What You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccinations
Overview
COVID-19 vaccines are safe, effective, and free! After you’ve been fully vaccinated, you can participate in many of the activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
Disability alone does not put you at higher risk for getting COVID-19. You may be at higher risk because of where you live, such as a long-term care home. You may be at risk because you need to have close contact with care providers. You may also be at risk because you have difficulty wearing a mask, staying at least 6 feet away from other people, or washing your hands.
It is important that people with disabilities get the COVID-19 vaccine. Everyone 12 years of age and older is now eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. Get a COVID-19 vaccine as soon as you can. Widespread vaccination is a critical tool to help stop the pandemic.
Video
Watch Dr. Carlos Malvestutto, an associate professor of infectious diseases and COVID-19 researcher at OSU Wexner Medical Center, talk about what individuals with disabilities and their families should know about vaccines.
Your Shot to End Covid
Natalia Eckerson, Mom, Caregiver, Disability Advocate: “COVID vaccines are working and are giving people freedom to have fun again.”
Clear Language
COVID-19 is making people very sick.
COVID-19 is the reason you have not been able to do all the things you like to do, like meet with friends and family or go to day programs and work.
It is your choice whether to get the vaccine.
People get vaccinated to make it easier for their body to fight diseases like COVID-19. Vaccines are one of the ways to help stop (or slow) the spread of the disease.
If you decide to get the vaccine, a doctor, nurse, or other medical staff will give you two shots over a few weeks at a vaccine location near you.
If you have questions about the vaccine, you can talk to your family members, friends, staff, your doctor, or your Care Manager.
The vaccine is just one tool we can use to protect ourselves from COVID-19.
Find a Vaccine Location
Find a vaccine administration location near you by searching by county or zip code, then call or visit their website to schedule an appointment.
Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL)
Help with COVID-19 vaccinations for people with disabilities
The Disability Information and Access Line (DIAL) is now available to help people with disabilities, including Deaf persons, get vaccinated. The DIAL’s trained staff is standing by to:
- Help find local vaccination locations.
- Assist with making vaccination appointments.
- Connect callers to local services—such as accessible transportation—to overcome barriers to vaccination.
The hotline also can provide information and resources to answer questions and address concerns about the vaccines and can connect callers to information and services that promote independent living and address fundamental needs, such as food, housing, and transportation.
DIAL is operated as a collaboration between a consortium of organizations serving people with disabilities and the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a).
The consortium includes:
- Association of Programs for Rural Independent Living (APRIL),
- Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD),
- Independent Living Research Utilization (ILRU),
- National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD),
- National Council on Independent Living (NCIL),
- National Disabilities Rights Network (NDRN), and
- The Partnership for Inclusive Disaster Strategies.
This collaboration benefits from the disability networks’ extensive knowledge and expertise in meeting the needs of people with disabilities across the United States and n4a’s decades of experience operating the Eldercare Locator, the only federally funded national information and referral resource that supports consumers across the spectrum of issues affecting older Americans.
Articles
New Vaccine Resources for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities released new COVID-19 vaccine materials for people living with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have low literacy. The free materials use simple illustrations and easy-to-read messages to explain how to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
What You Should Know About COVID-19 and the ADA, the Rehabilitation Act, and Other EEO Laws
This article answers common questions about disability-related inquiries and medical exams in the workplace, confidentiality of medical information, hiring and onboarding, reasonable accommodations, pandemic-related harassment, and more.
The Possibility of COVID-19 after Vaccination: Breakthrough Infections
COVID-19 vaccines protect people against severe illness, including disease caused by Delta and other variants circulating in the U.S. However, since vaccines are not 100% effective at preventing infection, some people who are fully vaccinated will still get COVID-19. This article includes information about breakthrough COVID-19 infections in vaccinated individuals.