The disability forward response team The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies tweeted on May 6th, 2023 in response to the World Health Organization’s announcement of the end of the global health emergency of COVID-19. As disaster responders, they write that “Ending the #COVID Emergency is a #Disaster for #Disabled People.” Removing COVID from the list of global health emergencies allows people to stop practicing habits that are crucial for protecting the disabled people around them. The tweet’s linked article states that “To the degree that precautions are being taken, these efforts will diminish when the Public Health Emergency is no longer in effect”. The graphic image represents the failures of the Biden Administration to protect people from the virus that is still rampant as “roughly 400 people still die from the virus each day”.
The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies (The Partnership): “prioritizes equity, access, disability rights, disability justice, and full inclusion of people with disabilities, older adults, and people with access and functional needs before, during, and after disasters and emergencies”. They often focus on natural disasters and their impact on disability but also focus on international crises like COVID and other threats to public health and human/civil rights. The training and education created by The Partnership has allowed for remote access to disaster information and response resources.
-Stephanie Farmer