Toronto Accessibility Task Force on COVID-19

Last updated

The Toronto Accessibility Task Force on COVID-19 is a working committee created by the City of Toronto to reduce barriers to COVID-19 vaccine access for people with disabilities. [1] [2] [3]

Contents

It advocates for the needs of people with disabilities and arranges special vaccination events to meet their unique needs.

History and mandate

The task force was launched in March 2021 [4] with a grant of $125,000 [5] in an attempt to improve services to people with disabilities, who have historically been marginalized in the provision of healthcare services. [5] [6]

The task force's mandate is to: [5]

  1. advise government about how to address issues of equity in terms of COVID-19 vaccine distribution, with focus on people with disabilities and the people who give them care
  2. to disseminate knowledge about
    • risk of COVID-19 infections;
    • ways to reduce the risk of COVID-19; and
    • COVID-19 testing and COVID-19 safety; for people with disabilities
  3. to address concerns about the COVID-19 vaccines and barriers that people with disabilities face in accessing it. [5]

Activities and members

Soon after being formed, the task force recommended the immediate prioritization of the provision of COVID-19 vacations to people with disabilities who live in congregate settings or people who received daily care. The task force also recommended that the City of Toronto provide mobile vaccination clinics and priority booking systems for people with disabilities, and recommended working with developmental service agencies and supportive housing organizations. [1]

The task force arranged special vaccination efforts for people with high support needs in November 2021, [7] and January 2022. [8]

Task force members are:

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kwame McKenzie</span> British-Canadian psychiatrist

Kwame Julius McKenzie is a British-Canadian psychiatrist employed as the CEO of Wellesley Institute, a policy think tank based in Toronto, Ontario. McKenzie is a full professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. He has worked as physician, researcher, policy advisor, journalist and broadcaster.

The COVID-19 pandemic in Toronto is a viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), localized in Toronto. Toronto is the most populous city in Canada, and the fourth most populous city in North America.

Beryl Potter was a British-born Canadian disability rights activist. She was involved in many disability rights organizations in Ontario including the Trans-Action Coalition, the Scarborough Recreation Club for Disabled Adults, the Ontario Action Awareness Association, and the Coalition on Employment Equity for Persons with Disabilities (CEEPD). Potter was a triple amputee and was blind in one eye as a result of complications due to a fall at work.

Alex Bulmer is a Canadian playwright and theatre artist. Bulmer is the co-founder of the theatre companies SNIFF Inc. and Invisible Flash. She wrote the play Smudge and was a writer for the 2009 Channel 4 series Cast Offs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa</span> Part of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa, Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic in Ottawa is part of the global ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a novel infectious disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Ottawa is the fourth most populous city in Canada, the second largest city in Ontario, and the capital city of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in the Republic of Ireland</span> Immunisation plan against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination programme in the Republic of Ireland is an ongoing mass immunisation campaign that began on 29 December 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland. Ireland's vaccination rollout has been praised as one of the most successful rollouts in the world and was ranked number one in the European Union in terms of its percentage of adult population fully vaccinated, and was also ranked number one in the EU for the number of booster vaccines administered.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in Canada</span> COVID-19 vaccination programme in Canada

COVID-19 vaccination in Canada is an ongoing, intergovernmental effort coordinated between the bodies responsible in the Government of Canada to acquire and distribute vaccines to individual provincial and territorial governments who in turn administer authorized COVID-19 vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. Provinces have worked with local municipal governments, hospital systems, family doctors and independently owned pharmacies to aid in part, or in full with vaccination rollout. The vaccination effort in full is the largest such immunization effort in the nation's history. The vaccination effort began December 14, 2020, and is currently ongoing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in the United States</span> Plan to immunize against COVID-19

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States is an ongoing mass immunization campaign for the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) first granted emergency use authorization to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine on December 10, 2020, and mass vaccinations began four days later. The Moderna vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on December 17, 2020, and the Janssen vaccine was granted emergency use authorization on February 27, 2021. By April 19, 2021, all U.S. states had opened vaccine eligibility to residents aged 16 and over. On May 10, 2021, the FDA approved the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for adolescents aged 12 to 15. On August 23, 2021, the FDA granted full approval to the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine for individuals aged 16 and over.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand</span> Ongoing COVID-19 vaccine programme in New Zealand

COVID-19 vaccination in New Zealand began on 20 February 2021, and will continue throughout the pandemic with the goal of vaccinating all willing New Zealanders aged 5 or older. Those aged 5 to 11 require a parent, caregiver or legal guardian accompany them to their appointment and provide consent for them to be vaccinated. As of 1 September, anyone in New Zealand, regardless of their immigration status, is eligible to be vaccinated.

The COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Quebec was a provincial effort to distribute and administer vaccines against COVID-19.

