PTR1051

DISABILITY AND LIFE

PTR1051
DISSABILITY AND LİFE

ASST. PROF. BAHA NACİ

10.12.2021
COVID-19 AND THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

• While the COVID-19 pandemic threatens all members of society, persons

with disabilities are disproportionately impacted due to attitudinal,
environmental and institutional barriers that are reproduced in the COVID-
19 response.

• Barriers for persons with disabilities in accessing health services and

information are intensified.

• Particular groups of persons with disabilities, such as prisoners and those

who are homeless or without adequate housing, face even greater risks.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RIGHT TO HEALTH OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES?

• Despite being a population that is particularly at-risk to COVID-19, persons

with disabilities face even greater inequalities in accessing healthcare
during the pandemic due to inaccessible health information and
environments, as well as selective medical guidelines and protocols that
may magnify the discrimination persons with disabilities face in healthcare
provision.
• These protocols at times reveal medical bias against persons with
disabilities concerning their quality of life and social value.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Prohibit the denial of treatment on the basis of disability

• Ensure priority testing of persons with disabilities presenting symptoms.
• Promote research on the impact of COVID-19 on the health of persons with
disabilities.
• Identify and remove barriers to treatment including ensuring accessible
environments (hospitals, testing and quarantine facilities)
• Ensure the continued supply and access to medicines for persons with disabilities
during the pandemic.
• Conduct training and awareness-raising of health workers to prevent
discrimination based on prejudice and bias against persons with disabilities.
• Closely consult with and actively involve persons with disabilities and their
representative organisations in framing a rights-based response to the pandemic
that is inclusive of, and responsive to, persons with disabilities in all their diversity.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES LIVING IN INSTITUTIONS?

• COVID-19 is having a disproportionate impact in psychiatric institutions,

social care institutions and institutions for older persons, resulting in high
rates of infection and death.
• In some preliminary studies, the number of deaths in care homes
represented from 42% to 57% of all COVID-19 deaths in those countries.
• Institutionalized persons with disabilities face heightened risk of
contracting COVID-19 due to underlying health conditions, difficulty in
enforcing social distancing amongst residents and staff.
• Persons with disabilities living in institutions also face greater risks of
human rights violations, such as neglect, restraint, isolation and violence.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Discharge and release persons with disabilities from institutions and

promptly ensure provision of support in the community through family and/or
informal networks, and fund support services by public or private service
providers.
• Prioritise testing and promote preventive measures within institutions to
reduce infection risks by implementing physical distancing measures for
residents, modifying visiting hours, mandating use of protective equipment,
and improving hygiene conditions.
• Increase temporarily the resources of institutions including human resources
and financial resources to implement preventive measures.
• During the emergency period, ensure continued respect of the rights of
persons living in institutions including freedom from exploitation, violence and
abuse, non-discrimination, the right to free and informed consent, and access
to justice.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RIGHT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES TO LIVE IN THE COMMUNITY?

• Many persons with disabilities who rely on others for daily living find themselves
without support due to movement restrictions and physical distancing measures.
• This may leave them at high risk without access to food, essential goods and
medicine, and prevented from carrying out basic daily activities such as bathing,
cooking, or eating.
• In addition, some persons with disabilities, such as persons with psychosocial
disabilities and autistic persons, might not be able to cope with strict confinement
at home.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Ensure that information on COVID-19 related measures is accessible to

persons with disabilities, including through sign language interpretation,
captioning, and easy to read formats, among others.
• Ensure that support persons of persons with disabilities are exempted
from stay-at-home restrictions in order to provide support.
• Consider establishing opening hours giving priority to persons with
disabilities and their personal assistants in supermarkets, groceries and
other essential shops, during stay-at-home/confinement measures.
• Ensure the provision of reasonable accommodation to persons with
disabilities by refraining from blanket prohibitions of leaving home, and
creating exemptions for persons with disabilities to be outside.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON WORK, INCOME AND LIVELIHOOD OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES?

• Persons with disabilities are less likely than others to be employed and
when employed, they are more likely to be employed in the informal
sector.
• As a consequence, they have less access to social insurance based on
employment than others which decreases their economic resilience in the
current COVID-19 context.
• For those who are employed or self-employed, they may be prevented
from working from home due to the absence of equipment and support
which are available in the workplace, and face increased risks of losing
their income and job.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Provide financial aid for persons with disabilities without any income
• Increase existing disability benefits, including through advancing
payments to cover extra costs.
• Extend automatically any soon-to-expire disability related entitlements.
• Provide financial compensation for self-employed persons with disabilities
who find their income reduced.
• Provide financial support, including through tax credits, to employers of
persons with disabilities to provide equipment required for teleworking.
• Ensure that food provision schemes include persons with disabilities and
are responsive to their needs, including logistical measures to deliver food
at their houses.
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES?

