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People with disabilities get more clarity with state vaccine plan but gaps remain

Free Press - 3/5/2021

Mar. 5—Ryan Roepke seldom leaves his home nowadays. He participates in Zoom calls through MRCI and watches church services online.

He is mentally and physically handicapped, and he and his family have been very careful about where Ryan goes during the pandemic.

"Ryan is vulnerable so we've been really cautious," said his father Bob Roepke. Bob is on the board for MRCI, which provides employment programs to help rehabilitate adults.

While many living in group settings have been able to get vaccinated, there are concerns from advocates that some people with disabilities have been left out, despite their heightened risk of complications due to COVID-19. Advocates say the updated state vaccine rollout plan, which was announced last week, is a step in the right direction for providing clarity for when some people with disabilities may be able to get vaccinated, but gaps remain.

People living in long-term care facilities and larger group homes have been able to get their vaccine doses while many living independently or with family are trying to figure out where they belong in the rollout plan.

The plan identifies Down Syndrome as a high risk health conditions and states that people in this group can be vaccinated in early spring. But the plan does not specifically include the word "disability" and some are still uncertain of where they fit.

"We aren't trying to get (Ryan) to the head of the line. We just want to know where he fits in the line," Bob Roepke said. Bob thinks the updated rollout plan is progress in acknowledging some disabilities but it doesn't acknowledge that the disabled community is more vulnerable.

He said they know they can get Ryan vaccinated because he fits in other populations prioritized in the plan.

"People with disabilities aren't always thought of as a priority. It's frustrating because it can be hard to have a voice," Bob said.

At the Harry Meyering Center, a group living center for adults with disabilities, residents and staff are in the process of receiving their second vaccines, according to Executive Director Linda Leiding. Long-term care residents and staff were prioritized in the early phase of the rollout plan.

People living independently, in smaller care facilities or with their families have had a harder time getting access to the vaccine.

As more people continue to get vaccinated, there is concern from advocates that it will be hard for public health officials to connect with some of these people and get them vaccinated because many face additional hurdles such as lack of access to technology or transportation.

Before the updated plan was announced last week, there had been criticism that Minnesota had left out many with disabilities with its vaccine distribution. There was a push from families and organizations in the state to include people with disabilities, especially people with Down Syndrome, in the plan.

Bud Rosenfield, supervising attorney for Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, said the updated plan provides more clarity about next steps but that it's still a problematic approach overall because it falls short of recognizing the heightened risks that many people with disabilities face from the virus.

Lee Ann Erickson, program director for the southwest region of Arc Minnesota in Fairmont, has her two sons who have disabilities signed up to get vaccinated. She is just uncertain of when that will happen. She got a call last week about her own vaccination appointment but is still waiting to hear about her kids.

She said it's been hard to know what's going on and hopes her sons can get vaccinated soon. Advocates have been pushing for people with disabilities to get prioritized because the community has been hit hard by the pandemic.

A UK study found that the risk of death due to complications from COVID-19 is 10 times higher for people with Down Syndrome than the general population.

Lisa Hoffman Wojcik, executive director for LEEP, said many people with disabilities have been more isolated than most because of the heightened risks.

She said they seem to be reaching the light at the end of the tunnel though. Some people who live in group homes who have been vaccinated have reached out and said they're excited to resume in-person activities at LEEP. The organization has been starting to offer in-person activities again, with limited numbers of people and other safety protocols in place.

"People are just happy to be able to get out of their homes and see each other in person again," she said.

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