COVID-19: Impact On persons With Disability

In the recent case of where a woman with visual impairment was raped during the lockdown on April 18, 202o:

https://www.indiatoday.in/crime/story/blind-bank-officer-raped-bhopal-lockdown-1668290-2020-04-18

The group interning in Niti Manthan felt important to look into the impacts of COVID-19 situations with a focus on the persons with disability.

Thus, on 12th June 2020, Niti Manthan’s research team working on the study - “The Sexual Offences With Persons with Disability” conducted an e-group discussion session on the topic: ‘Present Scenario of COVID-19 and its impact on persons with disability’.

The group consisted of five group members and the discussion was facilitated by the moderator.

Excerpts from the discussion are mentioned below:

Moderator (Shambhavi): COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by WHO on 11th March 2020. This pandemic is considered the worst pandemic in the living history of most humankind. The impact of this pandemic struck hard on the lives of people both socially and economically. The worst affected were the marginalised groups of our society. Those groups who were already not considered part of mainstream society and were struggling to fulfil their needs. One such group is people with disabilities. So the floor is open for discussion about the current scenario of COVID-19 in general and also its impact on the persons with disability.

Malyaban: We are amidst a Pandemic which is creating havoc across the entire world. Covid-19 has changed people's lives in many ways across continents and nations. If we concentrate on the situation in India, we can conclude the situation is worse as compared to the other nations in the world as India is simultaneously dealing with the migrant crisis, cyclones, locusts attack, etc. In India, one of the first steps to contain the Pandemic was the imposition of the nationwide lockdown. Yes, the efforts put in by the Central and State Governments in containing the pandemic are acknowledged but there are a few areas where the efforts did not prove to be fruitful at all.

Aditi: As we know that the situation going on is so pathetic and critical for survival being in isolation at one place. The various impacts of COVID-19 are inevitable. The condition has affected different groups in different ways. It has caused financial and social disturbances in society. It is required that we understand our responsibility as a citizen and help as many people as we can reach out to.

Chahat: The pandemic and its impact have made us realise the poor condition of our healthcare systems. It has affected the lives of not only the marginalised but of all strata of society. But the worst sufferers are the ones who lacked resources and have continued to stay invisible in mainstream society. Such group are people with disabilities. The already existing crisis of PWDs not being able to access the resources due to inaccessibility issues has become worse, making them even more dependable on their caregivers.

Moderator: So you talked about different groups of society and different ways in which pandemic has affected them. Who are these groups? Can you highlight the ways they are impacted?

Malyaban: We must acknowledge the fact that the Covid-19 disease is not the sole danger which the society faced. Amidst this lockdown people did face various hardships including job losses, becoming homeless, etc. The situation was worse for the person with disabilities as we do know that these people face the major problems of accessibility, discrimination, etc, in society. I would also like to highlight the fact that the state of West Bengal has recently been through one of the deadly cyclones of the decade, ‘Amphan’. Amidst this pandemic, it was a fatal blow for the people of the state which was already fighting the Covid-19 pandemic. Due to the cyclone, at least 100 people have lost their lives and many have been rendered homeless in the State. As I am discussing this topic, currently, many areas in rural Bengal are still without power and water. The Sudarbans which was one of the most affected is yet to recover from this disaster. The world's largest delta has witnessed many cyclones but Amphan was the worst. We can understand what the underprivileged people have faced in this state and it is worse for the section of disabled people residing in the state.

Aditi: So, if I talk about the persons with disabilities at this moment they need special care, support and medication because they are already suffering from one or other impairment and have to tackle this heinous situation of Coronavirus. Pessimism is also prevailing regarding loss to the education sector, industrial sector, tourism sector, the economy of a country, falling of GDP, no money supply or jamming of money transfer due to no supply, demand, manufacturing or production. In some of the other way this pandemic situation is breaking everyone's morale down. Further, due to the deficiency of money administration is not able to work properly. As colleges and schools are asking for fees from the students in order to pay salaries to their teachers or employees but why the govt. is not understanding that money supply has been stopped due to lockdown, money is not produced on plants. Parents are not able to pay such a large amount, as colleges and schools are imposing pressure and forcing students to pay fees or else the name of the ward must be struck off from the college rolls. In this serious condition, many employees have lost their job resulting in unemployment, a lockout of the labour sector from industries. The govt. is just not aware of the reality of what they are up to and no official seems to be concerned about the families of those who are being unemployed in this lockdown. The govt. Has not even conducted surveys to understand the situation.

Chahat: Lockdown situation has impacted a large number of people. There has been a rise in the number of domestic violence cases. The news of a woman with visual impairment being raped by a thief in Bhopal has also surfaced during the lockdown situation. Different institutions of counsellors have been asked to conduct sessions on mental health and to open various helpline numbers to address the grievances of the people. If we talk about the people with disability, some of them require assistance by the caregivers, but due to the lockdown situation, they are not being able to get access to their therapies. The caregivers cannot help persons with disability by maintaining physical distancing. Hence, the independence of persons with disability has made them even more vulnerable to catching this virus. Elderly or persons with disability living alone are not able to access the grocery shops due to lack of infrastructure. They are at higher risk of catching the virus as they require contact with public railings and surroundings for support. The short-stay homes have been open for people in distress, but even they are not disabled-friendly. The lockdown situation has made everyone stuck at home with the family. And research shows that most of the accused persons for sexual offences are intimate family members. At present women, children, elderly, and people with disabilities are stuck at home under the same roof with them, posing greater threat to their lives, mental and physical health.

