The COVID-19 pandemic is raging around the world with people with disabilities among most affectedgroups. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres released"Policy Brief: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19” (English version) in May.
The report analyzes the prominent impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities, emphasizes the importance of integrating them in anti-pandemic and post-pandemic rehabilitation work, and introduces the protection of their rights in education, medical care, social security, and supportive care both during and after the outbreak.
Zhang Haidi, chairwoman of the China Disabled Persons’ Federation and President of Rehabilitation International, is concerned about the people with disabilities around the world who are affected by the pandemic.
Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Zhang has sent letters to the President of the UN General Assembly, the UN Secretary-General, the director-general of the World Health Organization and other leaders of relevant international organizations, calling on the international community to jointly pay attention to the individualized needs of disabled persons during the pandemic, and to strive to protect their rights and interests and integrated development. Her letters have received positive feedback.