Peter Jüni is a Swiss physician, general internist, and epidemiologist based in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vaccine Hunters Canada</span> Canadian volunteer organization

Vaccine Hunters Canada was a Canadian volunteer-run nonprofit organization with a mandate of "helping eligible Canadians find vaccines" during the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. The group was involved in helping Canadians navigate various booking systems and their eligibility requirements, and providing residents with information such as appointment and vaccine availability at mass-vaccination sites, hospitals, pharmacies, family doctors and pop-up COVID-19 vaccine clinics involved in the Canadian rollout of COVID-19 vaccines. The group used its website, Twitter, Discord and its Facebook page to communicate information to the general population. In March 2022, exactly one year after its launch, Vaccine Hunters Canada announced that it would be closing its operations.

Caryma Fayez Sa'd is a Canadian lawyer specializing in landlord-tenant law and cannabis law. She is also known for documenting events at anti-COVID-19-lockdown protests in Canada and other protests.

Anna Banerji M.D., O. Ont. is a Toronto infectious disease doctor, tropical disease specialist, pediatrician, public health specialist, academic, and activist. She is the founder and chair of both the North American Refugee Health Conference in Canada and the Indigenous Health Conference, and the co-founder of the Society of Refugee Healthcare Providers. She was awarded the Dr Peter Bryce Henderson for her advocacy for Indigenous children.

Raghu Venugopal is a Toronto-based emergency physician and professor who led a one-man anti-vaccine counter protest in 2021, triggering a change in legislation.

Paul Caulford is a Canadian advocate, academic, and family doctor in Scarborough, Toronto who provides free healthcare to refugees, undocumented migrants and other newcomers who are unable to get healthcare through the formal channels.

The Canadian Centre for Refugee and Immigrant Health Care is a healthcare clinic in Scarborough, Toronto, that provides free healthcare to refugee and immigrants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Centre for Independent Living in Toronto</span> Toronto disability charity

The Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT) is a not for profit organization that supports people with disabilities and addictions. In 1993, CILT advocated to the Government of Ontario for financial support. The aim was to provide support to people with disabilities to pay for their own home care. By 2012, their advocacy succeeded and they were given responsibility for administering such a system. In the early 21st century CILT advocated against ableism and for better support for people with disabilities and improved access to COVID-19 vaccines.

COVID-19 vaccination in Ontario began in December 2020, when the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine were administered. In February 2021, shipments for both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines increased significantly. By May 2021, over 50 percent of Ontarians had received their first dose. By the beginning of 2022, over 80 percent of Ontarians had received their first dose.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">19 to Zero</span> Canadian communications initiative

19 to Zero is a not-for-profit behavioural sciences initiative based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Hosted at the University of Calgary, the public–private partnership is made up of around 500 members including public health specialists, academics, behavioural psychologists, marketers and multimedia creators. Its purpose is to increase confidence in vaccines for COVID-19 and other diseases by tackling vaccine hesitancy. The group publishes materials on its website and through partner organizations, including videos, billboards, presentations, brochures and in-person events.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kennedy, Brendan (2021-05-01). "People with disabilities face confusion and other barriers to getting COVID-19 vaccines. A task force is working to change that". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  2. Rotenberg, Sara; Downer, Matthew B.; Brown, Hilary; Cooper, Jane; Campanella, Sabrina; Safar, Yousef; Katz, Gabrielle M.; Bell, Sandi; Porch, Wendy; Razak, Fahad; Rochon, Paula A.; Schull, Michael; Stall, Nathan M.; Lunsky, Yona (2021). "COVID-19 Vaccination for People with Disabilities". Ontario COVID-19 Science Advisory Table. doi: 10.47326/ocsat.2021.02.35.1.0 . S2CID   236277822 . Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  3. Cressy, Joe (November 3, 2021). "COVID-19 and Ward 10 Updates - November 3rd". Councillor Joe Cressy - Ward 10, Spadina-Fort York. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  4. 1 2 Sarrouh, Maria (2021-07-08). "New program helps people with autism overcome barriers in accessing COVID-19 vaccines". The Toronto Star. ISSN   0319-0781 . Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Lieu, Toney (2021-07-06). "Toronto's Commitment to Equitable Opportunity to Vaccination for Individuals with Disabilities". Disable the Difference. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
  6. Johnson, Tyler (20 April 2021). "April 20 COVID19 updates: Increased Police Power, Federal Budget 2021, and COVID-19 Updates". Kristyn Wong-Tam Official website.
  7. "Toronto's Accessibility Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines, Team Toronto and community partners host super supportive vaccine clinics November 5, 6, 7 -". GTA Weekly. 2021-11-03. Retrieved 2021-12-31.
  8. Lavoie, Joanna (2022-01-25). "Toronto hosting 'super supportive and accessible' COVID-19 vaccination clinic". Toronto.com. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Toronto's Accessibility Task Force on COVID-19 Vaccines". City of Toronto. 2021-04-14. Retrieved 2021-12-13.