COVID-19 has affected all of us, but it has been particularly devastating for people with disabilities. Many people have lost services that help support them in their own homes and communities. People in institutions face an unprecedented risk of infection and death from COVID-19, and disabled people are being discriminated against in accessing life-saving COVID-19 treatment. Our fight for disability rights is more important now than ever.
In the face of these extraordinary challenges, CPR is committed to ensuring that the needs of people with disabilities are centered in the response to this pandemic. But we can’t do our work without your support! We’re participating in #GivingTuesdayNow, which supports the work of advocates like CPR during this crisis, and we need your help to spread the word!
As Congress negotiates the next round of coronavirus relief legislation, we are advocating for our community’s priorities. CPR and other disability organizations sent a letter to Congressional leadership identifying the most critical priorities that MUST be included in the next round of legislation. We are working especially hard to secure additional funding for home and community based services (HCBS) to help people with disabilities and older adults stay in their own homes and avoid unnecessary placement in institutional and congregate settings where outbreaks and deaths from COVID19 are rampant. For more on our legislative advocacy efforts and how you can get involved, please visit our webpage.
We are also fighting against disability discrimination in access to medical treatment during this pandemic. Some states have created rules that mean that disabled people are either last in line – or don’t even make it into the line – for life-saving treatment, like ventilators. CPR is working alongside disability, aging, and racial justice advocacy organizations, and self-advocates to combat discriminatory and illegal policies that hurt people with disabilities, individuals from communities of color, and older adults.
Our advocacy has included filing more than half a dozen complaints with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights and working with more than 25 coalitions on advocacy with their state leadership. You can find those complaints, letters, and much more on our medical rationing webpage.
To support us for #GivingTuesdayNow, you can:
- Donate today! We appreciate whatever help you can provide during this difficult time.
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter and invite your friends to do the same.
- Encourage your friends and family to join you in supporting us by sharing why our work matters to you using the hashtag #GivingTuesdayNow