{"id":470340,"date":"2020-06-07T07:25:23","date_gmt":"2020-06-07T14:25:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/?p=470340"},"modified":"2026-02-12T17:19:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T01:19:26","slug":"freedom-for-some-is-not-freedom-for-all","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2020\/06\/07\/freedom-for-some-is-not-freedom-for-all\/","title":{"rendered":"Freedom for Some Is Not Freedom for All"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Five
Five disabled people of color with canes, prosthetic legs, and a wheelchair sit on a rooftop deck, laughing and sharing stories. Greenery and city high-rises are visible in the background. Photo credit: Disabled and Here https:\/\/affecttheverb.com\/disabledandhere\/<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Freedom for Some Is Not Freedom for All: COVID-19, Institutions, and Disability Rights<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Alice Wong<\/h4>\n

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Freedom for some is not freedom for all. As a high-risk disabled Californian staying at home in San Francisco, I am not jealous that people are enjoying bars, beaches, and parks. I am angry seeing so many people outdoors not wearing masks or social distancing. As various cities and states begin to ease their <\/span>shelter-in-place restrictions<\/span><\/a>, I fear for the millions who will be left behind.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The public is incredibly eager to get back to \u201cnormal\u201d as thousands of people continue to die in congregant settings and institutions such as nursing homes, <\/span>detention centers<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>prisons<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>shelters<\/span><\/a>, and <\/span>psychiatric<\/span><\/a>, <\/span>residential<\/span><\/a>, and other long-term care facilities, out of sight, out of mind. I am perplexed by the lack of urgency in response to people trapped in institutions and congregate settings who face maximum risks with minimal protections. Many are my disabled kin<\/span>\u2060\u2014<\/span>they are part of the disability community segregated and isolated in the name of \u201csafety\u201d and \u201ccare.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the first widely-publicized COVID-19 outbreaks happened at a nursing home in Kirkland, WA, with <\/span>142 cases and 35 deaths<\/span><\/a> from February to March. As of June 4, over 43,725 people in long-term care facilities died from COVID-19 in 40 states, with New York reporting the highest number: 6,237 according to the <\/span>Kaiser Family Foundation<\/span><\/a>. All of these numbers come with names, faces, and families, not just body bags. What number will be high enough for people to care? This is a complete political and moral failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

The federal government is considering rolling back <\/span>infection control requirements<\/span><\/a> in nursing homes, <\/span>which <\/span>prevent or stop<\/span><\/a> the spread of <\/span>infections<\/span> with procedures such as having standard practices on hygiene and handling equipment. A 2017 analysis of nursing home data by the <\/span>Kaiser Family Foundation<\/span><\/a> reported <\/span>at least 40 percent of the nursing homes had at least one infection control deficiency that year.<\/span><\/p>\n

At least 18 states have laws or governor\u2019s orders that <\/span>protect nursing homes<\/span><\/a> from lawsuits and\/or criminal prosecution related to the pandemic. <\/span>New York and New Jersey<\/span><\/a> so far are the only two states to provide immunity to corporate officials from the nursing home industry from civil lawsuits and some forms of criminal prosecution. Governor Gavin Newsom received a request in April<\/a> from a group of hospital and assisted living lobbyists for a sweeping Executive Order granting broad immunity from civil and criminal liability objected by advocates from the disability community<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Governors need to launch investigations into outbreaks at all congregate settings, mandate reporting of infections and deaths, enact <\/span>universal testing<\/span><\/a> for all workers and residents, provide adequate personal protective equipment, increase wages and protections for workers, and <\/span>deny the nursing home industry<\/span><\/a> the legal immunity it is demanding. In <\/span>a May 6, 2020 video<\/span><\/a> featuring the late <\/span>Stacey Park Milbern<\/span><\/a>, a disabled activist and a founder of the <\/span>Disability Justice Culture Club<\/span><\/a>, she warned:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There has to be checks and balances on hospitals and nursing homes. Otherwise, disabled people, especially people of color, are left alone in a system that already doesn\u2019t care about us.<\/span><\/p>\n

Congregant settings <\/span>do not ensure safety or care<\/span><\/a>. By design, institutions do not allow us to know about the conditions of the people incarcerated inside. They are allowed to operate <\/span>without transparency<\/span><\/a> and accountability. They render people as <\/span>less than human<\/span><\/a>, subject to <\/span>exploitation, abuse, and neglect<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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This is where community-based services come in. There is a lack of imagination & political will in creating new ways to support all people<\/p>\n

— Alice Wong (@SFdirewolf) June 7, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n