Asia and the Pacific is home to an estimated 690 million persons with disabilities. Barriers and disadvantaged circumstances leave persons with disabilities, especially those with existing health conditions, substantially more vulnerable during the current COVID-19 pandemic.
To ensure the mainstreaming of disability rights and inclusion into governmental responses to COVID-19, ESCAP has developed a policy brief to provide policymakers and stakeholders with core recommendations on how to protect the health, livelihoods and living standards of persons with disabilities during this critical period.
To serve as a platform for useful resources on the topic, ESCAP has also collated a series of links to related materials developed by other United Nations entities, Disabled Persons’ Organizations and Civil Society Organizations.
I. United Nations Entities
ESCAP Policy Brief:
https://www.unescap.org/resources/policy-brief-covid-19-and-person-disabilities
ESCAP webinar “Protecting and Empowering Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LBxjd50ldU
ESCAP video “Leave Us Not Behind: Persons with Disabilities and COVID-19 in Asia and the Pacific” :
https://youtu.be/GWDlwsFrHD4
United Nations Policy Brief: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19:
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sg_policy_brief_on_persons_with_disabilities_final.pdf
Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/resources/special-envoy-of-the-secretary-general-on-disability-and-accessibility.html
Special Envoy of the UNSG on Disability and Accessibility – Joint Statement on Local Governments and Persons with Disabilities in relation to COVID-19:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/wp-content/uploads/sites/15/2020/05/JointStatement-Local-Governments-PWD-Covid19.pdf
WHO: Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak:
https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-2019-nCoV-Disability-2020-1
Press release from the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities:
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25725&LangID=E
IFRC, OCHA and WHO guidance on including ‘marginalized and vulnerable people’ in community engagement, with a section on persons with disabilities:
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/covid-19-how-include-marginalized-and-vulnerable-people-risk-communication-and?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=shared&utm_source=facebook.com
Briefing note from the IASC Reference Group on MHPSS, which includes a section on persons with disabilities:
https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-reference-group-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-emergency-settings/interim-briefing
UNICEF page on COVID19:
https://www.unicef.org/coronavirus/covid-19#COVID-19-explainers
UNRWA:
https://www.unrwa.org/covid_19
Inter-Agency Standing Committee Reference Group on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergency Settings (IASC MHPSS RG):
https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/iasc-reference-group-on-mental-health-and-psychosocial-support-in-emergency-settings
II. Governments within Asia and the Pacific
Commissioner for Human Rights, Azerbaijan:
http://www.ombudsman.gov.az/en/view/news/1786/message-of-the-commissioner-for-human-rights-ombudsman-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijan-to-the-state-and-local-self-governing-institutions-officials-and-other-offices-enterprises-organizations-and-busine
China Disabled Persons' Federation, China:
http://subsites.chinadaily.com.cn/en/CDPFFightAgainstCOVID-19.html
Public Defender (Ombudsman), Georgia:
http://www.ombudsman.ge/eng/akhali-ambebi/sakartvelos-sakhalkho-damtsvelis-gantskhadeba-mimdinare-movlenebis-fonze-shezghuduli-shesadzleblobis-mkone-pirta-uflebebze
Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, India:
http://niepmd.tn.nic.in/covid19.php
Ministry of Social Affairs, Indonesia (in Bahasa Indonesia):
https://kemsos.go.id/perlindungan-dan-dukungan-psikososial-bagi-penyandang-disabilitas
Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan:
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/stf/seisakunitsuite/bunya/0000121431_00097.html
https://www.mhlw.go.jp/content/000606418.pdf
Ministry of Health, New Zealand:
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-information-specific-audiences/covid-19-information-disabled-people-and-their-family-and-whanau
Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippines:
https://www.dswd.gov.ph/dswd-advises-seniors-pwds-to-send-representatives-to-claim-sap/
National Council for Disability Affairs, Philippines:
https://www.ncda.gov.ph/2020/04/accessible-copy-of-guidelines-on-providing-proper-welfare-of-persons-with-disabilities-during-the-enhanced-community-quarantine-due-to-the-corona-virus-2019-covid-19-pandemic/
Seoul Metropolitan Government, Republic of Korea (in Korean):
http://mediahub.seoul.go.kr/archives/1273495
Russian Government (in Russian):
https://xn--80aesfpebagmfblc0a.xn--p1ai/what-is-done/social-measures/pomosch_lyudyam_s_invalidnostyu.html
III. Governments outside Asia and the Pacific
Center for Disease Control under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), USA:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/specific-groups/high-risk-complications.html
Administration for Community Living (ACL) under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), USA:
https://acl.gov/COVID-19#ProgramIssues
IV. Civil Society Initiatives within Asia and the Pacific
CBM India:
https://www.facebook.com/CBMIndia/posts/1355439881306100
Japan Federation of the Deaf:
https://www.jfd.or.jp/2020/02/19/pid20272
Thai Association for Blind:
