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Information relayed by Iederin – the Dutch Network for People with Disabilities or Chronic Illness)

[google translate will translate Iederin to “Everyone”]

Ieder(in) published the results of a survey about disability and COVID-19. The webinar was completed by 532 people (80% persons with disabilities themselves and 20% persons without disabilities but completing as support or on behalf of persons with disabilities) Relevant results include: 

• For 60% of respondents who received professional support, this support has been reduced, changed or stopped during the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• More than two-thirds of the participants indicate that they are at extra risk if they get sick, due to changes in support or underlying health conditions. 
• When asked whether the measures taken in response to the pandemic affect their health or well-being, 45% of respondents answered that physical health is deteriorating, almost 40% experience more feelings of loneliness and 38% have an increase in stress/psychological complaints. 
• Treatments were temporarily stopped for 61% of respondents – this refers to recurring appointments such as physiotherapy or mental health therapy. A third of the respondents cancelled, had cancelled or postponed medical treatment. 
• 17% of respondents use personal protective equipment. Almost as many people (16%) do not use this, but they would like to.

Download the results of the survey in Dutch (doc)

Information

• Translation of our (EDF) demands to authorities –  Iederin
• Corona crisis in Europe: people with disabilities are hit hard – Iederin
• Take part in the study: How will your life be livable again?
• In the media: people with disabilities during and after the corona crisis

Statement

• On crisis communication –  Iederin

• How do you make the one and a half meter society inclusive?

• Covid strategy in the making: UN CRPD in times of crisis

• Public transport protocol established; no attention to accessibility of public transport

•  The corona crisis is a heavy burden on families with disabled children

•  Call to the House of Representatives: ‘Involve us in the way out of this crisis’

• Care burnout lurks with informal care for children with intellectual disabilities

They welcome the increased accessibility of information regarding COVID-19. It underlined, however a lack of action plan and of a structural agreement to ensure all crisis communication is accessible. Ieder(in) now calls on the government to finally develop this action plan for the accessibility of crisis communication, that was promised in March 2019. They call on the government to include accessibility in the revision of the “ Mediawet” (Media Act)

• Call on the Dutch government to improve accessibility of crisis communication – Iederin

Information relayed by the Fundamental Rights Agency (May 2020):

Persons with disabilities

In the Netherlands, news programme ‘RTL Nieuws’ reported about a survey conducted by ‘Ieder(in)’, an organisation that represents people with a disability, which shows that 60 percent of people with disabilities indicate that the care they need has been stopped or diminished because of the corona epidemic. Almost half of them deteriorate physically due to the measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. 56 The survey is based on a questionnaire answered by 532 people who form part of a panel (78% participants are people with a disability; and 18% are people who care for people with a disability). The study was conducted in the period 7-12 April 2020. 57 There are about 1.5 million people with a physical or mental disability in the Netherlands.58

 In the Netherlands, daily newspaper ‘NRC’ reported about the Association of the Care for People with Disabilities (Vereniging Gehandicaptenzorg Nederland) which notices that that the corona virus is relatively common among people with an intellectual disability under the age of sixty. 59 More than half of the proven infections among this group are persons under the age of sixty. This age is lower than the figures of the overall population, where most infections in age groups above 60 years are registered.60