[community] COVID-19 and Disability: Recommendations to the Canadian Government from Disability Related Organizations in Canada - March 24, 2020

Fri Mar 27 10:46:42 UTC 2020

COVID-19 and Disability: Recommendations to the Canadian Government from
Disability Related Organizations in Canada – March 24, 2020

It is imperative that the Government of Canada urgently address the unique
vulnerabilities of people with disabilities and their families during the
COVID-19 crisis. People with disabilities represent 22% of the Canadian
population. Many are at extreme risk and require additional support to
ensure their health and safety at this time. 

Some people with disabilities are vulnerable to COVID-19 because of the
nature of their disability and related health challenges. Many others are at
risk because of the measures put in place in response to COVID-19 which
require people with disabilities and their families to distance themselves
from their communities and support systems and to invest funds up front for
supplies needed to maintain wellbeing during an extended period of
isolation. 

If Canada’s healthcare system becomes overburdened by COVID-19, most
triaging guidelines will result in people with disabilities being denied
care, triaged out of care solely on the basis of having a disability. This
was the case during the SARS and H1N1 pandemics and we have no reason to
believe that guidelines have changed. Canadians with disabilities may be
refused ventilators or life support in a moment of crisis because they have
a disability. This discriminatory policy is of great concern. 

Family stress and reduced staff support is already proving to be a challenge
as schools, daycares, and recreational activities close and children and
adults with disabilities must stay home and rely on family or staff. As
lifestyles shift to promote social distancing, people with disabilities
require support in navigating alternative approaches to maintaining their
independence, health, and safety in everyday life. For some, this shift is
not only difficult to manage but impossible to negotiate alone. 

Indeed, family members are having to step up and step away from other
priorities and sources of income to fill gaps in disability support for
their loved ones. They are absorbing the costs of COVID-19 personally and
out of necessity; and they are terrified of what will happen if they
themselves become infected and must self-quarantine. People with
disabilities and their families need immediate financial support.

People living in group arrangements also have evolving needs which now must
largely be met from within their residences, on the fly, and with very
little guidance or resourcing from public health agencies or governments. We
know that there are now staffing shortages because of this concentration of
need and as staff self-isolate for their own protection. Further, staff may
be anxious about getting sick or being vectors of COVID-19 transmission both
inside and outside the workplace. 

Canada must step up to the challenge set by the UN Special Rapporteur on the
Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to provide for continuity of care,
financial aid, and reassurance that the survival of people with disabilities
is a priority (Endnote 1).

We therefore recommend that the Canadian government*:

- Agreed upon top seven priorities of the disability community -

1.Issue an explicit national values statement affirming the equal rights of
people with disabilities to available medical treatment and care including
in circumstances of pandemic triage, and – more broadly – reaffirming
Canada’s commitment to the rights of persons with disabilities to equality
and inclusion, as enshrined in the Charter, provincial/federal/territorial
human rights law, and in Canada’s international obligations under the UN
Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. 

2.Ensure that all announcements made by the Prime Minister and the Public
Health Agency are fully accessible and in plain language, and that all
networks publicly broadcasting these announcements are mandated to capture
these accessibility features (Endnote 2). 

3.Release guidelines for service providers and people with disabilities who
must continue to interact with service providers, to keep everyone safe and
to ensure that necessary support continues. Provide protective equipment
such as gloves and masks and prioritize the screening of support staff and
personal caregivers in private homes and care centers (Endnote 3). Encourage
the provinces and territories to recognize caregivers and disability support
staff as essential service providers.

4.Establish a Citizen Task Force inclusive of people with disabilities,
their families, and relevant civil society organizations to monitor evolving
needs and advise on remedial strategies in real time, as adverse policy
impacts affecting the provision of essential disability related care and
support become apparent. Long term, following the COVID-19 pandemic, this
group could help to inform a disability inclusive Federal emergency response
plan for pandemics and other nation-wide emergency situations. 

5.Protect the income of people with disabilities and their families. Support
businesses who have hired people with disabilities by offering them
education in how best to provide accommodations and accessible
work-from-home measures for their employees. Extend EI Caregiver Benefits to
those who are stepping into a caregiver role due to illness or isolation
from COVID-19.

6.Connect with individual Indigenous communities across Canada to assess the
current state of their operations and identify the critical health and
disability related needs of their members with a disability and the best way
to meet those needs. Implement a comprehensive communications plan to ensure
that Indigenous communities and their members are receiving information in a
timely and accessible manner. 

7.Transfer funds to the provinces and territories that are marked for the
health and support needs of people with a disability. Work with the
provinces and territories to encourage considered approaches to disability
inclusion throughout the country.

– Other actions that would be extremely beneficial – 

8.Regulate the insurance industry to prohibit exclusion from health benefits
for reasons that adversely impact Canadians with disabilities during a
pandemic (Endnote 4). 

9.Provide additional crisis funding to not-for-profit organizations that
provide services to people with disabilities, appreciating that their
fundraising revenue will be severely compromised.

