The Lasting Impacts of COVID-19

As nearly every industry is forced to make changes resulting from this global pandemic, people with disabilities must be included in new accommodations

Beyond the impacts to access to services, society has seen changes in the way we work, learn and engage as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic. These changes have led to meaningful conversations that have touched on accommodations in the workplace, who can work and participate in the workforce, how we can teach students from a distance while also engaging them in meaningful instruction and the ways in which we can provide health care. As a result, across the country and the globe, we have seen an increase in telework, distance learning and telehealth.

Accommodations

As health vulnerabilities put some people with disabilities at significant risk for contracting COVID-19, states are extending accommodations in several ways, including making telework more accessible. States such as Virginia, Oklahoma, Missouri, Massachusetts and Arizona have been highlighted by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) for their provisions surrounding web accessibility. Many of these states have established their own guidelines, passed legislation to ensure accessibility or accurately executed federal law. Several technology companies have also taken measures to accommodate people with disabilities.

By making telework a regular option, employers can help alleviate the barriers of a traditional worksite, including on-site job duties and commuting limitations. Companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Nationwide and Barclays have announced they will allow employees to work from home indefinitely, consequently broadening employment options for people with disabilities.

Effects on Distance Learning

Due to the concern for the safety of students amid the COVID-19 outbreak, schools have transitioned to distance learning formats in lieu of traditional classroom teaching. Title II of the ADA protects individuals, including the 7.1 million American students receiving special education services, from discrimination based on disability in the provision of services, activities and programs provided by state and local governments. The ADA, combined with the Individuals with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, requires schools to provide an accessible and equitable education for students with disabilities. Students with disabilities may require a range of accommodations to ensure compliance, which may be challenging considering the wide spectrum of disabilities and associated needs. In response to such challenges, states have created guidelines, in addition to lists of resources and tools, to help educators, students and parents effectively engage in distance learning.

Telehealth

One of the largest emerging practices in the health care industry and in health service delivery is telehealth, or the provision of remote health care through the use of innovative telecommunications technology. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, telehealth has four infrastructure requirements for proper implementation. These four components aid in service provisions and ensure that efficient, effective and high-quality health care services are rendered. The four components are:

» Access to broadband internet

» Imaging technology or peripherals

» Access to technical support staff

» Staff training

The advancement of telehealth in the states during COVID-19 has led to impactful conversations in the disability community and beyond about the accessibility aspects of healthcare and those who may need accommodations. There are currently seven states with enumerated executive orders expanding access to telehealth during COVID-19: California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Rhode Island. Several states have issued executive orders that include reference to and expansion of telehealth, but these states did not issue sole executive orders on telehealth.

Many factors can affect the lives of individuals with disabilities. Whether these factors are social, technological or environmental, state policy makers hold the key to ensuring that state policies can address challenges, changes and opportunities to meet the needs of all constituents, including those with disabilities. States can lead the charge in upholding the principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act and ensure greater access to services, employment, education and health care for all in the future.

Learn more about the advancement of telehealth during COVID-19 at web.csg.org/covid19.