ADVOCACY UPDATE - Our efforts are working!
In just 18 days, AADMD has rallied the support of over 38,000 people and over 45 organizations to protect the rights of people with intellectual & developmental disabilities (IDD) during the Covid-19 crisis. And the support has been inspiring!
AADMD started 2 petitions on April 20th…
Ventilator Rights: First, we asked hospitals not to discriminate against people with IDD who need a ventilator during a resource scarcity. Right now, we have 35 organizations as Official Signatories helping to spread the word!
Hospital Visitation Rights: In the second petition, we urged hospitals to allow caregivers to accompany patients with IDD for in-hospital support. Right now, we have 47 organizations as Official Signatories helping to spread the word! AND MORE THAN 38,000 SIGNATURES!
Below is a growing list of states, medical centers, organizations and press addressing this issue.
March 20: Alabama State Health Officer issued a statewide policy to allow caregivers to accompany people with IDD for in-hospital support.
April 10: New York Department of Health updated its hospital no-visitation policy to allow caregivers to accompany people with IDD for in-hospital support.
April 25: New Jersey Department of Public Health issued a statement requiring acute care facilities to permit persons with disability a designated support person. News site NJ.com covered the story.
April 27: Disability Rights Oregon issued a guide “Know Your Rights: Covid-19 & Reasonable Accommodations in Hospitals to address the issue.
May 2: California Department of Health issued a statement allowing caregivers to accompany people with IDD for in-hospital support.
May 6: Ohio Department of Health issued a policy to allow family members or caregivers to accompany people with IDD for in-hospital support.
May 8: Disability Scoop covered the issue and AADMD’s petition in their lead story.
Want to join the movement? Learn More | Ventilator Petition | Hospital Visitation Petition
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Why do we advocate?
To change policy and systems of care, it takes persistence, passion — and it takes time.
Recently our friends at Rush University Medical Center and Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities produced a documentary None of Us Want to Stand Still that reveals the reality of how poorly people with IDD are treated in the healthcare system - and what one university is doing to change that. Watch this video in our Advocacy section or click the link below.