Sincerely,
ADAPT Montana
American Foundation for the Blind
Atlantis Community, Inc.
Autistic People of Color Fund
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Black and Brown United in Action
Bloom's Connect
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
Cara Sachs Coaching
Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities
Colorado Cross-Disability Coal
CommunicationFIRST
Connecticut Legal Rights Project
Council for Relationships
Council For Relationships/ Thomas Jefferson Health System
Critical Design Lab
CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance
DC Metro ADAPT
Disability Pride PA
disAbility Resource Center
Disability Rights Center
Disability Rights NC
Disability Rights Now
Disability Section of the American Public Health Association
DMV Disability & Sr Community Group
Georgia ADAPT NATIVE 2 NATIVE
Gulf Coast ADAPT
Independence Northwest, Inc.
Independence Place Inc.
Iowa Disability League
June Kailes, Disability Policy Consulting
Justice in Reach
MassADAPT
Minnesota Autistic Alliance
Mirror Memoirs
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
New Jersey Disability Collective
NJ-SILC
Not Dead Yet
Open Mouth Literary Center
PA ADAPT
PeoplesHub
Philly ADAPT
Progress Center for Independent Living
Project LETS
Roustabout Media
San Jose Peace and Justice Center
Senior and Disability Action
Shasta College
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center
Saving Institutional Lives Via Emergency Relocation (SILVER)
Summit Independent Living
Tash, Sabe, Arc, SCDD
The University of Georgia - Students for Disability Advocacy
Together We Will - San José
Together We Will Baltimore Area
Traverse City Record Eagle Adapted in TC
United Cerebral Palsy
University of Montana/DisDATA
UPRISE Collective
US Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
World Institute on Disability
Yad HaChazakah-The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center
Individuals
Aaron Timm (UT)
Abby Bronstein, MFT, LCSW (PA)
Abigail Rueger (KY)
ABilly S Jones-Hennin (DC)
Adrienne Burns (MN)
Aimi Hamraie (TN)
Alessandra Aoife Muller-Thyme (NY)
Alexa Mavroidis (VA)
Alexander Sing (CA)
Alexander Sinnott (OR)
Allie Cannington (CA)
Alyson Berman (OR)
Amanda Votta (MA)
Amita Swadhin (CA)
Amy Genevieve Kozak (MD)
Anais, she/her (DMV)
Andrew Myers (MT)
Andrew Raymond (MN)
Anne W. Gunter, M.A. (IL)
Arin Leopold (MT)
Bea Hollander-Goldfein (PA)
Blair (CA)
Byron Parker (KY)
Caitlin Rice (PA)
Camille Edwards Bennehoff (MD)
Candie Burnham (CO)
Cara Liebowitz (NY)
Cara Sachs (VT)
Carol Tyson (DC)
Cheryl Gottlieb (MD)
Chloe Wise (GA)
CJ (CT)
Clarke Lunara (VA)
Dahlia Shaewitz (MD)
Dani McCulloch (MN)
Daniel Yusupov (PA)
Danielle E. Augustin (OH)
David Ruttenberg (FL)
David Zuckerman (Fmr. Lt. Gov. Vermont) (VT)
Deborah Cherry (PA)
Del. Sheila Ruth (MD)
Dennis Christopher Butler (DC)
Diane Coleman (NY)
Donna Harris (OR)
Dr. Martha Rinehart (NJ)
Dr. S. Etawi O'Byrne DAOM, LAc (OR)
Eileen M. Healy (CT)
Felicia Gershberg, PhD (CA)
Germán Parodi (PA)
Gloria Garton (NC)
Grey Louisos (ME)
Gwendolyn Mauroner (AR)
Halcyon Selfmade (CA)
Harriotte Ranvig (MA)
Heather May (NY)
Heather Sims (AL)
Janine Bertram (WA)
Jenn Ratcliff (KY)
Jenn Wolf (IA)
Jessica Barber Brown (KY)
Jessica Ludy (CA)
Jill Klausen (CA)
Jim House (WA)
Joey Gidseg (TX)
Josh Sadoff (MN)
Julie Li Yang (MN)
Judith Tressberg (VA)
Julie Reiskin (CO)
June Kailes (CA)
K.E. (AL)
Kara Ayers, PhD (OH)
Kate MacDonnell (DC)
Katerina (GA)
Kathy Flaherty (CT)
Katie Haus (IN)
Ken Butler (CT)
Kerry Sheehan (MA)
