18 mars 2021
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The government of Quebec announced yesterday that people with disabilities living in intermediate or family-type resources (RI-RTF) and similar resources will be vaccinated during the month of April. The press release mentions that this measure affects people with a diagnosis of intellectual or physical disability and those with an autism spectrum disorder.
We are disappointed with this very incomplete solution which once again demonstrates the chronic invisibility of people with a disability or mental health disorder who live in the community. It should be remembered that these people, hosted or not, are scientifically and politically considered highly vulnerable in most countries and Canadian provinces. They live out their differences by suffering disproportionate impacts from the pandemic and its management by government authorities.
In Quebec, for many years, our decision-makers have adopted laws and policies promoting the participation and social inclusion of people with a disability or mental health disorder. However, when the time arrives to protect all of these people, whether they are housed or not, the remains of institutionalization take over the official discourse.
It is this systemic vision of the past that is used by the media to justify inaction towards very vulnerable people of all age groups who live in the community with the support of their loved ones.
Read the full press release
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