This year's message by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, on occasion of the UN's World Autism Awareness Day (2 April) focusses on the rights of autistic persons during the current pandemic and the need for local, regional, and national authorities to consult with autistic-led organizations regarding disability-inclusive coronavirus (COVID-19) responses.
https://www.un.org/en/observances/autism-day
Full text: "On World Autism Awareness Day, we recognize and celebrate the rights of persons with autism. This year's observance takes place in the midst of a public health crisis unlike any other in our lifetimes – a crisis that places persons with autism at disproportionate risk as a result of the coronavirus and its impact on society.
"Persons with autism have the right to self-determination, independence and autonomy, as well as the right to education and employment on an equal basis with others. But the breakdown of vital support systems and networks as a result of COVID-19 exacerbates the obstacles that persons with autism face in exercising these rights. We must ensure that a prolonged disruption caused by the emergency does not result in rollbacks of the rights that persons with autism and their representative organizations have worked so hard to advance.
"Universal human rights, including the rights of persons with disabilities, must not be infringed upon in the time of a pandemic. Governments have a responsibility to ensure that their response includes persons with autism. Persons with autism should never face discrimination when seeking medical care. They must continue to have access to the support systems required to remain in their homes and communities through times of crisis, instead of facing the prospect of forced institutionalization.
"We all have a role to play in ensuring that the needs of people who are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 are met during this difficult period. Information about precautionary measures must be provided in accessible formats. We must also recognize that when schools employ online teaching, students with non-standard ways of learning may be at a disadvantage. The same applies to the workplace and working remotely. Even in these unpredictable times, we must commit to consulting persons with disabilities and their representative organizations, and ensuring that our non-traditional ways of working, learning, and engaging with each other, as well as our global response to the coronavirus, are inclusive of and accessible to all people, including persons with autism.
"The rights of persons with autism must be taken into account in the formulation of all responses to the COVID-19 virus. On World Autism Awareness Day, let us stand together, support each other and show solidarity with persons with autism."
It is unfortunate that the UN still insists on using "persons with autism", rather than "autistic persons", preferred by most actually autistic adults. The Secretary-General's message also does not sufficiently take into account that the coronavirus highlights and intensifies the different ways in which persons with disabilities, including autistic persons, are still left behind and excluded. For some autistic people (and others), 'social distancing' from their caregivers and personal assistants is simply not an option. On the other hand, for many autistic adults (and older persons) 'social distancing', isolation, and loneliness may be nothing new, it's what they experience every day. Anecdotal reports suggest that autistic children, who may struggle with physically attending a mainstream school due to anxiety, sensory overload, or bullying, cope very well with remote schooling. Indeed, voluntary online options for autistic students (such as following classes per webcam, at least part of the time) have been advocated by autistic-led organizations for many years as a way to advance inclusive education. Then again, those of us who are in psychiatric institutions or care facilities are at a heightened risk of abuse, abandonment, and neglect when visitors are prohibited. The Secretary-General's message fails to specify how states will guarantee our rights and survival and prevent disability-related discrimination in times of crisis. What concrete measures are states, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations taking to ensure that all coronavirus responses are disability-inclusive, inclusive of all disability constituencies, and of autistic persons in their diversity?
