The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the social protection response and recovery initiatives by countries in the South Asian Region towards people with disabilities from the perspective of DPOs.
What can social protection do for persons with disabilities in the current COVID19 crisis? Why is it important to protect the rights of persons with disabilities and ensure equal access to services? Our colleagues at the Center for Inclusive Policy have put together this informative video. Watch the video through Youtube.
Reach the furthest behind first: Persons with disabilities must be prioritized in accessing COVID-19 vaccinations
With COVID-19 vaccinations being rolled out around the world, serious concerns have raised about how persons with disabilities will access the vaccinations. The disability movement has legitimate questions about prioritization of persons with disabilities and their support networks to vaccinations, accessibility of vaccination processes, related information and venues, and provision of vaccines on the basis of free and informed consent of all persons with disabilities.
Together with our key partner the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC), we have initiated advocacy at global, regional and national levels to ensure maximizing prioritization, inclusion, and accessibility of persons with disabilities in the rollout and distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations. We are particularly interested to publish views, concerns and experiences from persons with disabilities around the world about accessing the vaccines. If you have a view to share or story to tell about COVID vaccinations, please email Camila Petzoldt at cpetzoldt [at] ida-secretariat.org.
Read and download our key recommendations:
English - PDF | Word Español - PDF | Word
On behalf of persons with disabilities and their organizations as well as support networks all over the world, we call on all governments, United Nations agencies and the private sector to immediately take all measures to ensure that:
- COVID-19 vaccinations are available in free or low-cost targeted programs to all people including persons with disabilities and support networks of their choice;
- Persons with disabilities and support networks of their choice have priority access to vaccinations; including personal assistants, family caregivers, and persons working in disability-related services;
- Sites, where vaccinations are delivered, are physically accessible and live guidance and assistance is provided for those who need it. Free or low-cost targeted programs for accessible transportation must be provided where necessary;
- Specific outreach is conducted to ensure that persons with disabilities know of the availability of vaccinations, and all information campaigns are inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities, including gender and age-appropriate;
- All information systems related to vaccinations must collect data disaggregated by age, gender and disability, and web-based services should also be fully accessible while ensuring respect for private life and the confidentiality of health-related information;
- Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination must be based on free and informed consent of persons with disabilities. Autonomy and legal capacity of all persons with disabilities including persons with intellectual disabilities, persons with psychosocial disabilities and autistic persons must not be undermined with justifications such as public good or the best interest of the person;
- International organizations and government must ensure that persons with disabilities and their representative organizations meaningfully participate in policy-making and planning on distribution of COVID-19 vaccinations and related processes;
- Organizations of persons with disabilities must be properly resourced to become partners in the roll-out of information campaigns, for instance by reaching out to the most marginalized people and ensure their messages are clear, inclusive and accessible.
Learn more about Persons with Disabilities and Access to COVID-19 vaccination here.
IDA Survey on Experience of Persons with Disabilities Adapting to COVID-19 Global Pandemic
The global COVID-19 pandemic drastically transformed human life, many aspects of which have yet to be normalised. Many governments are in the process of developing or implementing recovery plans to mitigate some of the economic and social consequences of the pandemic. The rapid changes and unstable conditions particularly impacted marginalised groups including persons with disabilities.
Catastrophic global failure to protect the rights of persons with disabilities: Findings of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor Global report
Validity Foundation, the European Network on Independent Living, Disability Rights International, the Centre for Human Rights at the University of Pretoria, the International Disability Alliance, the International Disability and Development Consortium, and the Disability Rights Fund/Disability Rights Advocacy Fund are launching today the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor report, a major global initiative to conduct rapid independent monitoring of state measures concerning the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities.
Click here to view the full report.
Disability Rights During the Coronavirus Pandemic: COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor
The International Disability Alliance, along with a number of partners, launched a COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor. Governments, organisations of persons with disabilities and all relevant stakeholders were invited to complete a survey to highlight issues faced by persons with disabilities in the midst of the COVID19 Pandemic.
- The survey is now CLOSED. Please visit: https://covid-drm.org/ for additional information
- Read: COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor calls on governments to ensure access to food, medication and essential supplies for persons with disabilities
- Read: COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) calls for an emergency response to the catastrophic abuse of the human rights of persons with disabilities in institutions
- Other Statements here
In the light of the COVID19 pandemic and with the aim to support a disability-inclusive response to the crisis, International Disability Alliance (IDA) has launched this hub-page to share the most recent updates and resources as they become available.
If you have any updates on how COVID 19 is affecting persons with disabilities in your area of work, or want to share any good practices or lessons learnt, contact IDA's inclusive humanitarian adviser, Elham Youssefian via eyoussefian [at] ida-secretariat.org.
International Disability Alliance Key Recommendations toward a Disability-Inclusive COVID19 Response
Read and download our key recommendations:
- English - PDF | Word | Easy Read | Infographic
Translations (the following translations of the IDA key recommendations around Covid19 have been provided by external organisations and third parties. IDA bears no responsibility for the accuracy of the documents).
- Francais - PDF | Word
- Espanol - PDF | Word
- عربى - PDF | Word
- Português - PDF | Word
- 한국어 - PDF | Word
- 中文 - PDF | Word
- Bahasa Indonesia
- Bangla - PDF
Our key recommendations include:
- Persons with disabilities must receive information about infection mitigating tips, public restriction plans, and the services offered, in a diversity of accessible formats with use of accessible technologies
- Additional protective measures must be taken for people with certain types of impairment
- Rapid awareness raising and training of personnel involved in the response are essential
- All preparedness and response plans must be inclusive of and accessible to women with disabilities
- No disability-based institutionalization and abandonment is acceptable
- During quarantine, support services, personal assistance, physical and communication accessibility must be ensured
- Measures of public restrictions must consider persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others
- Persons with disabilities in need of health services due to COVID19 cannot be deprioritized on the ground of their disability
- OPDs can and should play a key role in raising awareness of persons with disabilities and their families.
- OPDs can and should play a key role in advocating for disability-inclusive response to the COVID19 crisis.