Inclusion Canada is calling on all levels of government to include people with developmental disabilities, their families and support staff as a priority within the early vaccine rollout phases.
Public health authorities and governments are starting to prioritize the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to people across the country based on their level of risk and role in supporting high-risk populations. While this brings hope for an eventual return to normal, it also raises questions about when high-risk groups such as people with disabilities, their families and support staff will receive the vaccine.
“This is a matter of scientific fact,” said Robin Acton, President of Inclusion Canada. “Studies have definitively proven that COVID-19 presents a dire and life-threatening risk to people with developmental disabilities. While governments have rightfully prioritized people who live and work in long term care homes, they must similarly ensure people with developmental disabilities, and many of whom live at home supported by their families or in residences where they are supported by staff, receive priority access to the vaccine to prevent further illness and death.”
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are more susceptible than the general population to COVID-19 and suffer more severe outcomes, including higher death rates.
People with a disability are also more likely to live at home with family members or in congregate care settings than the general population. They are at increased risk of exposure because of their daily interactions with family members and support staff who are essential to their well-being. Government must ensure access extends not just to people with disabilities, but to their families who provide support at home and in-home support staff as well.
“All levels of government have a responsibility to ensure priority access to the vaccine for people with disabilities and their support networks,” says Krista Carr, Executive Vice President of Inclusion Canada. “People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are always at risk of being forgotten. We’ve seen this play out time and again during the pandemic through discriminatory triage protocols and limited access to necessary supports in hospitals. Vaccine rollouts cannot be more of the same.”
It is commonly said that COVID-19 does not discriminate; neither must our governments. Inclusion Canada calls upon all levels of government to ensure the rightful inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities, their families and support staff as priority populations in the early stages of vaccine rollouts across Canada.
