Call for immediate proactive response to Coronavirus (COVID-19) for Australians with disability. The following is a list of issues that need to be addressed urgently to ensure the wellbeing of people with disability during the current COVID-19 public health emergency. Endorsed by:
● Australian Federation of Disability Organisations
● Children and Young People with Disability
● Disability Advocacy Network Australia
● First People Disability Network
● Inclusion Australia
Cross-organisational issues:
Establish a Disability Task-force immediately to bring together representatives from disabled people’s organisations, disability advocacy and representative organisations, the disability service system, representatives from health and education and other relevant stakeholders.
Immediate welfare of people with disability:
- Ensure continuity of supports, both via the NDIS and other supports. [See more detail below.]
- Resource existing national information services, such as Wayfinder Hub and IDEAS, to expand and be available to manage requests related to COVID-19 from people with disability, particularly those who may not have access to the internet.
- Resource and establish a proactive, phone-based outreach program to existing NDAP providers Ito enable advocates to connect and check in with people with disability. This program would also actively engage with any other person with disability in the region that the NDAP provider operates.
- Establish a national prioritised delivery service for essential goods for people with disability such as sanitising equipment, continence aids and medical consumables (eg medical swabs, PEG feeding support, catheters, wound dressings).
- Active and ongoing liaison with states and territories to ensure full inclusion of people with disability in all plans to deal with COVID-19.Equal access to essential goods, such as groceries and food.
- All information to be provided in plain English, Easy Read and Auslan, and departments will liaise with disability peak organisations about vital communications before the information is sent out or posted to ensure it is disability friendly & accessible.
view the full list of issues (off-site)
- Topics:
- Emergency management, Health, Systemic Advocacy
- Author:
- Disability Peak Bodies
- Date published:
- Fri 20th Mar, 2020
- Closing date:
- Mon 21st Dec, 2020