Applying a Framework of Epistemic Injustice to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Authors

Sarah Lineberry, Virginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow
Matthew BogenschutzFollow

Abstract

Epistemic injustice, the theory of unfairness related to knowledge, is a useful framework for understanding the ways in which historic and ongoing marginalization and stereotypes have shaped the ways that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted a scoping review of the literature and divided findings into physical health (cases, hospitalization, and death) and psychosocial outcomes (access to services, mental health symptoms, community participation, etc.). Impacts were then analyzed using the key principles of epistemic injustice. Findings suggest that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experienced high rates of negative physical health and psychosocial outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic compared to people without disabilities and that epistemic injustice could be used to understand these impacts in a broader context.

Plain Language Summary

Epistemic injustice is a way of explaining why some people, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), are not listened to or believed. Epistemic injustice often occurs because of false beliefs about groups of people and can lead to them being mistreated or excluded. We reviewed the literature about COVID-19 to understand how people with IDD were impacted by the pandemic and how epistemic injustice might have influenced these outcomes. We found that people with IDD may have been more likely to get very sick or die from the COVID-19 virus compared to people without IDD. We also found that many people with IDD experienced changes to their daily routines and services, which may have caused negative mental health outcomes. Epistemic injustice can be used to understand these findings and how policies can better include people with IDD.

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

Recommended Citation

Lineberry, Sarah and Bogenschutz, Matthew (2024) "Applying a Framework of Epistemic Injustice to Understand the Impact of COVID-19 on People with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities," Developmental Disabilities Network Journal: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 6.
DOI: 10.59620/2694-1104.1090
Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/ddnj/vol4/iss2/6