• Persons with disabilities are less likely than others to complete education, and
more likely to be excluded altogether from schooling.
• Because of COVID-19, most States have temporarily closed education institutions
affecting all students, including students with disabilities. To reduce the impact of
disruption in education, some States are adopting remote learning practices. In
these cases, however, students with disabilities are facing barriers on account of
the absence of required equipment, access to internet, accessible materials and
support necessary to permit them to follow online school programs. As a result,
many students with disabilities are being left behind, particularly students with
intellectual disabilities.
• Furthermore, students with disabilities are also negatively affected by other
dimensions of school closures, including access to school meals and opportunities
to engage in play and sports with their peers.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Provide clear guidance to education and school authorities on the scope of their
obligations and the variety of available resources when providing education outside
schools.
• Ensure access to Internet for remote learning and ensure that software is
accessible to persons with disabilities, including through the provision of assistive
devices and reasonable accommodation.
• Provide guidance, training and support for teachers on inclusive education
through remote learning.
• Establish close coordination with parents and caregivers for early education of
children with disabilities.
• Develop accessible and adapted materials for students with disabilities, to support
remote learning.
• Develop accessible educational audio-visual materials to disseminate through
different media (e.g. online on demand, televised educational programs, etc.)
WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON THE RIGHT OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES TO PROTECTION FROM VIOLENCE?

• Persons with disabilities are at higher risk of violence, particularly when

isolated.
• Women and girls with disabilities face higher rates of gender, sexual,
intimate partner and domestic violence.
• Women and girls with disabilities not only faces higher risks of violence
compared to other women, they also experience higher levels of violence
than men with disabilities.
• While information on disability and gender based violence in the context
of COVID-19 is not currently available, experience shows that in similar
circumstances, people with disabilities are particularly at risk.
What are some of the key actions States and other stakeholders
can take?

• Ensure that reporting mechanisms, hotlines, emergency shelters and

other forms of assistance are accessible to and include persons with
disabilities.
• Carry out monitoring of the situation of persons with disabilities,
particularly those living in isolation, by engaging in proactive outreach
including through community and voluntary networks.
• Raise awareness and provide training about the risk of violence faced by
persons with disabilities, in particular women and girls with disabilities,
and promote support networks including fostering peer support.
REFERENCES

• COVID-19 AND THE RIGHTS OF PERSONSWITH DISABILITIES. United NationsHuman Rights Office of the High Commissioner. 29
April 2020.
• http://www.sanita.sm/on-line/home/bioetica/comitato-sammarinese-di-bioetica/documents-in-english/
documento2116023.html.
• https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/ocr-bulletin-3-28-20.pdf.
• https://www.khaleejtimes.com/coronavirus-pandemic/combating-coronavirus-uae-launches-home-testing-programme-for-
people-of-determination
• https://www.facebook.com/pg/chrgovph/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2681151298668065&__tn__=-UC-R
• https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2020/04/backgrounder--covid-19-disability-advisory-
group.html
• 6 Adelina Comas-Herrera and Joseba Zalakain, “Mortality associated with COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes: early
international evidence”, International Long term care policy network, 12 April 2020, p 5.
• http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/pro/programs/publichealth/coronavirus/docs/2019_covid_testing_guidance.pdf
• Statement by regional and international organizations of people with psychosocial disabilities with recommendations in the
context of COVID-19 pandemic, at https://dkmedia.s3.amazonaws.com/AA/AG/chrusp-biz/downloads/357738/COVID19-and-
persons-with-psychosocial-disabilities-final_version.pdf
• Att the beginning of the outbreak in China, a 16-year old adolescent with cerebral palsy died because his family members
were isolated leaving him behind with no support.
• Paraguay’s Disability Focal Point (SENADIS) launched its use of social media to provide information in sign language,
promoting access by the deaf community.
• United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Coronavirus outbreak FAQs: what you can and can't do, section 15.
• OECD, Sickness, Disability and Work. Breaking the barriers, page 23, indicating that persons with disabilities present higher
rates of inactivity compared to others: 49% to 20%, respectively.
• UNDESA, Disability and Development Report, page 157, Figure II.81, indicating that persons with disabilities are 9% more
represented among the self-employed (Data on 19 countries)
• Bulgaria, State Gazette, 24 March 2020, Art.12; IMF, Policy responses to COVID-19, https://www.imf.org/en/Topics/imf-and-
covid19/Policy-Responses-to-COVID-19#T