COVID-19 Resources for People with Disabilities

The American Association on Health and Disability (AAHD) has been closely monitoring and responding to the COVID-19 pandemic in the areas of  research, policy, dissemination and education.  AAHD is committed to providing quality fact based information on COVID-19 and people with disabilities.  Listed below are products that AAHD has developed since March 2020 as well as resources from other organizations to best serve the disability community.

AAHD Research Products

In April 2020, AAHD conducted a survey as a rapid, real-time online assessment of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on access to healthcare on adults with a range of disabilities. You can find links for the reports, summaries of findings and infographics on our COVID-19 & Disability Survey webpage.

AAHD Video Series on COVID-19 & Disability

• COVID-19 & Disability: Who’s at Risk for Complications?
• COVID-19 & Disability: Social Distancing
• COVID-19 & Disability: Precautions for People in Wheelchairs
• COVID-19 & Disability: Keeping Wheelchairs Clean
• COVID 19 & Disability: Being a Self Advocate
• COVID-19 & Disability: Knowing Your Legal Rights

Disability Resources on COVID-19

• Vaccine Info. Collaborative – Creating an Accessible Vaccine Experience for People with Disabilities and Older Adults
• ADvancing States COVID-19 Resources (state materials, federal guidance) – http://www.advancingstates.org/covid-19
• Latest CDC Info on COVID-19 – https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
• Georgia Tech – Center on Inclusive Design and Innovation – https://cidi.gatech.edu/covid
• Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Vaccine Prioritization Dashboard –  https://disabilityhealth.jhu.edu/vaccine
• Lakeshore Foundation/NCHPAD: COVID-19 Disability Community Needs Assessment Report
• Lurie Institute for Disability Policy: Important Things to Know about COVID-19
• Q&A on COVID-19 and Down Syndrome (abbreviated): English/Spanish
• Q&A on COVID-19 and Down Syndrome (extended): English/Spanish
• New York Deaf-Blind Collaborative Tip Sheet: Providing Access through Sign Language & Text for Low Vision & Tactile Communicators During the Coronavirus Pandemic
• Green Mountain Self Advocates: Plain Language Fact Sheet on COVID-19
• UNC Child Development Institute: Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times
• Wheelchair and Assistive Technology Users Precautions for COVID-19
• National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI): COVID-19 Resource and Information Guide
• Spina Bifida Association: Coronavirus (COVID-19): What People with Spina Bifida Need to Know
• COVID-19 Disability Form(to be completed by or for an individual with intellectual disabilities or communication difficulties)
• Recommendations from County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors

COVID-19 & State Policies, including Medicaid

• CMS: Coverage and Benefits Related to COVID-19/Medicaid and CHIP
• CMS: COVID-19 Long-Term Care Facility Guidance
• CMS: Medicaid Telehealth
• Kaiser Family Foundation: State Data and Policy Actions to Address Coronavirus
• Kaiser Family Foundation: Medicaid Emergency Authority Tracker
• Kaiser Family Foundation: How Can Medicaid Enhance State Capacity to Respond to COVID-19?
• National Academy for State Health Policy: States Use Federal Waivers to Expand Health Care Resources to Confront COVID-19
• National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services: List of Resources (includes State Specific Info)
• National Health Law Program: Overview of the Medicaid-Related Provisions of the Coronavirus Response Packages
• National Health Law Program: COVID-19 Changes to HCBS Using Appendix K:  Approval Trends

Advocacy Resources

• HHS Office for Civil Rights Bulletin: Civil Rights, HIPAA, and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (March 28, 2020)
• Disability Rights Education Defense Fund: Know Your Rights to Medical Care – COVID-19 (English/Spanish)
• Disability Rights Education Defense Fund: Know Your Rights to Medical Care – COVID-19 (English/Chinese)
• Coalition letter (joined by AAHD) to Hospitals Providing Guiding Principles for Avoiding Disability Discrimination in Treatment Rationing (April 3, 2020)
• AAPD: How The Disability Community Can Respond to COVID-19
• Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program: Complaint with HHS Office for Civil Rights (March 24, 2020)
• Center for Health Care Strategies: Stemming the Risk of Disability Bias During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Law Journal Article by Samuel R. Bagenstos: “May Hospitals Withhold Ventilators from COVID-19 Patients with Pre-Existing Disabilities?”
• International Disability Alliance: 10 Recommendations toward a Disability-Inclusive COVID19 Response

Governmental Resources

• Coronavirus.gov
• Centers for Disease Control
• Centers for Disease Control: People Who Are at Higher Risk for Severe Illness
• Centers for Disease Control: ASL Videos on COVID-19
• Administration for Community Living (ACL): COVID-19 Webpage
• ACL: Q&A for Older Adults and People with Chronic Health Conditions
• National Institutes of Health
• IRS: Coronavirus Tax Relief and Economic Impact Payments