Kevin G. Nunez (NJ)
Kim MacDonald (VA)
Kira Meskin, OTD, OTR/L (IL)
Laurel Roe (PA)
Lauren Wall (DC)
Liberte Locke (MA)
Lisa Caron (CT)
Lisa Handler (PA)
Liz Borkowski, MPH (DC)
Lucy Miller (PA)
Elder (CA)
Madeline Hoch (PA)
Marcie Roth (MD)
Margaret S. Roth (PA)
Maria Church (KY)
Maria Elena Peterson (WA)
Mark Fenicle (CA)
Marsha Katz (MT)
Matthew CP Purinton, MSW LCSW (PA)
Meghan Wolf (KY)
Melissa Marshall (CT)
Michael Thornton (AR)
Michele Mashburn (CA)
Michelle Stevens (PA)
Mike Oxford (KS)
Millie Gonzalez (NJ)
Mimi Rankin (LA)
Miriam Hertz (ID)
Mollie McLeod (CA)
Molly Cole (CT)
Molly Wiesman (IL)
Monika Kerby (CA)
Nancy Leeds (DC)
Nethra Ankam, MD (PA)
Nicholas Elizabeth Faby (NY)
Nicki Vander Meulen (WI)
Nicole LeBlanc (MD)
Nina Fortuna (PA)
Niria Alicia Garcia (CA)
Noelle Kurth (KS)
Norman A. Smith (NJ)
Orit Shpilman (MD)
Pam Heavens (IL)
Priscilla Garces (NJ)
Priya Penner (NY)
Quinn Benson (VA)
M. McCallum (CA)
Regina S. Dyton (CT)
Rev. Maggie Shreve (IL)
Rhoda Gibson (MA)
Rob Spirko (TN)
Ryan Duncanwood (CA)
Samantha G. (CA)
Sarah Maxfield (NY)
Sarah Valdivieso (NJ)
Shaylin Sluzalis (PA)
Sheri Burns (CA)
Sheryl Grossman (MD)
Shyla Patera (MT)
Sloane Sengson (GA)
Spencer Koelle (PA)
Stefanie Lyn Kaufman Mthimkhulu (RI)
Susan Mazrui (WA)
Susan Odgers (MI)
Susan West (CT)
Tasha W (PA)
Tessa Peoples, MFT (PA)
Thomas Hale, Ph.D. (AZ)
Tom Olin (TX)
Tony Alexander (CA)
Vicki Landers (PA)
Wendy Ross (PA)
Yanin Kramsky (CA)
Opposition to Recent Ableist Remarks from CDC Director
Leave a Comment
Updated: February 5, 2024 by admin
This letter was sent to Dr. Walensky on 1/12/22.
On January 7, 2022 during an interview to Good Morning America, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Dr. Rochelle Walensky, stated that “The overwhelming number of [COVID-19] deaths, over 75% occured in people who had at least 4 comorbidities, so really these are people that were unwell to begin with. And yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron [to get vaccinated and boosted]. And yes we are really encouraged by these results.”
The disability community is outraged at the CDC's utter disregard for the lives, health and value of people with disabilities as expressed in this statement. Co-morbidity is usually an alternative descriptor for disability that incorrectly conflates disability with illness. Her statement communicates that this large group, including 26% of the population, according to Director Walensky’s agency, is “unwell” and is acceptable collateral damage in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Walensky’s comments reflect at minimum, a view of people with disability as unwell but her comments also express a more dangerous view that is perilously close to a recommendation for denial of treatment to persons with underlying conditions and potentially a violation of protections afforded people with disabilities under the Americans with Disabilities Act and other civil rights laws.
Building trust between the CDC and people with disability requires leadership that is dedicated and trained to recognize discrimination against and to protect the rights of people with disability and older adults.
There is nothing “reassuring” about the news that people of all ages with four or more comorbidities are more likely to perish from Omicron. The Director’s statement implies that people with comorbidities are of less value, and therefore their COVID-19 deaths are more acceptable and tolerable, implying that people with disabilities have little value and thus are expendable.
