Vanderbilt Kennedy Center produces videos on COVID-19 vaccine and individuals with intellectual disability

The Vanderbilt Kennedy Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities has produced three brief videos to build COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the disability community. These videos feature an adult with an intellectual disability and a parent and her daughter with autism, who share their personal experiences, hesitancy and decision-making related to getting themselves or their child vaccinated.

The videos were produced as part of a funding award from the U.S. Administration for Community Living of the Department of Health and Human Services. They also build upon the work of the Tennessee Developmental Disabilities Network and community partnerships.

Links to the individual videos with descriptions are below. View them all by clicking here. For more information about the Vaccine Confidence video series, email kc@vumc.org.

Will’s story: Promoting vaccine confidence in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities

The CDC recommends vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone 5 years and older. However, some adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities still have questions about vaccine safety. In this video, an adult with Down syndrome shares his initial hesitation and the steps he took to educate himself.

Vaccine hesitancy and autism: A family’s story

The CDC recommends vaccination against COVID-19 for everyone 5 years and older. However, parents who have sons and daughters with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities may have questions about vaccine safety. In this video, a parent of a child with autism shares her family’s story of educating themselves on vaccine safety and addresses additional concerns present in the Hispanic community.

Dudas sobre las vacunas y el autismo: Una historia familiar

El CDC recomienda la vacunación contra COVID-19 para todas las personas de cinco años en adelante. Sin embargo, los padres que tienen hijos e hijas con autismo y otras discapacidades intelectuales y del desarrollo pueden tener preguntas sobre la seguridad de las vacunas. En este video, un padre de un niño con autismo comparte la historia de su familia de educarse sobre la seguridad de las vacunas y aborda preocupaciones adicionales presentes en la comunidad hispana.