Pitt med student Carly O’Connor-Terry assembled a team of medical students and health professionals at NYU, Pitt, WashU, and the St. Louis Arc to publish an accessible COVID-19 guide.
Before the coronavirus pandemic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicinestudent Carly O’Connor-Terry was conducting research with the Pittsburgh Center for Autism Advocacy. When the virus hit Pittsburgh, she formed a volunteer effort with her med school peers and contacted the center to see if there was anything they could do to help.
“When Carly emailed us, I had just tested positive for COVID-19,” said Opal, the center’s assistant director. “I looked and looked, even asked several of my physician contacts—and couldn’t find any materials whatsoever written in plain language to help better understand the virus.”
Opal said it can be difficult for autistic people and people with intellectual disabilities to recognize cues in their own bodies, such as hunger or thirst, or when they are sick or tired.
“People look for things that are illustrated to show how things feel in their bodies—and describe those feelings—so they can better understand what’s happening,” said Opal. “And a guide written in plain language can really help people who may become ill.”
And for O’Connor-Terry, a Pittsburgh native, this particular need is personal; she has an autistic brother who doesn’t communicate with verbal words. She said this is part of the reason why it was so important to step in and help.
“Carly has been incredible at understanding disability justice and centering the experience of people with intellectual disabilities and developmental disabilities,” said Opal.
The same day she connected with Opal, O’Connor-Terry quickly got to work on the guide, recruiting help through a Slack group of med students across the country.
Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for reference, the team produced a plain language guide describing what COVID-19 is what to do if a person experiences symptoms.