If the CDC had said it was “encouraging news” that Omicron fatalities were more likely to occur in children, there would be a massive outcry. As a society, we devalue people with disabilities, including children and older adults with disabilities. This is particularly true for multiply-marginalized disabled people which are disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
The CDC aims to save lives, protect people from health threats and pledges to “treat all persons with dignity, honesty, and respect.” Instead, they dismiss disabled lives as collateral damage of the pandemic, and put forth an ableist and deadly message that is antithetical to the CDC’s intent to control and prevent disease.
Without clear leadership to eliminate ableism and ageism, we will continue to create exclusionary, dangerous and deadly policy, systems, and environments.
We call on the CDC to mitigate further harm in their efforts to improve COVID-19 outcomes for ALL.
We request a meeting with Dr. Walensky to begin a shared effort to replace ableist messaging with messaging that advances the CDC’s commitment and leadership on zero tolerance for ableism and ageism.
Sincerely,
ADAPT Montana
American Foundation for the Blind
Atlantis Community, Inc.
Autistic People of Color Fund
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network
Black and Brown United in Action
Bloom's Connect
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers
Cara Sachs Coaching
Center for Dignity in Healthcare for People with Disabilities
Colorado Cross-Disability Coal
CommunicationFIRST
Connecticut Legal Rights Project
Council for Relationships
Council For Relationships/ Thomas Jefferson Health System
Critical Design Lab
CT Cross Disability Lifespan Alliance
DC Metro ADAPT
Disability Pride PA
disAbility Resource Center
Disability Rights Center
Disability Rights NC
Disability Rights Now
Disability Section of the American Public Health Association
DMV Disability & Sr Community Group
Georgia ADAPT NATIVE 2 NATIVE
Gulf Coast ADAPT
Independence Northwest, Inc.
Independence Place Inc.
Iowa Disability League
June Kailes, Disability Policy Consulting
Justice in Reach
MassADAPT
Minnesota Autistic Alliance
Mirror Memoirs
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
New Jersey Disability Collective
NJ-SILC
Not Dead Yet
Open Mouth Literary Center
PA ADAPT
PeoplesHub
Philly ADAPT
Progress Center for Independent Living
Project LETS
Roustabout Media
San Jose Peace and Justice Center
Senior and Disability Action
Shasta College
Silicon Valley Independent Living Center
Saving Institutional Lives Via Emergency Relocation (SILVER)
Summit Independent Living
Tash, Sabe, Arc, SCDD
The University of Georgia - Students for Disability Advocacy
Together We Will - San José
Together We Will Baltimore Area
Traverse City Record Eagle Adapted in TC
United Cerebral Palsy
University of Montana/DisDATA
UPRISE Collective
US Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication
World Institute on Disability
Yad HaChazakah-The Jewish Disability Empowerment Center
Individuals
Aaron Timm (UT)
Abby Bronstein, MFT, LCSW (PA)
Abigail Rueger (KY)
ABilly S Jones-Hennin (DC)
Adrienne Burns (MN)
