Advocating for Disabled People’s Needs in a Pandemic

When Washington state ended its indoor mask mandate in March, some people with disabilities and their advocates pushed back.

Many people with disabilities or chronic health conditions are at higher risk of severe illness or death from COVID-19.

Kimberly Meck, our Executive Director, was interviewed in a recent article that discusses this in Seattle Gay News.

"Early on in the pandemic, we fought and fought and fought to get people to understand that there are people who have access needs that are different than the non-disabled population. We fought to have food maps made accessible. We fought to have COVID information made accessible. We fought to ensure that all people with disabilities felt comfortable at vaccination locations and testing locations," Kimberly said.

The article—and interview with Kimberly—highlights the systemic exclusion of people with disabilities and why the work of the Disability Empowerment Center is so important as we advocate for our community.

Read the full article here.