Health Care: ADA, Equity & Support
On This Page
- ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act
- Vaccination Policy and COVID-19
- Visitation and Support Persons
- Masks & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Telehealth
- Rights & Medical Condition (i.e. Diabetes, Pregnancy)
- Non-discrimination and Medical Care
- Health Care Workers & Direct Support Professionals
- Home Care, Long-Term Facilities & Nursing Homes
- AT: Assistive Technology
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act
- Webinar Archive: Health Care Access: ADA, Disability and COVID-19 Resources
Series: ADA Audio - ADA National Network 30th Anniversary
Source: ADA National Network
Web: accessibilityonline.org - Accessibility at Drive-Thru Medical Sites
Source: Northwest ADA Center, ADA National Network
Web: adata.org - Webinar Archive: COVID-19, Health Care and the ADA
Series: Health Care and the ADA-Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
Source: Pacific ADA Center, ADA National Network
Web: adapresentations.org - Health Care and the Americans with Disabilities Act
Source: ADA National Network
Web: adata.org - ADA Business Brief: Communicating with People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing in Hospital Settings
Source: U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ)
Web: ada.gov - Communication Access Recommendations for the Hospital for Deaf and Hard of Hearing: COVID-19
Source: National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
Web: nad.org
Vaccination & COVID-19
People with Disabilities, Older Adults and Vaccine
- Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) Hotline for COVID-19 Vaccines
Phone: 888-677-1199 from 9:00 am to 8:00 pm [Eastern Time]
Email: DIAL@n4a.org More: Administration for Community Living (acl.gov) - COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet - Easy Read & Plain Language
Source: Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Web: autisticadvocacy.org/resources/covid-pl/vaccine/
CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Vaccine
- CDC COVID-19 Vaccines
- Key Things to Know About COVID-19 Vaccines
- Myths and Facts About COVID-19 Vaccines
- What to Expect at Your Appointment to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19
Web: cdc.gov
Employment and Vaccine
- EEOC COVID-19 and the ADA, Rehabiliation Act and Other EEO Laws - Q&A Section K - Vaccinations
Source: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)
Web: eeoc.gov - Employers can require proof of COVID-19 vaccination - with some exceptions, EEOC says
Source: HR Dive
Web: hrdive.com - SHRM COVID-19 Vaccination Resources
- What Employers Can Do If Workers Refuse a COVID-19 Vaccination
- When Employers Can Require COVID-19 Vaccinations
Web: shrm.org
Education and Vaccine
- State-by-state-look at colleges requiring COVID-19 vaccines
Source: University Business
Web: universitybusiness.com
Equitable Vaccine Access
- Vaccine Advocacy: "We are not expendable. We are people first."
Source: Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Web: acl.gov - Prioritizing People with Disabilities for COVID-19 Vaccination
Source: Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) - 12/29/2020
Web: dredf.org - DHEC has no COVID-19 vaccine service for homebound seniors in SC, raising concerns
Source: The Island Packet (Hilton Head, SC) - 2/11/2021
Web: islandpacket.com - Case for prioritizing vaccination: Elevated COVID-19 Mortality Risk Among Recipients of Home and Community-Based Services [PDF]
Source: Community Living Policy Center, Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund (DREDF) - 2/11/2021
Web: dredf.org - Equitable Vaccine Implementation: Reaching People Where They Are [PDF. 2 pages]
- Optimize & Maximize Equitable Vaccine Access (Day 3: National Forum on COVID-19 Vaccine
Source: CDC
Web: cdc.gov
More Federal Government Agencies: Vaccine Policy & Guidance
- CMS - Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
CMS COVID-19 Vaccine Policies & Guidance
Web:cms.gov - FDA - U.S. Food & Drug Administration
FDA COVID-19 Vaccines
Web: fda.gov - HHS - U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
HUD - U.S. Department of Housing
Toolkit for COVID-19 Vaccinations and Testing: Community Health Centers, Housing and Homeless Programs
Web: hud.gov - VA - U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Veterans Affairs (VA) and COVID-19 Vaccines
Web: va.gov
Masks & Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
ADA and Masks
- DOJ Warns of Inaccurate Flyers and Postings Regarding Use of Face Masks and the ADA
More: COVID-19 Alert! Fradulent Facemask Flyers - The ADA and Face Mask Policies (updated 7/19/2021)
Source: Southeast ADA Center, ADA National Network
Web: adasoutheast.org - Face Coverings and Businesses: Balancing the ADA with Public Health During COVID-19
Source: Northwest ADA Center
Web: nwadacenter.org - FAQs: The ADA, Small Business and Face Masks
Source: Great Plains ADA Center
Web: gpadacenter.org - Webinar Archive: Face Coverings and the ADA - Application of ADA Title III
Source: ADA Audio Webinar Series: Great Lakes ADA Center, ADA National Network
Web: accessibilityonline.org/ada-audio/ - Federal Court Upholds Enforcement of Grocery Store's Face Covering Policy Over Customer Claims of Disability Discrimination
Source: National Law Review (10/29/2020)
Web: natlawreview.com - COVID-19: Face Masks and People with Disabilities
Source: Disability Rights California (DRC)
Web: disabilityrightsca.org - My Hospital Experience and See-Through Masks
Source: Access Granted Blog - Rocky Mountain ADA Center
Web: rockymountainada.org/news/blog/ - Can People Without Disabilities Use an ADA 'Mask Loophole' in Stores?
