Recent models from ProPublica, Imperial College, and others predict that millions of people who contract COVID-19 will be hospitalized and many hospitals across the country may not be prepared to treat the influx of patients.
People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to impacts from COVID-19, both directly and indirectly. While data about how this virus will impact the health and well-being of people with disabilities is currently limited, people with disabilities are often at greater risk of chronic health conditions, and thus may be more susceptible to infection. People with disabilities also face disruptions in services for daily needs, which could exacerbate conditions unrelated to COVID-19.
Overall, individuals who experience disability are at greater risk for being hospitalized either because they have contracted COVID-19 or because pre-existing health conditions have worsened.
Understanding the needs of a community is imperative to effectively plan for any type of emergency response, be it natural disaster or a pandemic. As people around the world are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the needs of people with disabilities should not be overlooked or go unaddressed as members of those communities. To assess the impact of COVID on people with disabilities and their needs, it’s important to understand the prevalence of disability by the functional limitations of people living with disabilities experience in their communities.
According to the American
Community Survey, about 41 million, or 13%, of Americans have at
least one type of disability (ACS 2015). The vast majority (38 million) live in
households with other people and a significant number of people with
disabilities live in group quarters, which includes dormitories, nursing homes,
and prisons.
Approximately 78 million people without disabilities live in
households with a member who experiences a disability. This means that nearly
25% of the US population lives in a household with a member with a disability.
Graphic from poster presentation “How far do you travel for CIL services?” by Kourtney Johnson, Christiane von Reichert, and Lillie Greiman for the 2017 APRIL conference. Text description: icon of a green house in a circle with this text: Households in the US = 116,926,305. Same green house in a circle icon with three figures, one using a wheelchair, with this text: Households with disability* = 29,344,352, or 25%. *All households in which at least one person has a disability. There could be one, or more, people with disabilities in each household. There is a box around the graphic, and on top of the frame is a small figure using a walker as a mobility aid.
How has COVID-19 impacted you and your rural community?
RTC:Rural is collecting real stories from real people in rural places who are impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.
We want to help shed light on what is actually happening in the lives of people with disabilities from the perspectives of consumers, family members, caregivers and service providers. We feel the uniqueness and complexity of individual stories are important to share. The needs of rural people with disabilities should be considered in efforts to address the impact of COVID-19.
Contact us if you are interested in creating and sharing real stories! Our staff can set up an interview time and format that works well for you. Participants can choose whether or not to remain anonymous in the stories we share together.
RTC:Rural is planning a website redesign, and we want your input!
We’re working with a team of students from the Business School at the University of Montana to redesign our website.
As part of that process, we’re reaching out to gather input from our community of fellow researchers, service providers, and people with disabilities.
It’s important to us that our new website is engaging, usable, and relevant.
By sharing your input, you are supporting student learning and providing valuable information that we will use to improve and redesign the RTC:Rural website.
Check out the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center posts on the Rural Disability Resource Library, RTC:Rural’s information website. There you can find links to some fantastic resources to support individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and burn injury.
Click here:
The Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center (MSKTC) works to make sure the latest and best research findings are being used in healthcare decision-making. In order to help improve the health and quality of life of people with spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and burn injuries, MSKTC creates resources and products that share relevant research findings with the people who need this information.
The resources and information created and shared by MSKTC are important resources that help support people with disabilities so they can engage in their rural communities. In promoting this shared goal, RTC:Rural helps to share these resources with people in rural communities who can benefit from this information.
Join the Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL) and RTC: Rural for a free webinar to learn about the new Healthy Community Living Program!
Who: Centers for Independent Living (CILs) and other organizations that serve people with disabilities
What: informational webinar (free)
When: March 19, 2020 | 1 pm to 2:30 pm Mountain Time
Left to right: Christiane von Reichert, Lillie Greiman, and Catherine Ipsen.
On February 11, 2020, RTC:Rural Director Catherine Ipsen and Research Associate Lillie Greiman presented as part of a panel at the Annual Disability Statistics Compendium. Their presentation was titled “Uncovering the intersection of rural and disability.”
Christiane von Reichert, professor of Geography at the University of Montana and a RTC:Rural research partner, was also part of the panel. Her presentation was titled “Using the ACS PUMS to examine disability and migration.”
Living
Well in the Community (part of the Healthy Community Living program) is a
ten-week workshop for people with disabilities who want to set goals to support
their overall quality of life and wellbeing. Often, these workshops are hosted
by local Centers
for Independent Living (CILs).
However, not all people
with disabilities who may benefit from Living Well are connected to their local
CILs. To help expand the reach of the program, the Building Networks to Expand
Living Well Delivery project partners with rural community hospitals and CILs.
These partnerships will also help improve the capacity of rural hospitals to
support rural independent community living.
The Building Networks to Expand Living Well Delivery project team explains the project and its goals, and gives a quick progress update.
Project Director Lillie Greiman and RTC:Rural Director Dr. Catherine Ipsen recently co-authored an article in The Conversation about proposed changes to disability benefits and how those could make it harder for people with disabilities, especially those in rural communities, to maintain federal benefits.
