The current situation has disrupted the lives of persons with disability along with everyone else’s. Factors that affect each person’s situation include the nature and severity of a person’s impairment, whether the person has an underlying health condition that makes them more vulnerable, and what type of support they have in their home.
Persons with disability who depend on care from outside their home may be worried about a higher risk of being exposed to the virus.
Those who had to stop working may be concerned that their disability will make them more likely to remain unemployed. Some people on the autism spectrum may find it difficult to understand why their routines have suddenly changed. Those who were already at risk of neglect or abuse are currently more vulnerable.
On the other hand, many adjustments that the general population has had to make are ones that many persons with disability are used to. And many of the issues that a lot of people are dealing with are ones that persons with disability have faced for a long time. These include being socially isolated and not being able to go to places that one would like to go to. On the plus side, teleworking and contacting friends via online means are practices that suit the needs of many disabled people.
The current situation has also made people aware of how interdependent we are and how much we take for granted - and that’s something that we could have learnt from persons with disability a long time ago!
These and related issues will be discussed in the livestream on Monday, 4 May on the impact of the pandemic and the lockdown on the lives of persons with disability in Malta.
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