Aryan: Persons with disabilities generally have more health-care needs than others – both standard needs and needs linked to impairments – and are therefore more vulnerable to the impact of low quality or inaccessible health-care services than others. Compared to persons without disabilities, persons with disabilities are more likely to have poor health. People with disabilities (PWDs) are more susceptible to viruses like Covid-19 relative to others. We take “hand-washing” as a normal precaution, but PWDs face serious limitations to follow this practice frequently. Besides, there is a lack of public toilets for them. Next is “social-distancing”, but most PWDs depend on others due to physiological constraints. Many disabled have to frequently visit hospitals and rehabilitation centres. Further, most of the PWDs are largely dependent on the caregivers (family, relatives or professionals). Many caregivers may be reluctant to provide their services as the coronavirus is highly contagious. Persons with intellectual impairment cannot be expected to practice or cope with self-isolation. The coronavirus poses serious threats for PWDs. Persons with visual disabilities rely on “touch functions for mobility and work”, thus, increasing their risk of infection.

Moderator: So, where do you think we are going wrong? What are the possible loopholes you can analyse from this situation?

Malyban: The Ministry of Finance initiated a financial support package for the PWDs which included the transfer of INR 1000 to every person with a disability as a one-time payment. But in order to receive this transfer, the person with a disability or any other vulnerable group would have to visit the bank. Which might not be possible for everyone. Also, the speeches broadcasted on the television by our PM or finance minister does not have sign language interpreters. The government does not seem to be taking advice from other great economists for preparing the budget and being rigid towards changes and amendments.

Aryan: If we talk about the relief packages delivered by the government, the 20 lakh crore package was just to attract the people of India & give them a sense that government is taking many big steps to counter COVID 19 impact on the economy of India. I guess they are succeeded in this too as people are astonished by hearing 20 lakh crore expenditure But let's analyse the package announced. Even though the announcements made are worth over Rs 20 lakh crore, the actual cash outlay by the government this year and the impact on the fiscal deficit will be far less. This is because many of the government’s proposals are credit-focused or are aimed at easing liquidity concerns for many affected sectors. In some of these cases, any costs incurred will be initially covered through banks or other financial institutions and thus not result in actual cash outgo by the Centre. The economic package, expected to generate economic benefits equivalent to 10 per cent of GDP, is likely to cost the government not even 1 per cent of GDP. The huge difference between the benefits and the actual cost is due to the non-material benefits such as bank guarantees and permissions given in the major announcements. The total policy support of Atmanirbhar Bharat stands at nearly Rs 11 lakh crore, with a direct fiscal impact of mere Rs 1 lakh crore (0.5% of GDP). With this, the overall economic package stands at a mere 0.8 per cent of GDP. Around 13 crore people have lost their jobs due to COVID 19 outbreak. The significant part of this figure were Persons with Disability as they work as migrant workers in different factories and are depended on daily wages.

Aditi: The government is not conducting timely audits for the implementations of rules and orders passed.

Chahat: There is a lack of understanding of rights and entitlements by the people. There are helplines available but people are not being able to reach for them.

Moderator: Okay! What would be your suggestions in order to deal with the current situation and its impacts?

Malyaban: A suitable medium through which the money will be delivered in the hands of the people should be made accessible. The medium being bank transfers, the PWDs do face problems in accessing and operating their bank accounts so sending money to them by post would relieve them from this difficulty. I would like to reiterate the accessibility problem of the PWDs and raise doubt on the fact that how are these people supposed to access these facilities. We have witnessed that the press conferences on the important national issues by the Prime Minister, Finance Minister, etc have not been translated in sign language in spite of the fact that there has been a notification from the IB ministry directing all news channels to feature programs in sign language. These barriers do prove to be fatal for the PWDs in leading their daily life amidst this pandemic as they are not made aware of the situation. Hence, action must be taken to overcome these differences.

Aditi: We have to keep patience, maintain mental peace, secure ourselves and others, help the needy ones at this current situation by doing some contributions like providing basic necessities. Organizations or NGOs should participate actively to cater to the needs of people in distress and should secure them from other diseases by providing them supplements or medication or routine check-ups in order to make their immune system strong. Isolation of PWDs is somewhere not good for them as they might already be suffering other mental health issues due to their disabilities or any crime done against them in the past. Hence, societal interactions are important to have some change.

Aryan : The government packages should be audited. The government needs to realise the huge impact of this pandemic on migrant workers and other underprivileged members of our society. The statistics tell the real situation of the people belonging to the lower strata of society. Hence, considerations are required on the part of the government to amend their strategies before its too late.

Chahat: I would like to suggest that we all practice physical distancing and not “social distancing”. Right now it is important to stay connected with each other and provide support. Meanwhile, we can act as a mediator if we think someone is in need of help and can network them with a helpline or an NGO. We can also contribute by donating to reliable organisations. Most importantly we must stay at home as far as it's not important to step out.

Conclusion

Through this discussion, it was concluded that the pandemic situation has negatively affected the lives of people. It has especially impacted underprivileged people. At this point, we cannot afford to neglect the financial and social crisis faced by the people. It’s highly important to analyse certain loopholes in the administration in order to bring inclusivity for all classes of people and retrieving the economy of our country. There is a requirement of collective efforts from people from all professions to come together and build a supported web.

Disclaimer: The views presented are of the speakers solely. Niti Manthan does not hold any liability arising out of this discussion. Kindly refer to our Terms of use or write to us in case of any concerns.