Measures for people with functional diversity in times of Covid-19

People with disabilities are among those most at risk when it comes to tackling an illness such as Covid-19. Because of this, the Municipal Institute for People with Disabilities has taken a series of steps to safeguard the rights of people with functional diversity in the management of the health emergency.

13/06/2020 19:01 h

Ajuntament de Barcelona

The June session of the Commission for Social Rights will include the presentation of the report ‘People with disabilities and the SARS-CoV-2 crisis’, compiled by the IMPD and outlining all the action carried out and planned to tackle the crisis post-Covid. The document also seeks to generate reflection and debate on the rights of people with disabilities during the management of the emergency.

The IMPD’s knowledge of the reality in Barcelona, as well as its proximity with the territory and organisations, has enabled it to attend to all demands for advice, assistance or emotional support.

Special residential facilities

The Barcelona Social Services Consortium and the IMPD started three special operations on 20 March to provide medical and social support for people with disabilities. The support was for people living in assisted homes and residences in the city, with underlying pathologies and at risk of infection.

The three special facilities, the Casa del Mar, the Llar Sant Sebastià and the Pis Viladomat, attended to 109 people from 20 different organisations, who later recovered and were able to return to their homes.

Child development and early care centres (CDIAP)

The two municipal CDIAP centres in Barcelona helped people telematically on 6,431 occasions, attending to 1,100 families with children up to the age of 6 with disabilities or development problems. The centres also provided remote therapeutic support on 2,287 occasions and recorded and disseminated 116 videos and other materials for families.

Labour advice team

Many people with disabilities who are in jobs work in the services sector, one of those hit hardest by the Covid-19 crisis. The Labour Advice Team at the IMPD and ten organisations making up the Barcelona Labour Inclusion Network (XIB) have provided advice and guidance for the 1,903 people they attended to in 2019. In April, 35% of people attended to with work contracts had lost their jobs or been temporarily laid off.

Similarly, follow-up was carried out on 2,020 people with disabilities, 1,008 in connection with the sphere of work and over a thousand in respond to requests for emotional, social or health support.

Personal assistance service

The 52 people who benefit from the Personal Assistance Service have been guaranteed the service during the Covid-19 crisis. The IMPD prioritised protection and safety by distributing twenty thousand individual protective items for the people who provide the service.

 

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