2020 Annual Report - Reasonable Accommodations
2020 Annual Report - Reasonable Accommodations
Rachael Advocates for Her Grandmother Who is Deaf and Obtains Reasonable Accommodation During COVID‑19
During the pandemic, many individuals with disabilities in hospitals and long-term care facilities were denied access to having an essential support person and experienced prolonged isolation.
Rachael wanted to make sure her grandmother did not experience this lack of support and isolation, so she quickly contacted drc for help. She wanted to learn how she could advocate for the presence of an essential support person for her grandmother, who is Deaf and was staying in an acute care rehabilitation facility.
Initially, the facility allowed access for an essential support person but quickly removed this stating, the risk of transmission of COVID-19.
After speaking with drc, Rachael successfully advocated for her grandmother to receive a reasonable accommodation and secured access for her grandmother’s husband to gain access as an essential support person.
When describing this experience, Rachael said, “Under normal circumstances, this was a difficult situation, navigating the health system, getting the right communication and services for my grandmother, but this was the perfect storm throwing a pandemic on top of everything, it just felt impossible. All I can say is, “I can’t thank you enough for what you were able to do for us because it was amazing and made all the difference for us.”