Web: snopes.com
Wearing a Mask - General
- Requirement for Face Masks on Public Transportation Conveyances and at Transportation Hubs
- Use Masks to Slow the Spread of COVID-19
Source: Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Web: cdc.gov
Source: Public Health and Medical Emergency Support, Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Web: phe.gov
Wearing a Mask - Individuals with Disabilities
- Making Masks More Inclusive: Modifications Meet Patients’ Specific Needs and Protect from Illness
Source: The Shepherd Center
Web: shepherd.org - Cloth Face Coverings and Distancing Pose Communication Challenges for Many
Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communiction Disorders (NIDCD)
Web: nidcd.nih.gov - Resources about Face Masks - Children and Developmental Disabilities
Source: The Boggs Center on Developmental Disabilities
Web: rwjms.umdnj.edu - Wearing a Mask Social Story - Visual Guide for Individuals with Autism
Source: Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT) - Pennsylvania
Web: paautism.org/resource/wearing-mask-social-story/ - I Can Wear A Mask: Social Story on Wearing Masks in Public during COVID-19 [PDF file]
MORE: VIDEO: Wearing Masks: Teaching Individuals with Developmental Disabilities to Tolerate a Temporary New Normal [captioned, 11 min.]
Source: UCCEDD: University of Cincinnati Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Web: ucucedd.org/covid-19
Wearing a Mask - Children
- Masks and Children during COVID-19
Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Web: aap.org - COVID-19: Helping Kids Get Used to Masks
Source: KidsHealth from Nemours
Web: kidshealth.org/en/parents/coronavirus-masks.html
Other Tips & Prevention
- Hand Santizer in the Eye: Tips & Prevention
Source: American Academy of Opthamology
Web: aao.org/eye-health/tips-prevention/
Maker Networks and Community
- Makers Making Change
Web: makersmakingchange.com - Plan C: Makers Combating COVID-19
Source: Make: Community
Web:makezine.com/tag/plan-c/ - The Big List: Make These Projects to Fight COVID-19 Right Now
Source: Make: Community
Web: makezine.com - Maker Mask
Web: makermask.org - VA | VHA 3D Printing Network COVID-19 Response
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
Web: va.gov - Atlanta Beats COVID-19 (ABC)
Web:atlantabeatscovid.com - Face Mask Adapted for Deaf, Deaf Blind and Hard of Hearing
Web: instructables.com
AT: Assistive Technology
- Precautions for COVID-19: Wheelchair and Assistive Technology Users [PDF]
Source: Beneficial Designs (file retrieved from Texas Center for Disability Studies)
Web: disabilitystudies.utexas.edu - Supporting Communication with Patients who have COVID-19
Source: Patient-Provider Communication
Web: patientprovidercommunication.org - AT: COVID-19 Live Course Series and Resources
Source: Assistive Technology Industry Association (ATIA)
Web: atia.org - Tools for Life: COVID-19 Resources for People with Disabilities
Source: Georgia Assistive Technology Program
Web: gatfl.gatech.edu - RESNA COVID-19 Resources
Source: Rehabilitation Engineering Society of North America (RESNA)
Web: resna.org - Assistive Technology COVID-19 Resources
Source: Association for the Advancement of Assistive Technology in Europe (AAATE)
Web: aaate.net/activities/covid-19/
Healthcare Workers & Direct Support Professionals
- Healthcare Professionals & COVID-19
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) - Direct Support Professionals COVID-19 Toolkit
Source: National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) - The Invisible COVID Workforce: Direct Care Workers for Those with Disabilities
Source: To The Point Blog: Quick Takes on Health Care Policy and Practice - OSHA Safety and Health: Coronavirus
Source: U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
Home Care, Long-Term Care Facilities & Nursing Homes
- CDC: Infection Control Guidance for Healthcare Facilities & Professionals about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- CDC: Home Care of People Not Requiring Hospitalization and Coronavirus
- CDC: Long-Term Care Facilities, Nursing Homes & COVID-19
- CDC: Clinical Questions and Answers about COVID-19
- CMS Announces New Measures to Protect Nursing Home Residents from COVID-19
Source: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
Web: cms.gov
Non-discrimination and Medical Care
- ADA Live! Episode 80: Rationing of Medical Care and Protecting the Rights of People with Disabilities
Source: ADA Live! Podcast and Resources
Web: adalives.org - Disparaties in Vulnerability to Severe Complications from COVID-19 in the United States
