Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Pandemic

Amid the global spread of COVID-19, OCHA has released 29 humanitarian icons specific to the pandemic to help communicate the facts and actions needed to prevent and respond to the virus and provide care for the most vulnerable people around the world.

This guidance is part of a series to provide support during the Covid-19 crisis. The guidance notes include: #1- Inclusive Digital learning; #2 - Teacher resources; and #3 Home support.

To help teachers support their students during school closure, and to improve both wellbeing and learning outcomes for girls and boys affected by the COVID 19 crisis, a wide range of resources have been developed.

10 tips for teaching children with disabilities during COVID-19 are given with links to various resources.

This guidance aims to:

• bring awareness of the pandemic’s impact on persons with disabilities and their rights;
• draw attention to some promising practices already being undertaken around the world;
• identify key actions for States and other stakeholders;
• provide resources for further learning about ensuring rights based COVID-19 responses inclusive of persons with disabilities.

Topics are:

1. What is the impact of COVID-19 on the right to health of persons with disabilities

2. What is the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities who are living in institutions

3. What is the impact of COVID-19 on the rights of persons with disabilities to live in the community

4. What is the impact of COVID-19 on work income and livelihood of persons with disabilities

5. What is the impact of COVID-19 on the right to education of persons with disabilities

6. What is the impact of COVID-19 on the right of persons with disabilities to protections from violence

7. What is the impact of COVID-19 on specific population groups in which persons with disabilities are overrepresented

Why we need to keep our hands and things we touch clean in order to stop the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic and how to go about it.

These are two of several guides to help keep safe and well during the coronavirus outbreak. The guides are accessible for people with a learning disability to use and are easy read format. These guides are about self isolating - one for people who live on their own and the other for people who live with others.

People with deafblindness are concerned about having a barrier to access information about the COVID-19 pandemic. Geir Jensen, a man with deafblindness and the President of the World Federation of the Deafblind (WFDB) living in Norway, shares the challenges that he faces. Despite Norway having inclusive policies and high-quality support services for deafblind persons, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many challenges for them

This is one story as part of the Voices of People with Disabilities during COVID19 Outbreak series

 Practical recommendations and examples for supporting inclusive education approaches in the COVID-19 response, with a particular focus on supporting children and young people with disabilities are presented

The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional Office for the Americas and the Caribbean, ONG Inclusiva and the Latin America and the Caribbean Network for Disability Inclusive Disaster Risk Management (LAC DiDRR Network) organized a webinar on Thursday, 23 April that focused on people with disabilities in the face of COVID-19. Reflections surrounding the inclusion and active participation of people with disabilities within all disaster risk management and disaster risk reduction processes were among the issues analysed through this seminar. The results of a survey aimed at gaining a greater understanding of the experience of people with disabilities in the face of COVID-19 that was carried out by ONG Inclusiva were also presented.

The unprecedented impact of the COVID -19 pandemic across the world is well documented, including its negative effect on education systems, learners, and communities. But marginalized groups, such as children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable if there are prolonged school closures, and when schools reopen.

Children with disabilities face increased risks, as they are likely to be more affected by reduced access to prevention and support measures. School closures also lead to disruptions in daily routines which can be particularly difficult for many children with developmental disabilities and cause significant pressure on their families and caregivers, who require additional support.