10.Establish an accessible hotline with alternatives for text and email to
help Canadians with disabilities and their families navigate emergent
concerns and innovative supports during the COVID-19 pandemic.

And that the Federal government take on a leadership role in working with
the provinces and territories, and relevant regulatory bodies to: 

1.Ensure that any provincially applied triage methods do not discriminate
against people disabilities. Every Canadian, regardless of where they live,
must have access to all support required to live through COVID-19.

2.Ensure that all pandemic related communications released by provincial and
territorial governments and health authorities are fully accessible and in
plain language, and that all networks publicly broadcasting these
announcements are mandated to capture these accessibility features. 

3.Legislate job protection for individuals with disabilities who are unable
to fulfill their work duties due to heighted risk of infection and/or other
societal barriers (gaps in transportation for example) and for family
members and others who have to step away from work to provide care during
the COVID-19 crisis.

4.Ensure that hospitals make an exception to any blanket prohibition of
visitors when a person with a disability requires assistance with vital
services like communication, caregiving, or supported decision making.

5.Consider those who provide disability supports and services and/or work in
fields like wheelchair maintenance and augmentative communication support
for people who use communication devices to be engaged in essential services
so that they remain accessible. 

6.Prevent the retraction of any unclaimed funding administered for services
such as personal assistance or therapy when they are cancelled by either
party due to COVID-19 (illness or illness prevention). Potential solutions
may include rolling these funds forward, and/or relaxing reporting
obligations so that people with disabilities and their families may use
their discretion in re-allocating these funds during a time of crisis. 

7.Provide COVID-19 testing sites that are physically accessible – including
to persons who require mobility aids and those who do not drive or have
access to a vehicle. 

8.Provide advances on all disability payments in order to allow for people
with disabilities and their families to stock up on food and medical
supplies, make required changes to disability supports and relevant
assistive technologies, and continue to pay routine bills.

9.Temporarily relax regulations pertaining to refilling prescription
medications including controlled substances. Solutions may include
empowering pharmacists to renew prescriptions during the COVID-19 crisis or
mandating medical practitioners to refill prescriptions over the phone. 

10.Support people with disabilities in accessing community-based mental
health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Additional resources and information can be found at: 

The International Disability Alliance at:
http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/covid-19 (International) 

The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies:
https://mailchi.mp/disasterstrategies/covid19-national-call-to-action-org-su
pport150 (US)

Centre for Research Excellence in Disability and Health:
https://credh.org.au/news-events/covid-19-and-people-with-disabilities/
(Aus)

And Disability organizations in Australia have endorsed :
https://mcusercontent.com/9b4dc5c4cde2d6162dcb52396/files/d314e3a2-38d0-4e7c
-8953-5e149ea6ffc8/Urgent_actions_needed_for_people_with_disability_to_respo
nd_to_COVID_19.pdf (Aus)

UN News: https://news.un.org/en/story/2020/03/1059762 (International)

Presented By: 

Abilities Centre

Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability 

Alliance for Equality of Blind Canadians

ARCH Disability Law Centre

Barrier free Canada – Canada sans barriers

British Columbia Aboriginal Network on Disability Society

Canadian Association for Community Living

Canadian Association of the Deaf-Association des Sourds du Canada

Canadian Autism Spectrum Disorder Alliance

Canadian Council of the Blind

Canadian Council Rehabilitation Work

Canadian Disability Participation Project

Canadian Hard of Hearing Association

CNIB Foundation

Communication Disabilities Access Canada

Council of Canadians with Disabilities

DisAbled Women’s Network of Canada / Réseau d’Action des Femmes Handicapées
du Canada (DAWN-RAFH Canada) 

Empower, The Disability Resource Centre

Every Canadian Counts Coalition

Family Support Institute of BC

Independent Living Canada

Independent Living Nova Scotia

L’Arche Canada

March of Dimes Canada

Muscular Dystrophy Canada

National Network of Mental Health

People First of Canada

Pooran Law

Quebec Accessible

Realize

Rick Hansen Foundation

Spinal Cord Injury BC

Spinal Cord Injury Canada

ENDNOTES:

1.UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25725
<https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25725&Lan
gID=E> &LangID=E 

* This is not an exhaustive list of all that can or should be done to
support people with disabilities in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. It
is intended to be used as a starting point for government to build upon in
collaboration with people with disabilities as the pandemic responses unfold
and new needs become apparent.

2.The United Nations recommends that during the COVID-19 pandemic “public
advice campaigns and information from national health authorities must be
made available to the public in sign language and accessible means, modes
and formats, including accessible digital technology, captioning, relay
services, text messages, easy-to-read and plain language.” If uncertainty
arises, Canada can connect with the disability community for guidance and
support in best practices in accessible communication and information
sharing. 

3.As a best practice, these guidelines should be developed in consultation
with the community care sector.

4.For example, some people with disabilities who are currently abroad do not
feel that they can travel home without risking exposing themselves to
COVID-19. These individuals must not lose their health insurance at this
time.