Abstract
In recent years, most people living on the planet have been affected by or have witnessed devastating disasters such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and wildfires, not to mention the fact that we have all been living through the COVID-19 pandemic. As researchers and professionals who work with disabled people (in this editorial, I will use the language of the Social Model of Disability, which acknowledges that disability is socially imposed by society onto those living with impairments); as parents, family members, and friends of those living with disability; and as disabled persons ourselves, I am sure we have all been concerned about the safety and welfare of those we care about who are coping with these crises, emergencies, and disasters.
There are many potential disasters to prepare for, including natural disasters, human-made and industrial disasters, economic or state collapse, school shootings, and other emergencies. These crises affect people who are blind or have low vision and those with other impairments across the age spectrum, as well as their families, educators, practitioners, and the first responders, healthcare workers, policymakers, and stakeholders charged with leading a coordinated response to any disaster. It is clear that innovative research, effective policies, and practices are needed, along with a massive awareness campaign, so that visually impaired people, and those with other impairments, are not forgotten in the various stages of disasters and emergencies such as preparation, planning, response, and recovery.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Vision Impairment
The COVID-19 pandemic clearly has reached the top of the research agenda around the world, and it remains foremost in our minds as we all continue to struggle with how the pandemic has affected and continues to affect children and adults with visual impairments and those who provide specialized services to them.
The problems related to blindness in the pandemic may not seem immediately obvious to the general public, but we who are involved in research, education, and professional service provision for people who are blind or have low vision know that social distancing, transportation, access to healthcare, providing specialized services from a distance, working and studying from a distance, as well as managing technology, childcare, and home schooling have created tremendous challenges. These challenges can extend to a negative impact on the mental health of all involved.
The pandemic has revealed longstanding inequities in policies and practices in health and disability service provision, in education across all levels, and in public health and the way communities operate. The researchers who feature in this issue of the Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness (JVIB) have provided up-to-the-minute research on the effects of COVID-19 on individuals, families, communities, and professionals, and their work gives readers insight into what needs to be done to ensure a more equitable, aware, and safe world for everybody, regardless of vision status.
I am a vision impaired mother to two disabled children, and we live in New Zealand, a country that has had one of the strictest lockdowns in the world. As a country, we had success in eradicating COVID-19 completely in 2020, but we are currently living among a surge of the Omicron variant, and I continue to watch other disabled adults and families with disabled children struggle and face discriminatory public policies and practices. The pandemic has left me and my family feeling isolated. I have struggled to provide my children an education without being able to access to appropriate teaching materials; I am frustrated with the healthcare system, which seems to ignore disability access needs; and I am left with a general feeling that my family has been forgotten by society at large.
It is clear that many other disabled people and families have had similar experiences, and all of us are expending our precious energy on advocating for our families and for others who are encountering obstacles in accessing the support that is needed to cope with lockdowns and the aftermath of lockdowns. I thank the contributors to this issue for exploring important questions and forging a way forward. I urge other readers to reflect upon what the world needs to know about vision impairment and disaster preparation, response, and recovery, and to shout it from the rooftops until our voices are heard.
A Call to Action
The research in this issue goes some way toward advocating for solutions and improved policies and practices that will support and enhance the lives of vision impaired adults and children during future disasters and in the aftermath of this pandemic. Further research and action are required, and we can all work toward finding ideas to begin to approach the following issues:
How can we convince federal and local governments to plan appropriately for alert systems, evacuations, lockdowns, transportation, vaccination, and testing strategies that take vision impairment and disability into consideration? What do health and service providers need to know about how to provide services to those living with multiple impairments, including blindness, in future crises? How can service delivery systems prepare to maintain quality supports for individuals with impaired vision during future crises? How do we improve healthcare “telepractice” and telehealth experiences for clients and specialists? How can hospitals and medical systems appropriately care for vision impaired patients? How can professionals assist their vision impaired clients to be resilient and to contribute to their communities in future disasters? How can early childcare centers, schools, and universities meet the needs of vision impaired students during disasters and emergencies? How can we support families who must manage technology, home schooling, home therapies, the need to create learning materials for their children while also balancing work and family well-being during lockdowns and in other times of crisis? How can we contribute to developing countries as they struggle to provide the basics of support for vision impaired adults and children, especially during disasters and during the COVID-19 pandemic? How do we help professionals and clients to maintain health and well-being during stressful times such as the COVID-19 pandemic?
If we have learned anything from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is that public policies and disaster planning efforts need to be formulated with input from the disability community, as well as the specialists who provide services to them. Specifically, input from those living with visual impairments is imperative, to ensure that accessibility and inclusion is increased in every community. We need to advocate for improved opportunities for physical exercise, physical and mental healthcare services, and transportation for vision impaired persons at all times, but especially during public health crises or disasters. We all need to work to ensure that disabled people are not isolated, especially during frightening disasters and epidemics.
In closing, I am honored to have had this opportunity to be involved in this issue as guest editor and to see the work of all the dedicated professionals and researchers who have given so much of themselves over the years and who are working to improve the lives of those of us living with impaired vision. It gives me a great sense of solidarity and hope that we can work together to make the world more accessible and inclusive for all people.