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Families breathe sigh of relief as Iowans with disabilities are next in line for vaccine

Isolation is often felt more strongly by individuals with disabilities, and families hope the vaccine will alleviate that by allowing community gatherings once more.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Catherine Hedderich loves spending time with her friends, but just like everyone else, she's had a hard time spending time with her community during COVID-19.

She also has a developmental disability, so her father worries she's feeling the loneliness more than most.

"The isolation that we've all been feeling really can get very intense for folks with intellectual disabilities," Scott Hedderich, Catherine's father, said. "She's been FaceTiming and doing some chat rooms with folks, but it's just not the same."

That's why Scott says he's hopeful now that individuals with disabilities have been listed on Phase 1C of Gov. Kim Reynolds' vaccine rollout plan released last week.

Though Catherine already received the vaccine because she works in food service at a retirement community in Des Moines, Scott says now that her friends can get it too, it will hopefully allow her to spend time with friends again and return to life as semi-normal.

He says it's also a matter of safety, adding that individuals with intellectual disabilities are more likely to unknowingly enter into a situation where it's easier to contract the virus and perhaps spread it to someone else.

RELATED: Your questions, answered | What is the latest timeline for Iowans to get the vaccine?

"If you think about the nature of intellectual disabilities and how they interact with society differently, they’re susceptible to either manipulation or just being naïve about how the world works," Scott said. "I think they’re just as at-risk or sometimes even more at risk than others and the elderly, because they’re not going to be understanding fully the threat that COVID can cause and create."

The Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council advocated to get Iowans with disabilities in Phase 1C. Executive director Brook Lovelace says she worked with Reynolds on the vaccine advisory council that determined the next phase of the rollout.

Now the challenge is making sure everyone has access.

"Where do they go to get it, how do they sign up, and do they have the support to do that," Lovelace said.

Both Lovelace and Hedderich agree that this is a step in the right direction.

"To see some sort of end to [the isolation] gives me some encouragement," said Hedderich.

Watch: Ames nonprofit offering forgivable loans for Iowans with disabilities

RELATED: Nonprofit serving children with special needs innovates during COVID-19 to relieve parents of caregiver burnout

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