Aimi Hamraie (TN)
Alessandra Aoife Muller-Thyme (NY)
Alexa Mavroidis (VA)
Alexander Sing (CA)
Alexander Sinnott (OR)
Allie Cannington (CA)
Alyson Berman (OR)
Amanda Votta (MA)
Amita Swadhin (CA)
Amy Genevieve Kozak (MD)
Anais, she/her (DMV)
Andrew Myers (MT)
Andrew Raymond (MN)
Anne W. Gunter, M.A. (IL)
Arin Leopold (MT)
Bea Hollander-Goldfein (PA)
Blair (CA)
Byron Parker (KY)
Caitlin Rice (PA)
Camille Edwards Bennehoff (MD)
Candie Burnham (CO)
Cara Liebowitz (NY)
Cara Sachs (VT)
Carol Tyson (DC)
Cheryl Gottlieb (MD)
Chloe Wise (GA)
CJ (CT)
Clarke Lunara (VA)
Dahlia Shaewitz (MD)
Dani McCulloch (MN)
Daniel Yusupov (PA)
Danielle E. Augustin (OH)
David Ruttenberg (FL)
David Zuckerman (Fmr. Lt. Gov. Vermont) (VT)
Deborah Cherry (PA)
Del. Sheila Ruth (MD)
Dennis Christopher Butler (DC)
Diane Coleman (NY)
Donna Harris (OR)
Dr. Martha Rinehart (NJ)
Dr. S. Etawi O'Byrne DAOM, LAc (OR)
Eileen M. Healy (CT)
Felicia Gershberg, PhD (CA)
Germán Parodi (PA)
Gloria Garton (NC)
Grey Louisos (ME)
Gwendolyn Mauroner (AR)
Halcyon Selfmade (CA)
Harriotte Ranvig (MA)
Heather May (NY)
Heather Sims (AL)
Janine Bertram (WA)
Jenn Ratcliff (KY)
Jenn Wolf (IA)
Jessica Barber Brown (KY)
Jessica Ludy (CA)
Jill Klausen (CA)
Jim House (WA)
Joey Gidseg (TX)
Josh Sadoff (MN)
Julie Li Yang (MN)
Judith Tressberg (VA)
Julie Reiskin (CO)
June Kailes (CA)
K.E. (AL)
Kara Ayers, PhD (OH)
Kate MacDonnell (DC)
Katerina (GA)
Kathy Flaherty (CT)
Katie Haus (IN)
Ken Butler (CT)
Kerry Sheehan (MA)
Kevin G. Nunez (NJ)
Kim MacDonald (VA)
Kira Meskin, OTD, OTR/L (IL)
Laurel Roe (PA)
Lauren Wall (DC)
Liberte Locke (MA)
Lisa Caron (CT)
Lisa Handler (PA)
Liz Borkowski, MPH (DC)
Lucy Miller (PA)
Elder (CA)
Madeline Hoch (PA)
Marcie Roth (MD)
Margaret S. Roth (PA)
Maria Church (KY)
Maria Elena Peterson (WA)
Mark Fenicle (CA)
Marsha Katz (MT)
Matthew CP Purinton, MSW LCSW (PA)
Meghan Wolf (KY)
Melissa Marshall (CT)
Michael Thornton (AR)
Michele Mashburn (CA)
Michelle Stevens (PA)
Mike Oxford (KS)
Millie Gonzalez (NJ)
Mimi Rankin (LA)
Miriam Hertz (ID)
Mollie McLeod (CA)
Molly Cole (CT)
Molly Wiesman (IL)
Monika Kerby (CA)
Nancy Leeds (DC)
Nethra Ankam, MD (PA)
Nicholas Elizabeth Faby (NY)
Nicki Vander Meulen (WI)
Nicole LeBlanc (MD)
Nina Fortuna (PA)
Niria Alicia Garcia (CA)
Noelle Kurth (KS)
Norman A. Smith (NJ)
Orit Shpilman (MD)
Pam Heavens (IL)
Priscilla Garces (NJ)
Priya Penner (NY)
Quinn Benson (VA)
M. McCallum (CA)
Regina S. Dyton (CT)
Rev. Maggie Shreve (IL)
Rhoda Gibson (MA)
Rob Spirko (TN)
Ryan Duncanwood (CA)
Samantha G. (CA)
Sarah Maxfield (NY)
Sarah Valdivieso (NJ)
Shaylin Sluzalis (PA)
Sheri Burns (CA)
Sheryl Grossman (MD)
Shyla Patera (MT)
Sloane Sengson (GA)
Spencer Koelle (PA)
Stefanie Lyn Kaufman Mthimkhulu (RI)
Susan Mazrui (WA)
Susan Odgers (MI)
Susan West (CT)
Tasha W (PA)
Tessa Peoples, MFT (PA)
Thomas Hale, Ph.D. (AZ)
Tom Olin (TX)
Tony Alexander (CA)
Vicki Landers (PA)
Wendy Ross (PA)
Yanin Kramsky (CA)
The CDC lists these medical conditions as comorbidities that are associated with higher risk of severe COVID.
Dr. Walensky says if you have four of these conditions you “are unwell to begin with.”
Quick Stats:
US population (2020) = 329.5 million
Category: Uncategorized