On the right to accommodation for Canadians with disabilities: space, access, and identity during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract


 
 
 In this article, I explore the societal reluctance to accommodate and include persons with illnesses/disabilities, which has rendered them “second-class” citizens. This reluctance exists despite several pieces of legislation whose goal is to create an inclusive and accepting social as well as physical environment across Canada. In October 2020, the Ontario government introduced a mask mandate as a non-medical procedure to limit the spread of COVID-19. I argue that this mandate has further reduced civil society’s willingness to accommodate those who are unable to wear a mask due to their disability or medical condition, especially when their illness or disability is not visibly discernible. By making use of the concept of “state of exception” developed by Giorgio Agamben, and the biopower/biopolitics paradigm introduced by Michel Foucault, I attempt to examine what the mask mandate means for persons with disabilities as well as for society at large. My investigation is an effort to uncover why we are finding ourselves in a situation of inaccessibility and exclusion at this moment in time, despite the widespread rhetoric of unity and support for each other throughout the pandemic. Through a reading of Agamben, I aim to uncover why persons with disabilities have been, once again, considered justifiable collateral damage on the altar of necessity (in this case, the necessity to fight COVID- 19 at all costs).
 
 

Care coordination of children with neurodevelopmental disabilities and medical complexity during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Caregiver experiences

“…Care coordination promotes integrated care and personalized individualized support to enable participation in everyday life and was identified as necessary for families with NDD‐MC before the pandemic (Gall et al, 2022) and even more so during a public health emergency when challenges skyrocketed with loss of established routines, services and support systems (Asbury & Toseeb, 2022; Lee et al, 2021; Viner et al, 2021). Children with NDD‐MC require integrated multisector support to meet their needs and reduce barriers to participating and thriving in society; a disability inclusive response would consider the intersection of social, structural and/or ecological determinants of health and ensure policies and programmes, and their coordination, are designated as essential services and are not optional or acceptable to postpone during an emergency (Capurri, 2022; Filipe et al, 2021; Government of Canada, 2018; Jacob et al, 2020).…”