Jonathan Novick, Outreach Manager for the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities
Under normal circumstances, people with disabilities face discrimination, inaccessibility to services, and other challenges to independent living. The COVID-19 global pandemic has added more hurdles for people with disabilities and caregivers, said Jonathan Novick, Outreach Manager for the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities (MOPD). Mr. Novick discussed the office’s efforts to address these issues in a virtual talk sponsored by Mount Sinai’s Office for Diversity and Inclusion. The talk, intended to provide information to the Mount Sinai community on the services and resources available through the MOPD, can be viewed here.
“As a result of COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of activities for institutions were forced to go online,” Mr. Novick noted. “And if I had to pick out one bright spot at least for the disability community, it enabled a level of social interaction that was not there before.”
The virtual talk, titled “Providing Resources for People with Disabilities during the Pandemic,” was held in observance of Disability Awareness Month, part of a series featuring speakers from around the Mount Sinai Health System as well as the community to raise awareness and promote an inclusive and equitable health care environment for people with disabilities.
MOPD is a liaison between New York City government and the disability community and works to ensure that the rights and concerns of people with disabilities are addressed in all of the city’s initiatives, programs, and policies. This includes equal access to everything the city has to offer, including housing, employment, transportation, benefits, arts, culture, and parks.
Resources Available in Toolkit, and on Mount Sinai ODI Site
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, people with disabilities are not inherently at higher risk for becoming infected with or having severe illness from COVID-19. However, some people with disabilities might be at a higher risk of infection or severe illness because of their underlying medical conditions. For example, adults with disabilities are three times more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer than adults without disabilities.
In one constructive response to the pandemic, Mr. Novick said, MOPD has created a Virtual Activities Toolkit, which offers accessible resources and information in one centralized location. The pandemic also highlighted the importance of communication, such as digital access to COVID-19-related briefings and Department of Health and Mental Hygiene public health guidance and materials.
Weekly calls were set up between MOPD and advocates and organizations to address the needs to people with disabilities during the pandemic. Among the many concerns addressed were access to medical care, personal protective equipment, food/supplies, fear of losing home health providers due to social distancing guidelines, mental health and domestic violence support, and anxiety over health care rationing due to disability.
To learn more about resources provided by MOPD for New Yorkers with disabilities, please visit NYC.gov/Disability. Additional disabilities-related resources are available on the Mount Sinai Office for Diversity and Inclusion site.