[ONLINE] - COVID-19 and the Disability Experience
Event
The pandemic has affected individuals with disabilities in myriad ways. The disability community faces a lack of access to critical services and support, lost wages, as well as facing increasing isolation as personal contact has gone online, leaving many with disabilities out of the conversation. The result: An already underserved, vulnerable community is facing fear and uncertainty just when they need support the most.
Unfortunately, many of these challenges aren’t new to the disability community and will still confound long after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. While federal and local disability rights laws and programs exist to ensure that all Americans can participate in society, many of these programs and policies exacerbate challenges, forcing people with disabilities into poverty and reducing an individual's capacity to be prepared and resilient.
Join New Practice Lab’s Vontisha Fludd and Nikki Zeichner for a conversation with Maria Town, José Hernandez, Christina Mills, and Larry Wanger, about the specific problems that the disability community faces during this pandemic, how they can gain better access to direct support professionals using current tools and policies, what it takes to transition out of a congregate or group setting, and why living independently is so important today during COVID and beyond.
Follow the conversation online using #HighRiskCOVID19.
Speakers:
Maria Town
President, and CEO, The American Association of People with Disabilities
José Hernandez
The New York City Advocacy Coordinator, United Spinal Association
Larry Wanger
Executive Director, The Dayle McIntosh Center
Christina Mills
Executive Director, California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
Nikki Zeichner
Research Consultant, New Practice Lab
Moderator:
Vontisha Fludd
Operations Manager, Public Interest Technology & New Practice Lab
The American Association of People with Disabilities is a disability-led national civil rights organization that works as a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities.
Resources from the event: