Disability Rights during the Corona virus Pandemic: Leave No One Behind

While Covid-19 has exposed the vulnerabilities of the disenfranchised in our country, once again the invisibility of persons with disability has come to the fore. India has over 150 million persons with disabilities (30 million with severe disabilities) approx. 120 million of senior citizens and 85 million super senior citizens, i.e. persons above the age of 80.

Each of these three groups comprise persons with partial or complete dependency on others for their daily needs, mobility and access to resources and information. This is the case in normal times. In times of a lockdown this dependency, particularly with lack of access to caregivers, makes them vulnerable, and in many cases, completely incapacitated.

“The aged need help to get around, to buy groceries, to resources and services, based on their mobility level, age related health conditions or debilitating co-morbidity. This is true for persons with disabilities, particularly those with mobility related disabilities, as well”.

Others who may be partially independent with the support of caregivers or attendants have been left to fend for themselves, exacerbating their disabilities. Many require regular access to health care facilities or hospitals on a regular basis, which has not been possible. If they do have access, possible exposure to the coronavirus makes them more susceptible, a double whammy.

Where the Accessible India campaign had given some impetus to the needs of these disparate groups and given them a voice, the current situation has wiped out all such gains, and needs to be addressed urgently.

Common issues faced by persons with disabilities worldwide are people include the increased risk of contracting COVID-19, difficulties in implementing basic hygiene measures to keep the virus at bay and/ or inability to practice social distancing because they require care or other support. Disabled people’s immunity is already compromised and in such a scenario, they are at a higher risk of catching infections. It also takes a mental toll on people with blindness and deaf-blindness depend heavily on touch and social distancing can be challenging. This creates for many a situation of helplessness.

While the necessity of isolation was greatly felt, and the decision was welcomed at the time, the sudden declaration of a lockdown without adequate preparedness has forced these vulnerable peoples towards impoverishment, increased morbidity and fatality, loss of livelihoods, hunger, greater stigma and violence.

This calls for urgent attention of government and requires measures to ensure right to life free from violence and life with dignity.

Providing passes and harassment free access for caregivers is the first step. Many states are in the process of giving them, yet they are non-intuitive and difficult for many to fill or hard to figure out how to find them independently. Access to health care, daily needs and services and most importantly information is not there. This needs attention.

Aarogya Setu is not accessible for persons with visual impairments and should be.

Instead of requiring our vulnerable elders and persons with disabilities to run from pillar to post to find out where to go, how to get help, it would be of great value for local governments to have a resource person or persons to help with these efforts.

It is understandable that the government is stretched, as are health workers. There is no time for training or individual attention that each disabled person requires. Yet, resource persons could be designated, for e.g. Asha workers or members of local NGOs in rural areas, or a  Resident Welfare Associations (RWA) member in an urban colony. This would go a long way to assist those most vulnerable to the deadly virus.

In the long term, this setup could also help with mainstreaming the issues of these populations, help them find a voice and facilitate sensitization of societies. It is important to start thinking about post-COVID-19 scenarios also about the mobility, transportation, communication, educational, vocational, health & medical needs of people with disabilities. This is going to be a huge challenge and we need to prepare in advance.

In India, civil society organizations have been working around the clock to provide access to persons with disabilities and super seniors. Samarthyam’s active advocacy with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Government of India and State Governments to create official twitter handles for State Social Welfare Departments (nodal department of empowerment of persons with disabilities & senior citizens) for outreach during COVID19 and post pandemic measures. Consolidated and up to date information is made available and coordination with state governments are taking place.

Some of the of the recommendations Samarthyam has made for Standing Operative Procedures (SOPs) to be adopted by States include-

• Persons with disabilities must receive information about infection mitigating tips, public restriction plans, and the services offered, in a diversity of accessible formats with use of accessible technologies.
• Additional protective measures must be taken for people with certain types of impairment.
• Rapid awareness raising and training of personnel involved in the response are essential.
• All preparedness and response plans must be inclusive of and accessible to women with disabilities.
• No disability-based institutionalization and abandonment is acceptable
• During quarantine, support services, personal assistance, physical and communication accessibility must be ensured.
• Measures of public restrictions must consider persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
• Persons with disabilities in need of health services due to COVID-19 cannot be de-prioritized on the ground of their disability.
• Organisation of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) can and should play a key role in raising awareness of persons with disabilities and their families.
• OPDs can and should play a key role in advocating for disability-inclusive response to the COVID-19 crisis.
• Urge all District Magistrates to ensure that people with disabilities (PwDs) have access to essential support services (even for their daily living activities like caregiver support), supplies and medical aid at their doorstep. Due to lock down, there are physical, emotional and mental issues faced by persons with severe disabilities who are dependent upon care givers (professionals and individually trained) for activities of daily living. Ministry of Home Affairs to issue instructions to law enforcement authorities in the states/UTs to take immediate steps to issue e- passes to the caregivers/ maids of PwDs, provide food supply, funds (cash) and health kits on request of PwDs and super senior citizens.
• The Election Commission of India will have a list of voter’s with disabilities constituency wise and is a great resource that government of India has. It can be utilized to deliver essential services at home through district collectors, local police stations and (civil Society Organisations) CSOs. 
• Expedite pension to PwDs- for example, in Maharashtra and many other states, PwDs have not received their pension that is given through Sanjay Gandhi Nitadhar Yojana for past 2 months
• SHGs run by PwDs should be given the work of preparing masks so that they get daily wages. Good example- SHGs under DPOs from Rajasthan and MP have started preparing and providing to State Government and their surrounding villages.
• Ensure availability of hand sanitizers to PwDs as many of them have mobility problems as a result they could not wash hands frequently.

Since persons with disabilities are being disproportionately affected by the coronavirus pandemic and emergency measures being taken by governments worldwide, it is more critical than ever to guarantee that measures taken are fully inclusive of persons with disabilities and prevent human rights violations from taking place.

As countries continue to battle the pandemic, people with disabilities deserve to be reassured that their survival is a priority too.

 Authors:

Anjlee Agarwal & Nidhi Madan

samarthyamindia@gmail.com