Washington, DC, December 3, 2022 (PAHO) The pandemic impacted the disability community across the Region, with people with disabilities finding several barriers delaying or preventing them from getting vaccinated for COVID-19. To overcome disparities in access, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) developed a pilot project in several countries to improve vaccination access.
Across America, 150 million people (15% of the total population) live with a disability. Research shows that people with disabilities are less likely to be vaccinated against COVID-19 than the general population due to a number of issues, including a lack of accessible and clear information and reluctance. Physical limitations also often prevent them from accessing health services.
“The Covid-19 pandemic hit the disability community harder than most in terms of deaths and wider social impacts – and highlighted the barriers the community faces just getting vaccinated,” said Antony Duttine, Councilor for disability and rehabilitation at PAHO.
People with disabilities may have underlying health conditions that make them more vulnerable to complications after a COVID-19 infection. Therefore, vaccination to prevent serious diseases is essential.
This background led to the creation of a PAHO-led pilot, funded by the United States Government, to improve access and increase uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine.
The ongoing project started in May 2022, with PAHO acting as an intermediary to facilitate dialogue between regional health authorities and communities of people with disabilities. The pilot took off in Panama, followed by Trinidad and Tobago and extended to six other Caribbean countries: the Bahamas, Barbados, St. Lucia, Grenada, Dominica and the Dominican Republic.
The disability movement’s mantra, “nothing for us without us,” guided the design of the project, said Duttine, a physical therapist-in-training who works to strengthen health equity among this group.
As a first step, PAHO created an electronic questionnaire in English and Spanish to hear directly from people with disabilities in the pilot sites about their difficulties, fears and needs. The results helped to better understand the challenges faced by people with disabilities in the Americas.
PAHO found that public information and communication materials on COVID-19 were not in accessible formats. This included, for example, video without subtitles or sign language interpretation for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
For people who are blind or visually impaired, the materials lacked signage, audio options, large print, braille, and alt text (briefly describing the visual content). And for those with cognitive or intellectual disabilities, readable (plain text) versions of the materials were missing.
“Without this basic information, it was impossible for people with disabilities to make an informed decision,” said Julia Ribeiro, a Caribbean disability and vaccine inclusion consultant at PAHO based in Trinidad and Tobago.
Ribeiro, who herself has severe to profound hearing loss since birth, was able to provide unique insight into the needs of people with disabilities and their difficulties in accessing health care. She cited, for example, the difficulty deaf people had in accessing health care and information during the pandemic — when everyone wore face masks — making it impossible to read lips and communicate without sign language.
The exercise found similarities in the Caribbean and Latin America. The results of the questionnaire were discussed in several virtual meetings, where disability leaders shared ideas directly with the health sector on how to increase the uptake of vaccines against COVID-19 in their communities.
PAHO is now developing an online training course aimed at vaccine planners and implementers to guide them in making vaccine services inclusive and accessible. PAHO also created an international sign playlist on its YouTube channel to increase the accessibility of information for deaf communities.
“What started as a crisis opened the door to opportunity and raised awareness of the barriers the disability community faces in accessing health,” said Duttine. “With this effort, we hope more people feel empowered to seek health services and the COVID-19 vaccine.”
Celebrated on December 3, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities promotes the rights and well-being of persons with disabilities at every level of society and development and raises awareness of the situation of persons with disabilities in all political, social, economic, and cultural life.
