Navigating Complexity in a Global Pandemic: The Effects of COVID-19 on Children and Young People with Disability and Their Families in Australia.

Abstract

While Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID‐19) does not discriminate against particular groups, our social structures and systems mean some people are more at risk in a pandemic context—from both the disease and the social and policy responses to the pandemic. This is particularly so for people with disability, in part because they often have poorer health outcomes from underlying conditions but also due to discrimination and social exclusion. Here, we draw from a survey about the impacts of the COVID‐19 pandemic on Australian children and young people with disability and their families. Respondents faced a range of inequities prior to the pandemic, and COVID‐19 has further exposed and often exacerbated them. We conclude that recent developments in the Australian disability context to personalize services have arguably made people with disability and their families less safe within a pandemic context, and we outline some ways in which these issues might be addressed.