the state’s joint bulletin. Email it to the health department if they don’t have it.
  • Call your local hospitals and clinics with the same request.
  • Work with your local new media to publicize the state and federal guidances and your advocacy efforts.

 

Special Education in the Time of COVID-19

Education is being impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic leaving families scrambling to ensure their children with disabilities do not get left behind. The following resources should help clarify the current situation.

DREDF put together this detailed resource which explains the current landscape and offers resources and suggestions for what we can do to improve things. We have excerpted it below, but please do follow the link to read it in full:

“The scale and scope of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is clearly unprecedented. Parents are wondering how will shutdowns impact required timeline evaluations and meetings? At this early date, a great deal of confusion about what federal education and disability laws require remains, amplified by practical concerns about 1. what schools can actually provide, and 2. what families can actually access while students and staff stay at home.

Further complicating matters are reports that different school districts and even schools within the same district are answering these questions and responding to the challenges in delivering services differently. Concerns vary greatly – from the availability of quality internet connections, to needed equipment, training, translation and essential support remain unresolved as educators navigate this crisis.

One thing is clear: IF schools are operating and offering or requiring education, all students should be able to access it. How that gets done is a work in progress, and one that may take some time to sort out. What is important is the needs of ALL students, including students with disabilities who represent 14% of all students in our public schools, are part of the conversation and help devise workable solutions from the start…. (Read More)”

From the Department of Education:
Addressing the Risk of COVID-19 in Preschool, Elementary and Secondary Schools While Serving Children with Disabilities

From EdSource:
Despite assurances of flexibility, educators fear liability in online instruction of special ed students

Action Alert to Include Disabled People in COVID-19 Relief

Call your Representatives

Email your Representatives

Congress has passed two bills to respond to the coronavirus pandemic – but more must still be done to support people with disabilities, their families, and the direct support professionals (DSP) workforce.

The entire country is facing the health and economic impacts of COVID-19, but people with disabilities are particularly vulnerable. People with disabilities are more likely to have underlying health conditions and live in poverty – this means that they will be disproportionately impacted and need ongoing support.

The second Coronavirus Relief Bill was an important step in getting people the support they need. It included increased funding for state Medicaid programs, and it expanded sick leave for workers, including for some workers who support people with disabilities to live independently.

We must ask Members of Congress to pass a new bill to address the ongoing needs of people with disabilities during this crisis, including:

  • Additional funding to create a Medicaid grant program to support access to home and community-based services (to combat institutionalization) and to support the DSP workforce.
  • A permanent reauthorization of the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. MFP funds states to move people with disabilities and seniors back into the community, after time in a nursing home or hospital setting.
  • Inclusive economic stimulus and raising asset limits. Congress should ensure that any economic stimulus goes to people with disabilities, including those receiving Social Security or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and/or Medicaid who are subject to strict asset limits which should be raised to ensure that this stimulus does not put crucial benefits at risk.
  • Paid leave for caregivers for people with disabilities. In the last bill, Congress covered sick days for many workers, but did not include caregivers for people with disabilities who have lost or will lose usual sources of care.
  • No limitations on civil rights protections provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Affordable Care Act can be included in the legislation.

Click here to call, or click here to email and urge Congress to ensure that the rights and needs of people with disabilities continue to be center to coronavirus relief legislation!

Accessible Language COVID-19 Answers to Common Questions

Our routines are changing fast because of Covid-19 also known as the coronavirus. It is hard for us to know what is happening. The SCDD answered the most common questions they have been asked in accessible language. We have compiled them along with other resources for you to read and share.

NEW Resources

Top Questions SCDD Received from Self-Advocates (English)

Preguntas frecuentes que SCDD recibió de Personas con Discapacidades (Espanol)

Top Questions SCDD Received from Family Advocates (English)

Preguntas frecuentes que SCDD recibió de Padres y Miembros de Familia (Espanol)

Other Resources

How to Stay Healthy from COVID-19 (English)

Cómo Mantenerse Saludable de COVID-19 (Espanol)

Information By and For People with Disabilities – Green Mountain Self-Advocates (English)

Información de COVID-19 Por y Para Personas con Discapacidades (Espanol)

The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has a regularly updated page for information and guidance at: https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Guidance.aspx.

CDPH’s has COVID-19 Public Health Guidance for people with disabilities at http://bit.ly/2W7ttgh.

All of these resources are available on SCDD’s website at https://scdd.ca.gov/.

Watch and share this video for and by self-advocates about staying healthy during the pandemic:

Información y recursos sobre el Coronavirus para la comunidad I/DD

La información se está desarrollando rápidamente sobre la pandemia del coronavirus. Es difícil mantenerse al día y saber qué podemos hacer para protegernos a nosotros mismos y a las personas que nos rodean. Esto es especialmente desafiante para aquellos de nosotros en la comunidad de personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (I/DD, por sus siglas en inglés). Es importante no entrar en pánico, mantenerse informado y practicar una buena higiene.

DDS ha lanzado esta página web útil con enlaces a información específicamente para ayudar a los proveedores de servicios a hacer todo lo posible para proteger la salud de los clientes y el personal.

SCDD compartió estas útiles guías de una página en un idioma accesible en inglés y español para ayudar a las personas con I /DD a mantenerse informadas.

Green Mountain Self-Advocates creó la información más detallada sobre COVID-19 por y para personas con discapacidades, también disponible en inglés y español.

Coronavirus Information and Resources for the I/DD Community

Information is developing quickly about the coronavirus pandemic. It is difficult to keep up with and know what we can do to protect ourselves and the people around us. This is especially challenging for those of us in the disability community. It is important not to panic, to keep informed, and practice good hygiene.

DDS has released this useful webpage with links to information specifically to help providers do all that they can to protect the health of clients and staff.

SCDD shared these useful one page guides in accessible language in both English and Spanish to help people with I/DD stay informed.

Green Mountain Self-Advocates created the more in depth COVID-19 Information By and For People with Disabilities also available in English and Spanish.

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