COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

These free materials use simple illustrations and easy-to-read messages to explain five key COVID-19 prevention behaviors: getting vaccinated, getting a COVID-19 test, handwashing, wearing a mask, and keeping a safe distance until fully vaccinated.  

The CDC would like support in promoting their new suite of COVID-19 materials—including posters, social stories, videos, and interactive activities—for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have extreme low literacy (ELL).  The CDC is excited to introduce these materials with the aim of giving people with IDD and ELL and their caregivers the information they need to help them stay safe from COVID-19.  

Why get involved?

People with IDD have a higher incidence of COVID-19 than people without IDD. They are also more likely to be admitted to the hospital from COVID-19 complications, have higher rates of stays in intensive care units, and are more likely to die from COVID-19. Yet people with IDD often do not have the information they need to protect themselves. To fill this gap, the CDC created materials about COVID-19 and emergency preparedness that are specifically designed to meet this population’s needs. 

Who should use this promotion kit?

This kit is for disability service and advocacy groups, health care and public health organizations, and anyone else who is committed to improving communication and messaging about COVID-19 for people with IDD and ELL, their caregivers, and the organizations that support them.

How do I use this promotion kit?

To help the CDC raise awareness of these resources, you can use the sample language and images in the CDC's toolkit when sharing the materials on social media or by email, newsletters, websites, blogs, or other methods. You are welcome to customize the promotional text as needed.

How can I help?

1. Post on social media

Help generate interest in these COVID-19 materials on social media!

The CDC developed posts for several different audiences. When you share, please tag @CDC_NCBDDD on Twitter and @CDC on Facebook and LinkedIn and use #COVID19DisabilityInclusion to help them track engagement. These posts are just examples — you can edit the language to meet your organization’s needs.  The CDC encourages you to include an image with each post, as people are more likely to share posts with pictures.

Please see the example posts with suggested images.

2. Send an email  

Do you maintain an active email list, listserv, or e-newsletter? Send a short email or include a blurb about the CDC’s new COVID-19 materials for people with IDD and ELL. You can use the image options provided in the attached document or on the CDC's website in your email as well!  Here’s a sample email you can edit and send:

Email Subject Line/Header – English

New CDC COVID-19 Materials for People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities  

Body of the Email - English

We need your help!  Did you know that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States are more likely to get COVID-19 and have worse health outcomes than people without IDD? 

We are excited to share that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) has developed a new suite of COVID-19 materials—including videos, posters, social stories, and interactive activities—specifically designed for people with IDD who have extreme low literacy and their caregivers. These free materials use simple illustrations and easy-to-read messages to explain five key COVID-19 prevention behaviors: getting vaccinated, getting a COVID-19 test, handwashing, wearing a mask, and keeping a safe distance until fully vaccinated.  

INSERT IMAGE HERE (optional)

We appreciate your help in promoting these materials.

Email Subject Line/Header – Spanish

Nuevos materiales de los CDC sobre el COVID-19 para las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo

Body of the email - Spanish

¡Necesitamos tu ayuda! ¿Sabías que, en los Estados Unidos, las personas con discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo (IDD, por sus siglas en inglés) tienen más probabilidades de contraer el COVID-19 y tienen peores resultados de salud que las personas sin IDD?

INSERTAR IMAGEN AQUÍ (opcional)

Nos complace comunicar que el Centro Nacional de Defectos Congénitos y Discapacidades del Desarrollo (NCBDDD, por sus siglas en inglés) de los Centros para el Control y la Prevención de Enfermedades (CDC) ha desarrollado un nuevo conjunto de materiales sobre el COVID-19, que incluye videos, carteles, historias sociales, y actividades interactivas, diseñados especialmente para personas con IDD que tienen un nivel de alfabetización extremadamente bajo y sus cuidadores. Estos materiales gratuitos tienen imágenes sencillas y mensajes fáciles de leer para explicar cinco comportamientos protectores claves de COVID-19: vacunarse, hacerse una prueba de COVID-19, lavarse las manos, usar una mascarilla, y mantener una distancia segura de otras personas.

Agradecemos que nos ayudes a compartir el contenido de estos materiales.