By Dr. Audra Buck-Coleman and Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch

Emergencies tend to make vulnerable populations more so. Those with scarce resources are less able to afford protections, precautions and safeguards. The current pandemic is no exception. Covid-19 has amplified and compounded inequity and oppression for many including those with disabilities. The mission of Redefine/ABLE becomes more urgent given the magnitude of the pandemic as well as that approximately 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability.

“Ableism” is a term used to describe the discrimination against those with disabilities. As with the other “isms” such as racism, sexism, and ageism, ableism is a long-standing form of discrimination that stems from pejorative ideas about others’ identities. Universal design is an approach to creating systems, spaces and objects that meet the needs of all people. People with disabilities have been negatively impacted by Covid-19 due to discriminatory responses and lack of universal design—both before and during the pandemic.

The novel coronavirus has highlighted and magnified the prejudice against those with disabilities. Some responses to the pandemic intentionally devalue people with disabilities, and other responses simply don’t include them. Here are some examples:

• When schools closed their physical building and transitioned their curriculum to online learning, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos considered suspending the accommodations required by the Disabilities Education Act. Although numerous organizations including the National Urban League and The Education Trust argued against these measures, others including The School Superintendents Association, disagreed. Their argument was that since educators were struggling to provide curriculum to mainstream students, they should not have to limit those efforts to educate those with disabilities. Ultimately DeVos decided against such waivers, but the mere possibility gave credence to the ableist idea that students with disabilities are less worthy of the fundamental right of an education.
• Similarly, others expressed that the economy should take priority over those who were “unproductive” to society. The sacrifices people across the world were being asked to make were not warranted to ensure the livelihood of the elderly and disabled. Similar arguments are that we should let “herd immunity” run its course, eliminating those who aren’t the fittest and strongest, those who are not disabled. Those with disabilities do not produce nor earn as much as others, and thus their human value is falsely deemed less valuable as well. These ideas have been given so much credence that others are having to contradict them. 
• Along with this came proposed limitations for health care for the sick. Hospitals across the country including one in Washington state considered rationing care to those with compromised immunity and other disabilities. Despite that healthcare workers have taken an oath to treat all patients, the sentiment was put forth that the health of the more abled is more important than the health of the disabled.
• Some countries including Chile have proposed creating a special status for those with coronavirus antibodies, enabling those with a lower risk for the virus to have fewer quarantine restrictions. While the notion would create more freedom for some, it would also create more legal restrictions for those without the antibodies, creating another form of disability.
• A March coronavirus-related stimulus bill, led by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), included a provision to deny funding to nonprofits that receive Medicare. This would have kept people with disabilities from receiving their full benefits. In the United States, more than 25% of the people living below the poverty line are disabled. Losing medical coverage would put them at an even greater disadvantage. These efforts are deliberately leaving some of our most vulnerable populations without the support they so desperately need.
• An April survey found that 48 out of 50 state-launched coronavirus websites were difficult or unusable to those with low or no vision. This lack of universal design meant that those with visual disabilities were unable to access up-to-date Covid-19 statistics, helpline numbers and best practice infographics and other visuals about how to prevent contracting the virus. Some were also unable to complete virus-related benefit applications or find testing sites. The inaccessibility of the websites of the government and others was well documented before the pandemic and it is even more critical now.
• Due to limited on-site academic testing during the pandemic, the College Board instituted only a digital-format for the advanced placement (AP) exams. The test is required for students to receive college credit or advanced placement standing for high school coursework. Successful test-takers can save money on college tuition, but the digital format was inaccessible for those with vision disabilities. It was not until five high school students and the National Federation of the Blind filed civil rights complaints that the College Board reversed their refusal to provide accessibility accommodations including hard-copy Braille tests or tactile graphics for the test.
• The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people wear face coverings in public spaces to prevent the spread of Covid-19. Although these masks create a protective barrier from the disease, they also create an impediment for those with disabilities. The lack of universal design for transparent-yet-protective masks makes it difficult if not impossible for the Deaf and hard of hearing to read lips and facial expressions. Further, the behind-the-ear straps on the masks and face shields cause difficulties for people using hearing aids. Additionally some people with autism cannot tolerate the masks (and other things) touching their face.
• One of the most pressing questions for k-12 and higher education administrators is if and how to return to in-person learning this fall. In May more than half of the nation’s university presidents said they were choosing to reopen their campuses for the fall term. University of Notre Dame President Father John I. Jenkins called it a “moral question,” and said his campus would be open as has Purdue University President Mitch Daniels. Daniels described not opening in the fall as an “unacceptable breach of duty” and cited the high survival rate of the stereotypical college age student. His statement fails to recognize that even those 15-24 years old can have higher risk factors for Covid-19 according to the CDC, let alone faculty, staff and other campus workers. These college presidents assume their populations are all abled and healthy. Further, Jenkins’ ableist attitudes ring clear: This leader of a pro-life institution finds the “lethal risks” of reopening his campus to be worth it “for the good of society.” College presidents such as these ignore the fact that college-age students as well as other members of their campus communities can have disabilities that make them more susceptible to Covid-19 and that their lives are still valuable.

The needs of the disabled were not prioritized enough before the novel coronavirus unleashed, and the instances above show how too often they are even less of a priority now. And although this list is not exhaustive, it demonstrates how far we have to go in terms of perpetuating respectful, non-discriminatory values and cultural norms regarding those with disabilities.

Further, we would be remiss if we failed to acknowledge how the coronavirus has amplified and compounded the inequality and oppression for other minority groups as well, including Asians and Asian Americans, Blacks, Latinos, immigrants and low-income populations. The needs and rights of these populations are just as critical but will have to be addressed elsewhere.

Finally, those with minority identities and their challenges are not mutually exclusive, of course, and the intersectionality of discrimination and oppression against these populations is a social disease our society must battle in addition to the biological one getting so much attention today.

Note: Our thanks to Robin Marquis for their feedback on an earlier draft of this publication.

Dr. Audra Buck-Coleman is an Associate Professor of Graphic Design at University of Maryland, College Park Associate Professor and served as the Redefine/ABLE Project Director. 

Dr. Cheryl Fogle-Hatch is the founder of MuseumSenses, a Baltimore-based advocacy studio that researches and develops multisensory experiences for galleries, museums and other cultural organizations. She and others from the disabilities community collaborated with Buck-Coleman’s design students to create Redefine/ABLE: Challenging Inaccessibility.