People with disabilities were told @OHAOregon was operating in a health equity model and that vaccines would be distributed in ways that recognized historic inequity and health acces disparity. We celebrated that people with disabilities were in Phase 1a. OR was special. #orpol

It turns out those were just words, and the most fragile people in the state are overlooked while others run to the front of the line. I am so angry and disappointed. #orpol #covid

Fed partnership appointments for group homes & foster homes have been CANCELED. Some individuals showing up with caregivers have stood there and been denied while their caregiver was vaccinated. IN FRONT OF THEM. #orpol #cripthevote

These are ppl who've been quarantined for 10 mo. Not the type of q where they go to restaurants& soccer & have socially distant gatherings. The kind where they can't go to doc appts.Where fam can't go to work. Some fams broken apart in order to fully isolate vuln person. #orpol

If they are in congregate care, they are so fragile that to manage the virus some have not seen their family members in 9 months. @OregonODDS had to send letters encouraging families NOT to include their loved ones in group homes for holidays. #orpol

I've watched photos of ppl not eligible in 1a getting vax. Ppl that work in depts w/ no patient contact. Young, white healthy people who are not likely to have severe complications if they contract virus. Meanwhile, vent dependent disabled people are turned away. #orpol

I've been working around the clock as have other disability advocates to connect eligible disabled ppl w/ vaccines. The successes are heartwarming, but they aren't enough. They are a tiny speck of the mountain desperately waiting. #orpol #CripTheVote

The desperation isn't just about getting out of the house. It's about real fear of death. Not just from the virus, but the knowledge that people w disabilities face discrimination in hospital that hastens their death. #orpol

During the pandemic, ppl w disabilities in OR have been denied ventilators, pushed into hospice,coerced into signing DNRs, denied hospital admission, denied COVID testing and denied PPE for their caregivers. #orpol

Over and over again, they have been faced with indignities. I'm told that I'm heard, that my advocacy is appreciated, that things are changing... Yet everytime I trust I am reminded how little power and value disabled people hold in our society. #orpol #disabilityvisibility

Now, minutes after hearing from a mom whose eligible medically fragile daughter with Down Syndrome was refused vax for THE SECOND time in a wk (she even had appt!) @OHAOregon announced vax is now open to ALL teachers & all over 65. #orpol #CripTheVote https://tinyurl.com/y2ycu2ps 

We don't even have enough doses for 1a pop yet. We haven't even vaccinated all srs in long term care yet. With this, disabled people in OR community based services do not have a chance. They will not get a vaccine b/c there will not be enough. Many of them will die. #orpol

We've been asking for written clarification for a wk to that disabled people in 1a are eligible. That was denied. We are told the guidance is "clear enough." It's not clear enough to make vax available in the majority of OR counties. Now it is too late. #orpol #CripTheVote

The frail elderly & disabled living in congregate care or receiving in home svcs literally and metaphorically can't run as fast as the population of teachers and people over 65. There is not enough vaccine to do all Oregonians over 65 or even all teachers. #orpol

I am confident we will see organized clinics in school districts. There isn't enough to do all educators. This means there will literally be nothing left for these vulnerable 1a eligible people who haven't been able to get vaccine yet. #orpol

Those with disabilities who have been waiting because they literally cannot leave their house are being turned away at existing sites. They. Can't. Get. A. Vaccine. And NO ONE will help them or return their calls. This is heartbreaking. #orpol #cripthevote #covid19

To be clear-- these are people w disabilities in congregate care and on vents that can't find clinics. Or worse- are turned away from existing clinics.There aren't devoted clinics for them. There should be. And it should be tomorrow. #orpol

I was so proud of our vaccine plan. I was so proud of the smart phasing. But it didn't come to pass. It was just words. It is time for the community to be louder and more insistent about dedicated clinics, mobile vaccination and priority for congregate care. #orpol

Please, write to your legislator. Write to all legislators. Write to the Gov. Write to vaccine committee. Tweet. Write to your paper. Tell your story of being turned away. My voice is not loud enough. I have tried, but I've failed. I'm so sorry. #orpol #COVID19 #cripthevote

We can be discouraged but we can't quit. This is fixable.There can be dedicated clinics if Oregon leaders create them. There can be reserved doses. We can literally count the ppl this applies to. We can find them& they WILL COME. Let's make it happen. #orpol #cripthevote

This change is being attributed to fed guidance. Fauci said those with underlying conditions and at high risk of complications & those 65+ should be eligible now. The population I speak of is in that group, but there is no plan to serve them and no urgency about it. #orpol

I want everyone to get the vax. We ALL need it. But some folks need it sooner b/c their risks are so high. Every day of delay is one more day of fear and serious risk of death. These ARE the 1% that die. They deserve to be prioritized. Let's make it happen. #orpol #cripthevote