1) In usual times, @SemiahmooHouse deploys staff or asks family members to be with people who have developmental disabilities (PWD) 24/7 when they go to the hospital for illness or injury. #DisabilityRights @InclusionBC @FSIBC @plannedlifetime

2)We do this to support the person who has a disability with communication, informed decision making, as well as personal care. Family or our staff members know the person best, so this just makes sense.

3) Our support includes everything from helping the person understand their medical options, to adjusting their body so they can breathe more easily, to helping hospital staff understand how the person is feeling. Hospital personnel are usually very appreciative of this.

4) But I’ll tell you an uncomfortable little secret: we also send staff or ask family to accompany people with disabilities in hospitals to ensure that Do Not Resuscitate orders are not made without the person’s understanding and consent.

5) Ask any community living leader who has been around for a few years, and they will share a story of a time their staff had to step in and let hospital personnel know that the person with a disability they were supporting wanted to live and that a DNR order was not required.

6) Family members and support workers know that society makes judgments about the quality of life of a person who has a disability that are not accurate or true. Take for example this article about people with Down syndrome: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2017/08/24/people-with-down-syndrome-are-happy-why-are-we-trying-to-eliminate-them/

7) Those that know the history of abuse, institutionalization, forced medical procedures, sterilization and euthanization of people with disabilities understand the fear that people with disabilities, their families, and care givers have at this time.

8) And this is not just history: people with disabilities still face discrimination and are valued less than other members of society. This is their experience that they share with me and that I have also witnessed.

9) And let's not forget that that a vast majority of Canadians thought Robert Latimer was justified in killing his 12-year-old daughter, Tracy. There are 1000s of people in this country with disabilities similar to hers. http://www.ccdonline.ca/en/humanrights/endoflife/latimer/reflections/media

10) The fear that people with disabilities will be discriminated against during the COVID-19 Crisis is justified and real—based on history and contemporary times. Politicians and health authorities need to acknowledge and understand this.

11) Provinces must A) Change policies to ensure that family members or support workers are allowed to accompany people who have disabilities in hospital if they need support to communicate, make decisions, or for personal care, #AriisLaw

12) and, B) Ensure that COVID-19 triage protocol, if needed, does not discriminate against people with disabilities based on society’s discriminatory view of their value or "quality of life."

13) I'm telling you all this to support these two policy changes, not to denigrate health care workers who are doing extraordinary work at personal risk at this time. We need to work together to keep everyone safe.

14) In fact, having designated support workers or family members with proper PPE (which @SemiahmooHouse has) supporting people with disabilities in hospital will make the health care workers' job less stressful and everyone will be safer.