We recommend you also read the coronavirus statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities of 17 March 2020, "COVID-19: Who is protecting the people with disabilities?":
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25725&LangID=E
On 26 March 2020, the World Health Organization released a briefing to key stakeholders, including persons with disabilities, their families and caregivers, governments, health workers, service providers, and the wider community, on "Disability considerations during the COVID-19 outbreak":
https://www.who.int/who-documents-detail/disability-considerations-during-the-covid-19-outbreak
On 31 March 2020, the International Disability Alliance (IDA) issued an open letter to the Director-General of the WHO calling on him to take immediate action against discrimination of persons with disabilities in accessing emergency services, such as denial of treatment due to "dependency":
"Joint Statement: Persons with Disabilities and COVID-19" by the Chair of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, on behalf of the Committee, and the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility, posted on 1 April 2020:
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) also published a guidance note, "COVID-19 response: Considerations for Children and Adults with Disabilities":
European Disability Forum (EDF), "Open letter to leaders at the EU and in EU countries: COVID-19 – Disability inclusive response", dated 13 March 2020:
Joint statement by regional and international organizations of persons with psychosocial disabilities, such as the World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry (WNUSP), of 26 March 2020, making recommendations to states on "COVID-19 and persons with psychosocial disabilities", including those who are institutionalized:
[Update 15 April 2020: The 5 key points of the International Labour Organization (ILO) regarding persons with disabilities in COVID-19 responses in the world of work are now available in eight languages (one page, dated 8 April 2020, originally released in late March):
https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/disability-and-work/WCMS_741287/lang--en/index.htm ]
[Update 17 April 2020: Statement by the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights of 2 April 2020 demanding "Persons with disabilities must not be left behind in the response to the COVID-19 pandemic":
[Update 27 April 2020: "Joint Statement: Mental Health of Persons with Disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic" by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility and the WHO's Special Envoy on COVID-19 for Latin America and the Caribbean, published 15 April 2020:
"Joint Statement: The right to life of persons with disabilities and older persons infected by Covid-19" by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility and the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons of 20 April 2020:
Joint statement "COVID-19 crisis: People living in institutions must not be written off" by the European Expert Group on the Transition from Institutional to Community-based Care (EEG), a broad coalition of civil society groups and UN agencies, dated 24 April 2020:
[Update 29 April 2020: European Disability Forum (EDF), "Residential institutions are becoming hotbeds of infection and abuse – governments need to act now", posted on 31 March 2020:
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), undated policy brief on "Ensuring disability rights and inclusion in the response to COVID-19":
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/ESCAP_Policy_Brief%20%28COVID-19_and_PWDs%29.pdf
United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD), UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, and International Disability Alliance (IDA), "Disability inclusive social protection response to COVID-19" (undated):
https://www.unescap.org/sites/default/files/ESCAP_Policy_Brief%20%28COVID-19_and_PWDs%29.pdf
Campaign by IDA and the International Disability and Development Consortium (IDDC) to make COVID-19 response information accessible to persons with disabilities, commenced on 27 April 2020 with letters to the UN and WHO regarding their public briefings and communication, asking them to set an example for states:
http://www.internationaldisabilityalliance.org/acessibility-campaign ]
[Update 30 April 2020: The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has published an 11-page guidance note on "COVID-19 and the rights of persons with disabilities", dated 29 April 2020:
In support, on 30 April 2020, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights released a statement titled "COVID-19: Bachelet urges States to take extra steps to include people with disabilities":
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25847&LangID=E ]
[Update 8 May 2020: UN Secretary-General's "Policy Brief: A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19", published on 6 May 2020:
https://www.un.org/sites/un2.un.org/files/sg_policy_brief_on_persons_with_disabilities_final.pdf
SG's accompanying message and video and an easy-to-read version:
[Update 22 May 2020: 138 UN member states and observers, including the European Union, responded to the UN Secretary-General's policy brief with a joint letter titled "Disability-inclusive response to COVID-19 – Towards a better future for all", posted on 18 May 2020:
Also on 18 May 2020, the European Commission followed this up with "United Nations: Joint statement by High Representative Borrell, Vice-President Jourová and Commissioner Dalli on the rights of persons with disabilities”:
https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/statement_20_903 ]
[Update 25 May 2020: Joint statement “Women and girls with disabilities and older women in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic” by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility and the UN Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons of 28 April 2020:
Joint statement "Local governments and persons with disabilities in relation to Covid-19" by the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility and the Coordinator of the Cities For All Global Compact on Inclusive and Accessible Cities (Cities4All) of 5 May 2020:
[Update 8 June 2020: Policy Brief "COVID-19 and the World of Work: Ensuring the inclusion of persons with disabilities at all stages of the response" of the International Labour Organization (ILO), published on 4 June 2020:
[Update 10 June 2020: "Statement on COVID-19 and the human rights of persons with disabilities" by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, released 9 June 2020:
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25942&LangID=E ]
[Update 24 June 2020: Statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health of 23 June 2020, "COVID-19 has exacerbated the historical neglect of dignified mental health care, especially for those in institutions":
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=25988&LangID=E ]