User:Sydneym33/Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities

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Education:

As of April, 2020, schools had ceased in-person operation in 189 countries, affecting roughly 1.5 billion children worldwide. Children with disabilities have faced a host of challenges related to remote learning. They have faced disruptions to the services they require as laid out in their Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and have struggled with many of the technologies used to carry out remote learning. Many types of assistive technologies, such as screen readers for the blind, are not compatible with the software platforms being used for remote learning. Children with disabilities often require in-person assistance, such as various physical and occupational therapies, and most teachers are not trained in how to conduct education remotely for children with disabilities. Parents of disabled children are also struggling as they are being asked to provide many of the services their children receive in schools without the training or expertise to do so. Parents of children with disabilities are also concerned about the risks involved in their children returning to school. Children with disabilities are more likely to have other health conditions that increase their risk of COVID-related complications.

My edit:

As of April 2020, schools had ceased in-person operation in 189 countries, affecting roughly 1.5 billion children worldwide. Children with disabilities have faced a host of challenges related to remote learning. The use of remote learning can add further stress for children with disabilities and their families. They have faced disruptions to the services they require as laid out in their Individualized Education Programs (IEP) and have struggled with many of the technologies used to carry out remote learning. Many types of assistive technologies, such as screen readers for the blind, are not compatible with the software platforms being used for remote learning. Some families do not have at home access to computers which made the changes to remote learning much harder (Houtrow, 2020). Children with disabilities often require in-person assistance, such as various physical and occupational therapies, and most teachers are not trained in how to conduct education remotely for children with disabilities. Parents of disabled children are also struggling as they are being asked to provide many of the services their children receive in schools without the training or expertise to do so. Parents of children with disabilities are also concerned about the risks involved in their children returning to school. Children with disabilities are more likely to have other health conditions that increase their risk of COVID-related complications. In addition, a child with disabilities daily routines are ruined and social connections and supports are disrupted; these can cause even more stress onto families with a child with a disability.