Over one billion people in the world live with some form of disability, and according to the WHO, that number is dramatically increasing. Additionally, COVID-19 has been disproportionately hard on people with disability as they face increased risk of infection due to underlying medical conditions, congregate living settings, or systemic health and social inequities. In this episode, executive director of the Washington Patient Safety Coalition, Steve Levy, facilitates a conversation with Kim Connor, executive director of the Washington State Independent Living Council and Mark Leeper, executive director of the Disability Action Network Northwest. Both advocates describe the unique challenges facing people with disability in the US healthcare system using personal stories and statistics to offer insight into the way forward.

A transcript of this episode is available here. 

Presenters:

Kim Connor, Executive Director, Washington State Independent Living Council

Mark Leeper, Executive Director, Disability Action Network Northwest