Impact of COVID-19 on services for people with disabilities and chronic health conditions.

Schwartz, Ariel E; Munsell, Elizabeth G S; Schmidt, Elizabeth K; Colón-Semenza, Cristina; Carolan, Kelsi; Gassner, Dena L

BACKGROUND People with disabilities and chronic health conditions rely on a range of services and supports to complete daily tasks, maintain health, and participate in the community. Preliminary research suggests the COVID-19 pandemic greatly disrupted these services and this population may be particularly susceptible to unemployment. OBJECTIVE Describe employment and service disruptions for individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions during the onset of community-based spread of COVID-19 in the United States. METHODS Adults with disabilities and chronic health conditions completed online surveys to report employment and service changes via multiple choice and open-ended questions. Multiple choice questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics; open-ended responses were coded using content analysis. RESULTS Participants (n = 109): 79.8% female, 88.1% white, 77.121% completed a 4-year college degree or greater, 61.4% had annual income ≥$45,000. Only 14.9% of survey respondents reported disruptions in employment. On average, 54.0% of service changes were due to discontinuation, including loss of physical therapy, job coaching, community organizations, transportation, and peer supports. Other changes included a shift to virtual service delivery and family members taking the role of service providers. CONCLUSIONS Individuals with chronic health conditions and disabilities experienced service disruptions, even in a sample with considerably more economic, social, and educational privilege than the general population of people with chronic health conditions and disabilities in the United States.