Countries Response for People With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.
L H Lugo-Agudelo, Maria A Spir Brunal, Ana M Posada Borrero and 8 others
PMID 36188782WHAT IT FOUND
Of 193 UN member states, only 32 issued official government guidance for people with disabilities during the pandemic.
Measures varied widely by region and disability type, with significant gaps in long-term rehabilitation care and employment protection.
Key findings
01Only 32 countries out of 193 UN member states were identified as having issued official government or health ministry documents addressing disability and COVID-19.
02Most countries had inclusive pandemic responses for people with disabilities, but not all developed specific measures for each type of impairment, and only 35% addressed employment and financial protection.
03There were few declarations about continuing care for people with rehabilitation needs and long-term follow-up for people with disabilities.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The search was limited to official government and health ministry sources, excluding non-governmental organizations, which may have provided substantial support. Language barriers may have caused the authors to miss relevant documents from non-English/Spanish speaking countries. The review describes what countries said they would do, not what they actually implemented or how effective those measures were. There is no data on long-term outcomes or the actual impact of these measures on people with disabilities. The consensus process for categorizing recommendations was heterogeneous and sometimes unclear. Data from low- and middle-income countries was lacking, potentially skewing the view of global response.
Declared interests
The text does not explicitly state funding sources or conflicts of interest in the provided sentences.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the presence of official government documents as evidence that these measures were implemented, effective, or accessible to all people with disabilities. The review only reports what was published on official websites, not what happened in practice or how well it worked.