COVID 19 Triaging Protocols and Advocating for People with Disabilities During COVID-19

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On April 8th, 2020 Arch Disability Law wrote an open letter about the proposed COVID-19 triaging protocols, outlining how those protocols should be changed to protect the interests of people who experience disability.

These recommendations are important to protect people from discrimination because of their disability during the pandemic. These recommendations recognize how COVID-19 has impacted the disabled community and how it might affect it in the future.

The four recommendations put forth in the letter are that:

1)      Persons with disabilities cannot be deprioritized for critical care on the basis of their disability

2)      The Triage Protocol must clearly state that clinical judgment must not be informed by bias, stereotypes, or ableism

3)      Persons with disabilities cannot be deprioritized for critical care based on the supports they receive for daily living

4)      The Triage Protocol must clearly ensure that persons with disabilities receive necessary disability-related accommodation

You can find more information about the letter here.

This letter is only one step towards advocating for people with disabilities during COVID-19. You can also reach out to your Member of Parliament or Member of Provincial Parliament to tell them about your experiences during COVID-19 and any needs you might have, as well as your worries about triaging protocols.  You can also learn about the new COVID-19 Disability Advisory Group and their work.

            Finally if you’re looking for more information on how COVID-19 affects services for people with disabilities, there are some great resources available on the Partners for Planning (P4P) website.