IDA and IDDC launch an advocacy campaign to prioritize persons with disabilities in COVID-19 vaccination

The International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) have initiated an advocacy campaign to call on all governments, United Nations agencies and the private sector to take all measures to prioritise persons with disabilities in vaccination against COVID-19.

This campaign has been launched at global, regional, and national levels to ensure maximizing inclusion and accessibility of persons with disabilities in the rollout and distribution of the vaccines. The call comes as the World Health Organization publishes advice about persons with disabilities, who are particularly exposed to the risks of COVID-19 and require specific measures to mitigate these risks and their impact.

Evidence shows the majority of COVID-19 deaths have been persons with disabilities. People with intellectual disabilities have been put on the backburner as in this international crisis up to 1 billion people with disabilities are trying to survive without the recognition or support they need.

All information about the campaign is available on IDA website, including key recommendations for prioritising persons with disabilities in the vaccination process and a toolkit available in four languages to support organizations of persons with disabilities, their allies and partners to run a more successful advocacy campaign. This campaign has also been added to Bridging the Gap’s list of resources to include persons with disabilities in COVID-19 response.