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People with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD), are at higher risk than people without disabilities for getting very sick or dying from sicknesses like COVID-19 or the flu.
Staying up-to-date on your vaccines makes it less likely that you will get very sick from an illness.
Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are recommended for all people over 6 months of age. You may need other vaccines as well. Check the CDC’s Immunization Schedules and talk to your healthcare provider to learn which vaccines you need. Depending on your age or which health conditions you have, you may need a different set of vaccines than another person.
It can be hard to talk about vaccines. These videos may be helpful.
This video** was created for people with IDD. In this video a person with IDD tells the story of getting their shots and why they wanted to get them.
This video** was created for the people who support people with IDD. In this video a direct support professional who has a client with IDD talks about why they got vaccinated.
**These videos were developed under a contract from the Washington State Developmental Disabilities Council (WADDC) through a grant from the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of these videos do not necessarily represent the policy of WADDC, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.
Available Now: Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests, Including More Accessible Option (09/27/24 via ACL.gov)
“Starting today, every U.S. household can order free at-home COVID-19 tests through a partnership between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and the United States Postal Service (USPS). These tests will detect the currently circulating COVID-19 variants and are intended for use through the end of 2024. Each order will include four tests.
One of the available options is the Orasure InteliSwab test, which is more accessible for people who are blind or have low vision, as well as people who have low manual dexterity.
For more information, including ordering instructions and information about the features that make the InteliSwab test more accessible, please visit ACL.gov/AccessibleTests.
This round of ordering follows six previous opportunities to obtain free over-the-counter COVID-19 tests through this program. Since the program began in the winter of 2021, ASPR and USPS have distributed more than 900 million tests, free of charge, to American households nationwide.
These efforts complement ASPR’s ongoing distribution of free COVID-19 tests to long-term care facilities, low-income senior housing, aging and disability networks, and other community organizations to support older adults and people with disabilities living in the community, uninsured individuals, and underserved communities. More than 1 billion over-the-counter tests have been provided to date through this community access program.
In addition to collaborating with USPS on ordering and distribution of free COVID-19 tests, ASPR previously invested approximately $600 million across 12 domestic COVID-19 test manufacturers to strengthen the nation’s capacity to manufacture these tests, reduce reliance on overseas manufacturing, secure millions of new over-the-counter tests for future use, and improve preparedness for COVID-19 and other pandemic threats of the future.”