http://www.tab2read.com/Account/Login.aspx
Malaysia Outbreak monitor:
https://www.outbreak.my/cases
Centre of Research Excellence in Disability and Health:
https://credh.org.au/news-events/covid-19-and-people-with-disabilities/
Harapan Oku (Hope of Persons with Disabilities):
a photo album containing detailed guidelines on how to protect yourself during the COVID-19 outbreak. This photo album is titled 'Break The COVID-19 Chain!'. The guidelines with the relevant links can be found in six languages:
a) Bahasa Malaysia - https://bit.ly/2JH4Pvo; video - https://bit.ly/2UNXz7r
b) Chinese (Standard) - https://bit.ly/3bWiWJl; video - https://bit.ly/34h8hpX
c) Dusun - https://bit.ly/2URvRqt; video - https://bit.ly/2VbiH6z
d) English - https://bit.ly/2Rk4vHj; video - https://bit.ly/2RdSHpS
e) Kadazan - https://bit.ly/2V2Hw4w; video - https://bit.ly/2yGWwh1
f) Tamil - https://bit.ly/2VavfLc; https://bit.ly/2JMXomm
V. Civil Society Initiatives outside Asia and the Pacific
International Disability and Development Consortium/Core Group:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IVP1u6yHfLuN9qNyLEct5-vtC0aqLKtKr-o-faAjves/edit#heading=h.m2p7ke7p91uj
Family Caregiver Alliance, National Center on Caregiving:
https://www.caregiver.org/coronavirus-covid-19-resources-and-articles-family-caregivers
RespectAbility (US)- Information for persons with disabilities:
https://www.respectability.org/2020/03/covid-19-key-issues-resources/
Canada Association for Community Living- disability- related resources for families:
https://cacl.ca/coviddisability/
Recommendations from the International Disability Alliance:
http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/covid-19
European Disability Forum open letter to leaders:
http://edf-feph.org/newsroom/news/open-letter-leaders-eu-and-eu-countries-covid-19-disability-inclusive-response
World Institute on Disability call to action:
https://wid.org/2020/03/03/national-call-to-action-covid-19/
Business Disability Forum advice for employers:
https://businessdisabilityforum.org.uk/media-centre/newsletter/legal-update/legal-march-2020-coronavirus/
Forbes article- ‘5 things to know about Coronavirus and people with disabilities’:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrewpulrang/2020/03/08/5-things-to-know-about-coronavirus-and-people-with-disabilities/#12cc369b1d21
Disability Rights UK message to ministers:
https://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/2020/march/coronavirus-dr-uk-ceo-writes-disability-and-care-ministers
Call for action from CRE-DH:
https://credh.org.au/news-events/covid-19-and-people-with-disabilities/
Note from Light for the World:
https://www.light-for-the-world.org/leaving-no-one-behind-during-covid-19-outbreak
A complaint on the lack of access to devices in the U.S.:
https://www.npr.org/2020/03/23/820398531/people-with-disabilities-say-rationing-care-policies-violate-civil-rights
VI. Private sector
Alibaba Cloud:
https://covid-19.alibabacloud.com
VII. Information in Sign Languages used within Asia and the Pacific
Guidelines on Providing Access to Public Health Information in National Sign Languages during the Coronavirus Pandemic | World Federation of the Deaf (International Sign):
http://wfdeaf.org/coronavirus/
Mill Neck International, International Sign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF22gOdcJJI
Malaysian Federation of the Deaf:
https://www.facebook.com/122461034527254/posts/2566239543482712/
How to know if you have signs of COVID-19 infection and how to prevent it? |
Action Center for Community Development Video source: UNICEF Viet Nam (Ho Chi Minh Sign Language):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-heJCtJUpRk&t=99s&fbclid=IwAR29v0MET7erMMGtYvyUreQWHXCUKBDEePAPDhyEPMwIz5NbvjPVysocN2M
VIII. "Easy-to-Understand Documents” plus "Audio Recordings" in Languages used within Asia and the Pacific
Prevention guide easy to understand, Hong Kong, China:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1u51V-CTVo5iAhMcsl-mKx5mMyB3KjhY6/view
Harapan Oku (Hope of Persons with Disabilities)1, Malaysia:
https://drive.google.com/drive/u/1/folders/19JrHrN7gq_djFgVHGnE6-yONUdt6iPZR
IX. Information in Sign Languages outside of Asia and the Pacific
Multiple languages:
https://www.inclusion-europe.eu/easy-to-read-information-about-coronavirus/
For persons with autism:
https://autisticandunapologetic.com/2020/03/20/autism-covid-19-how-to-support-autistic-people-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/
Ministry of Health, New Zealand, New Zealand Sign Language:
https://www.health.govt.nz/our-work/diseases-and-conditions/covid-19-novel-coronavirus/covid-19-information-other-languages/covid-19-novel-coronavirus-new-zealand-sign-language?fbclid=IwAR330VBTaxfq_TPu_DGz-lz20fqQ9_O9cNKwTQxT3_Etb5_N1RxEDX8UceQ
French Belgian Sign Language / Langue des signes de Belgique francophone:
https://www.info-coronavirus.be/fr/videos#conseils
French Sign Language / Langue des Signes Française:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2I9EnhlJxdM&feature=youtu.be
American Sign Language:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q8bUdMEsiPQ
X. "Easy-to-Understand Documents” plus "Audio Recordings" used outside of Asia and the Pacific
For persons with learning disabilities, United Kingdom:
https://www.mencap.org.uk/advice-and-support/health/coronavirus
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1Harapan OKU is a Malaysian informal network of persons with disabilities active on disability issues, as well as persons associated with disability-related civil society organizations, parent advocates, academicians, and individuals committed to the inclusion of persons with disabilities in Malaysian society.