Ever-changing but always constant: “Waves” of disability discrimination during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States

Abstract

The ongoing novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had considerable effects on the disability community. As the pandemic has progressed and changed, the manifestations of these effects have differed, and yet the underlying causes—ableism including the devaluation of disabled lives—have remained consistent. In this commentary, we explore the impact of the pandemic on the disability community in the United States, conceptualizing four distinct but overlapping “waves” of discrimination: 1) healthcare rationing and missed opportunities for disability inclusion, 2) access to resources, supplies, and accommodations; 3) vaccine access; and 4) long COVID and disability identity. Throughout our discussion of these waves, we detail the discrimination faced by people with disabilities, the underlying ableism that perpetuates it, and the resilience shown by the disability community. We end with a call for combating systemic ableism in healthcare and public health systems.