Disability and Ableism in the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Abstract The COVID-19 pandemic has uniquely impacted people with disabilities. This chapter discusses disability and ableism in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The authors take an intersectional perspective, as disabled people are more likely to be people of color, to belong to sexual and gender minority groups, to experience socioeconomic disparities, and to be without regular and affordable healthcare. People with disabilities are also more likely to live in congregate care settings and to have been disproportionately affected by previous population-level disasters. The authors examine the pandemic’s impact on people with disabilities through the domains of medical rationing and healthcare ethics, public health response, disruptions to routine care, access to COVID-19 prevention and treatment, risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, and magnified inequities. They also illuminate gaps in research on COVID-19 outcomes among people with disabilities and emphasize the need for disability leadership and inclusion in the pandemic response.