‘That was all over the shop’: Exploring the COVID-19 response in disability residential settings

Abstract

People with disability are an ‘at-risk’ group in a pandemic context for various clinical and structural reasons. However, in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, people with disability were not identified as a priority group, which exacerbated this risk, particularly for those living in congregate settings. This paper examines inter-organisational issues during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in disability residential settings gathered from senior managers, team leaders, and disability support workers. We use Victoria as a case study since several Victorian disability residential settings were in mid-transition from state provision to non-profit organisations. We argue that re..