A Disabling Pandemic

Amidst a global pandemic, certain populations have received the spotlight in terms of international concern, namely seniors, and appropriately so with the endangerment this deadly virus puts these individuals in. However, often not discussed and quite neglected, are the disabled collective. Already having the arduous task of maneuvering through a tricky world before COVID, the scope of impact of this pandemic magnifies the many hurdles disabled individuals must overcome to maintain healthy and active lives.

Without a doubt, the past year has been perhaps the most turbulent in terms of overwhelming tides of information. Aggressively pushed at us through our smartphones and TVs, protocols and precautions swing back and forth, creating an atmosphere coloured by unease and confusion. This bombardment of information is all the more amplified for individuals with intellectual disabilities, whose cognitive impairments disarm them from fully understanding health implications of the virus. On the other side of the spectrum, some disabilities can promote a sense of obsession and overthinking, leading to equally troubling outcomes. This duty of safety then falls on the caregiver, which extenuates existing caregiver stresses and burdens.

For these disabled individuals, interpreting public health protocols is one thing, but actually performing them is another topic. Behavioural difficulties are well established as a prominent symptom for individuals with disabilities, putting them at high risk for an inability to appropriately adhere to the health measures most of society have become well acquainted with. Through no fault of their own, there is then an inherent risk for them to safely experience the outdoors, limiting activity and opportunity.

In order to cope with challenging behaviours, individuals with disabilities often participate in recreational activities, opportunities now squandered by the advent of COVID and its precautions. We are consistently taught the importance and prioritizing of behavioural treatments over pharmacological approaches - COVID undoubtedly puts these individuals and families in a tough spot to manage symptoms once handled through more adaptable means.

Across the board, community supports have dwindled in these trying times, with less services accessible by those who need them to sustain regular life. Individuals with disabilities are no stranger to these supports, and without familiar in person experience, they can suffer massive setbacks in their rehabilitative or habilitative journeys. The breakdown in support networks can be incredibly detrimental to learned coping strategies.

What does all this point to? Certainly not just for those with disabilities, enduring COVID has taught everyone a valuable lesson on expanding our understanding of accessibility. It would be wise to continue honing our current mindset of designing safe access and universal design beyond the pandemic, to adequately address the needs of the disabled population. If there is any silver lining to be drawn from living a year old pandemic, it’s this promising urge and press toward necessary change and evolution. The pandemic’s impact on those with disabilities has highlighted the essential roles of caregivers, technological literacy, combating misinformation and innovative ways to adapt behavioural regimens towards health precautions. Our future in enhancing quality of life in those with disabilities for the rest of this pandemic and future ones, will ultimately be reliant on us to make the necessary advances in those key areas.

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Source:

• Courtenay, K., & Perera, B. (2020). COVID-19 and People with Intellectual Disability: impacts of a pandemic. Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine,1-21.