Page - 419 - in VULNERABLE - The Law, Policy and Ethics of COVID-19

CHAPTER D-9 Not All in This Together: Disability Rights and COVID-19* Tess Sheldon** and Ravi Malhotra*** Abstract Persons with disabilities are significantly and disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. In this paper, we address the accessibility of emergency preparedness and the failure of governments to con- sistently include people with disabilities in their response strategies, even when statutes mandate inclusions and accessibility. In particu- lar, persons with disabilities have not consistently been included in COVID-19 communication strategies, and may encounter barriers to accessing vital information and advice about the pandemic. We also highlight the implications of the economic marginalization of peo- ple with disabilities during a pandemic. The economic disruption caused by COVID-19 particularly undermines the income security of persons with disabilities. People with disabilities largely live in poverty and yet their concerns have largely been ignored by pan- demic stimulus funding. Finally, we explore how institutionaliza- tion in this brave new world has grave consequences for people with disabilities. The institutions, where many people with disabilities * Special thanks to Arfi Hagi-Yusuf (2L Windsor Law) for her expert research assistance. ** Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Windsor. *** Full Professor in the Faculty of Law (Common Law Section), cross-appointed to the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Ottawa.