Awareness about covid-19 among disabled population through government web portals- a critical analysis

Background There are more than one billion people living with disabilities (PLWD) worldwide. The corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is likely to disproportionately affect these individuals, putting them at risk of increased morbidity and mortality. Across the globe various strategies has been adopted to communicate to these special population to ensure they maintain respect for “dignity, human rights and fundamental freedoms. Objective The current paper has critically analyzed the web portals of various countries for creating awareness on COVID-19 among disabled people. Methodology Six countries (Brazil, US, India, Italy, Iran and China) representing the six regions of WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION with highest COVID 19 toll were chosen. The Ministries of Disability website of each country was thoroughly analyzed for the content on COVID 19 awareness for disabled population using a 5 point Likert scale developed by Tarafdar & Zhang. Results All the countries had emphasized on symptoms of COVID-19 and hand washing method in either plain textual form or through info graphics, with three countries additionally using Videos for the same. Two countries had attempted to provide information in more than one language. Conclusion All the countries included in the study have used different modalities to deliver their thoughts on COVID-19 to disabled population emphasizing the need to preserve our commitment to universal health care, and ensure people living with disabilities are not forgotten.