Source: Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion at Syracuse University
Web: lernercenter.syr.edu - Civil Rights, HIPAA, and the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) [PDF]
Source: Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Web: hhs.gov - Do You Know Your Rights for Medical Care with COVID-19? [PDF]
More: Safeguard Against Disability Discrimination in Healthcare During COVID-19 [PDF]
Source: Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities
Web: ucucedd.org - Who Gets the Ventilator? Disability Discrimination in COVID-19 Medical-Rationing Protocols
Source: Yale Law Journal
Web: yalelawjournal.org - Disability Nondiscrimination in Health Care and Community Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic [PDF]
Source: Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Web: dredf.org - How hospitals make tough ethical call about which lives to save during a pandemic
Source: CNN (5/13/2020)
Web: cnn.com
Rights and Medical Conditions: Diabetes, Pregnancy
Diabetes
- Know Your Rights: Diabetes and COVID-19
Source: American Diabetes Association
Web: diabetes.org
Pregnancy
- Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and Coronavirus
Source: CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Web: cdc.gov - Pregnancy Discrimination Act
Source: EEOC: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
Web: eeoc.gov - Know Your Rights FAQ: Pregnancy, Workplace Rights & COVID-19
Source: A Better Balance
Web: abetterbalance.org
Telehealth
- CMS Telemedicine Toolkit [PDF]
More: Video: CMS Telehealth changes - Video-Based Telehealth Accessibility for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Patients: COVID-19: Guidelines for Healthcare Providers
Source: National Association of the Deaf
Web: nad.org - VA: Veterans Telehealth Services
Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Web: telehealth.va.gov - USDA Rural Development Outlines Telehealth Service Changes as a Result of the COVID-19 Pandemic [PDF]
More: COVID-19 Teleheath Service Changes [PDF]
Visitation and Support Persons
- Evaluation Framework for Hospital Visitor Policies and Patients with Disabilities [PDF]
Sources: Center for Public Representation, Autistic Self Advocacy Network, CommunicationFIRST, The ARC
Web: secureservercdn.net/166.62.108.22/izh.66f.myftpupload.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Disability-Org-Guidance-on-COVID-19-Hospital-Visitation-Policies-051520.pdf - Hospital Visitation for Patients with Disabilities during Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Sources:Disability Rights California and Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Web: disabilityrightsca.org/post/coronavirus-hospital-visitation - Guidance for Health Care Facilities - Visitation for Support Persons for Patients with Disabilities
Related: All Facilities Letter - State of CA (20-38.1) for support people to accompany patients with disabilities [PDF]
Sources: Disability Rights California and Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
Web: disabilityrightsca.org/post/drc-and-dredf-guidance-for-health-care-facilities
CMS: Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
- Medicare and Coronavirus
Web: medicare.gov - Medicaid and Coronavirus
Web: medicaid.gov
Web: medicare.gov
FDA: U.S. Food and Drug Administration
- FDA cautions against use of anti-malaria drugs for COVID-19 outside of hospital or clinical trial
- Frequently Asked Questions: COVID-19 and FDA
- Food Safety and COVID-19
- COVID-19 and FDA Resources and Response
- Donate COVID-19 Plasma
If fully recovered from COVID-19, help by donating your plasma.
More: COVID-19 expanded access program: Plasma donors needed for treatment protocol - Health Fraud: Fraudulent Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Products
Web: fda.gov
VA: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
- VA Novel Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19)
Web: publichealth.va.gov - COVID-19 National Summary - VA Access to Care
- Connected Care: Expanding Veteran Access to Care Through Virtual Technologies
Web: connectedcare.va.gov
- Connected Care: Expanding Veteran Access to Care Through Virtual Technologies
- Mental Health VA and Coronavirus
- Veterans Crisis Line
Web: veteranscrisisline.net - PTSD: National Center for Posttramatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Stress
Web: ptsd.va.gov - Mental Health: Now is the Time to Discover a Better Tomorrow - Make A Connection
Web: maketheconnection.net - Mobile VA Health | VA Mobile App List
Web: mobile.va.gov - My HealtheVet
Web: myhealth.va.gov - Telehealth VA Services
Web: telehealth.va.gov
- Veterans Crisis Line