People with disabilities are at higher risk for COVID-19 infection due to the difficulty for those with some types of disabilities to socially distance and because of a higher prevalence of underlying health conditions in this population.

In Albania, there is a lot of misinformation about COVID-19 that is being targeted toward more vulnerable people, according to Karolina Rista, executive director of Infinit Plus, a nonprofit news site that is a grantee of Internews’ Rapid Response Fund.

“[People with disabilities] feel a little bit forgotten because everybody feels vulnerable now,” says Infinit Plus executive director Karolina Rista. “[They are] not in the center of the attention. And, they need this attention. They need it more than us, more than the majority of society.”

Infinit Plus plans to use the funds from Internews to produce an online campaign of videos and messages directed toward people with disabilities that provide information on how they and their families can protect themselves from the virus. They are collaborating with disabled people’s organizations in Albania and will solicit feedback from their audience to customize the information.

The pandemic crisis is also an information crisis, and journalists are the first responders. In an emergency, information saves lives. Hear from more journalists and information providers, as they grapple to stay operational and report on the crisis.

(Banner photo: Credit Albanian Disability Rights Foundation for USAID)