Currently, there are still no AODA healthcare standards. However, an AODA standards development committee drafted recommendations of guidelines that AODA healthcare standards should include. These guidelines include accessible healthcare reviews after states of emergency.
The committee’s mandate from the Ontario government requires recommendations focused on the hospital setting. However, patients and healthcare workers with disabilities also face barriers in other parts of the healthcare system, including:
- Doctors’ offices
- Walk-in clinics
- Wellness centres
- Pharmacies
- Labs
- Nursing homes
- Outpatient rehabilitation centres
- Health regulatory colleges
Therefore, all these settings should have accessible healthcare reviews after states of emergency.
Accessible Healthcare Reviews After States of Emergency
When a state of emergency is over, the government should research how well they maintained accessibility for patients with disabilities during the emergency. The government should conduct this research in partnership with the advisory panel formed at the beginning of the state of emergency, in keeping with the committee’s recommendation for accessible healthcare during states of emergency. In addition, the government should also consult with members of the public who have disabilities. This expanded research will give the government information about how the emergency impacted people from a variety of backgrounds.
Likewise, the government should also review how its emergency management policies and procedures impacted people with accessibility needs during the state of emergency. For instance, the government should review how well it:
- Shows respect for human rights and accessibility requirements
- Provides accessible information about emergencies, and emergency healthcare, including:
- In clear language, to citizens with cognitive or intellectual disabilities
- With communication supports, like Sign language interpretation and captioning
The government should then update policies and procedures that do not comply with these principles.
All these reviewing and updating processes will help the government respond to future emergencies with policies and supports that benefit all citizens.