NEW DELHI: Persons with disability (PwD) not only faced difficulties in accessing emergency medical and rehabilitation services but underwent deep psychological traumas, disruption in their daily lives and loss of livelihood, said a first national-level study which evaluated the impact of Covid-19 and resulting lockdown on persons with disabilities (PwD) in India.
The study, carried out in 14 Indian states, was conducted by South Asia Centre for Disability and Inclusive Development and Research (SACDIR), Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH), Hyderabad, said that parents with children were significantly impacted due to lockdown in the areas of medical, rehabilitation, education and mental health services.
“COVID-19 and the associated lockdown restrictions have negatively impacted persons with disabilities during the first wave in India. It is critical to mainstream disability within the agenda for health and development with pragmatic, context-specific strategies and programs in the country,” the study said.
According to Prof GVS Murthy, director of the institute and the report’s author, there is a lack of data to quantify the impact of the pandemic on PwD, who are more vulnerable and at higher risk from Covid-19.
Speaking with this newspaper, Murthy said that people with disabilities faced many challenges during the pandemic, not only in accessing healthcare, getting rehabilitation services, and social support but in education too.
The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, said PwDs faced psychological reactions to Covid-19, which ranged from fear, anxiety, panic, hopelessness and depression to fear of infection. “This led to a feeling of stigma, discrimination, and isolation, combined with issues in relationships, abandonment, and violence,” the report added.
The study found that about 60 percent of the PwDs found it challenging to access emergency medical services during the lockdown, and 4.6 percent post lockdown. Nearly 50 per cent had problems getting health services, while more than 25 percent could not get regular medicines, hospital appointments and surgical procedures.
Over 70 per cent had no access to Covid-related information, which was worse for visually and deaf people.“Most had no access to Covid information in the absence of communication and messages available in Barielle, sign language or lip reading. They didn’t understand the messages on dos and don’ts of Covid-19 and were thus more vulnerable. Even using hand sanitiser as a safety measure was not clear to them,” he said. More than 90 per cent of the participants with either physical, speech, hearing, or visual impairment were impacted by the lockdown in receiving rehabilitation services.