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Statement on the rights of persons with disabilities during COVID-19

Updated 12th May 2020

We welcome the ongoing work by the National Public Health Emergency Team, the Department of Health, HSE services, Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government; and the Department of Rural and Community Affairs during this pandemic. We are calling on all state actors to adhere to their obligations under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), which Ireland ratified in March 2018.  The UNCRPD articles which warrant specific consideration during the current crisis in Ireland are discussed below. The authors recognise the use of the terms ‘disabled people’ by some disability activists in Ireland. However, this paper uses ‘persons with disabilities’ in line with the text of the UNCRPD.

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