Impact of Covid-19 on Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and Caregivers

• Project start: May 2020
• Status: ongoing

A large international study is mapping the impact of the Covid-19 virus on people with intellectual disabilities and those who care for them (care professionals and relatives). The study is a collaboration between 26 scientists from 19 different countries worldwide.

Description

The researchers will map out which measures people with a disability and their caregivers are confronted with, whether people with a disability have access to care, whether there are enough resources available to provide care safely, and how the social distancing measures impact both people with a disability and their caregivers. In short, the goal is to show how Covid 19 is affecting people with a disability and their caregivers, and to make international comparisons.

Researchers

• main researcher: Associate Professor Christine Linehan (UCD Centre for Disability Studies)
• dr. Femmianne Bredewold (University of Humanistic Studies), Professor Christine Bigby, Professor Thilo Kroll, Professor Malcolm MacLachlan, Professor Julie Beadle Brown, Gail Birkbeck, Valerie Bradley, Dr Masauso Chirwa, Dr Šárka Kanova, Prof Sudesh Mukhopadhyay, Dr Niki Nearchou, Dr Flavia Santos, Associate Professor Jan Šiška, Prof Jan Tossebro.

Partners

UDC Centre for Disability Studies Ireland

(Co-)funding

Health Research Board, Ireland [COV19-2020-028]

Also see

Article on HRB Open Research describing the study design:  COVID-19 IDD: A global survey exploring the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers

Article with the initial results:  COVID-19 IDD: Findings from a global survey exploring family members’ and paid staff’s perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their caregivers.

Contact

Femmianne Bredewold, f.bredewold@uvh.nl