Professor David Pettinicchio was recently featured in an article posted on the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences website. This article provides an overview of various Canadian researchers and highlights Pettinicchio for his collaborative efforts with Professor Michelle Maroto of the University of Alberta in their research to understand the effects of COVID-19 among people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other underlying health conditions.
David Pettinicchio is an Assistant Professor of Sociology, an affiliated faculty in the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, and an associate member of Trinity College. His research interests are social policy, political sociology, law and society, disability politics and social movements.
We've included an excerpt of the article below. Read the full article on the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences website.
Canadian researchers examine the effects of COVID-19 within the disability community
Everyone has stories about how their life has been altered due to COVID-19 and related containment measures, but it is also clear that the direst effects of dealing with the pandemic have not been distributed equally. Some argue that the disability community has been largely overlooked in the design of COVID-19 precautions and has been left with few resources to mitigate negative impacts. Researchers across the country are working with community partners to better understand the impacts of the pandemic on people with disabilities.
At the University of Alberta, Professor Michelle Maroto, in collaboration with Professor David Pettinicchio at the University of Toronto, is studying the social and economic effects of COVID-19 among people with disabilities, chronic illnesses, and other underlying health conditions.
Preliminary findings from a nationwide survey demonstrate that people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are not only very worried about getting COVID-19, they also feel excluded from the work of policy-makers and are concerned about their long-term economic situation.