INDIANA STATEWIDE INDEPENDENT LIVING COUNCIL
COVID-19 EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENT
Easy-to-Read Document 
#WeAreEssential #BeTheVoice



Welcome!
This is an easy-to-read document. 
This type of document can also be called a plain language document. 
Easy-to-read documents involve people with intellectual disabilities by using texts that are easy to read and understand. 
Text that is in bold font is the main information. 

We are the Indiana Statewide Independent Living Council. 
We are also called INSILC. 
INSILC is a council and organization ran by people with all different types of disabilities. 
We are your peers with disabilities. 
You are reading an email from INSILC.  
The email reads like a letter.

Hello, 

INSILC is here to support you during COVID-19. 
COVID-19 is also called Corona Virus. 

COVID-19 is impacting people with disabilities differently than people without disabilities. We are all scared. The supports we need to be independent are being limited. The things we need to survive are being limited.  

The news is talking about hospital policies that put our lives at risk. INSILC does not think this is okay. This is unacceptable! We are people with disabilities. We have rights. Our rights should not be violated. Our rights should never be violated, and COVID-19 healthcare should not create an exception.  

Neil Romano said the quote below. 
He said this on March 18th, 2020.
Neil Romano is the Chair of the National Council on Disability. 
The quote says that bad beliefs about people with disabilities hurt our lives. Some people think our lives are not as important as other peoplesÕ lives. This is not okay. This needs to stop. 

ÒThe lives of persons with disabilities continue to be devalued in the medical profession due to pervasive negative biases and inaccurate assumptions. The belief that people with disabilities have a lesser quality of life and are less valuable to society has led to deadly consequences - physicians choosing to provide medically scarce resources to non-disabled or healthier people Ð [which is] a violation of human rights, civil rights and a reinforcement of the belief that people with disabilities are lesser-than and less deserving of life itself.Ó

The Health and Human Services Office of Civil Rights wrote a document about our rights. 
You can read the bulletin by clicking on the underlined word in this sentence.
This is a quote from the document. 
The document was created on March 17th, 2020. 
The quote says that we should get the care we need. The need for COVID-19 care should be based on need. COVID-19 care should not be denied to us.

"Épersons with disabilities should not be denied medical care on the basis of stereotypes, assessments of quality of life, or judgments about a personÕs relative ÒworthÓ based on the presence or absence of disabilities or age. Decisions by covered entities concerning whether an individual is a candidate for treatment should be based on an individualized assessment of the patient and his or her circumstances, based on the best available objective medical evidence."

We know that people with disabilities are all different. We try to make sure everyone has the tools they need. 
This includes information about the law and accommodations. 
Accommodations help get access to the things you need. 

There are other documents in addition to this message from us. 
There are different types of these documents. 
Different types of documents help all people with different disabilities and needs get the information we need. 
There are PDF, Plain Text, Large Print, Easy to Read and Spanish documents. 
These documents are found on the INSILC website: https://www.insilc.org/covid-19/ 

These additional documents are:

* Notice of My Healthcare Rights
o Page one is a form for you to fill out and take to the hospital with you if you are sick. 
o Page two is information on who to contact if you think your disability rights are violated. 
* Knowledge is Power
o This document gives contact information of organizations that can help us during COVID-19. 


If you think your rights have been violated, please call or email INSILC for help. 
You can ask a family member or friend to help you. 
Our email is: info@insilc.org.      Our phone number is: 1-844-446-7452

If you want to file an official complaint because you think your disability rights have been violated, please contact Indiana Disability Rights. 
You can ask a family member or friend to help you.
Their email is: info@indianadisabilityrights.org.    Their phone number is: 1-800-622-4865

We are all scared but we hope you feel supported by INSILC and your disability community.
We are using the hashtag #WeAreEssential on social media to show that our rights as people with disabilities are important. 
Hashtags are used on social media posts. 
Social media posts include Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.  

We are here for you! 
INSILC