We’ve all been stuck inside for so long with the pandemic—whether it be by choice or due to a stay-at-home order—and, at least for me, I’ve had a lot of time to think.
How do these circumstances differ between those who are able-bodied and people with disabilities? As with anything, there are quite a few factors that go into this sort of thinking. My main points would be location, access to resources, and whether the individual would require extra assistance from an outside party. But I mainly want to focus on location and access.
My main goal here is to discuss the blind/low vision experience when it comes to the pandemic, as that’s the community I’ve been a part of since birth. I could speak to other disabilities, but I have no experience in the matter and it’s not my place to act as a platform for those communities. There are plenty of other people out there who can do the same.
Location is important. Those who lived in more rural areas before the pandemic may have already had difficulties in getting around their community, or they may have been spending as much time at home beforehand as they are now. For them, it may be just another day in the house, whereas for some the prospect of being home for so long may be more of a daunting feeling. The issue is that some people may not be able to travel independently, whether it’s due to lack of available public transportation, or any other factor — add a pandemic into the mix, and it can make everything that much harder.
I’ve personally found that some aspects of my independence and access have suffered during the pandemic. For instance, I usually will pick things up while shopping to get a better look at them. I’ve hardly gone into a grocery store since March, let alone picked up merchandise unless I was absolutely positive I was buying it. I’m fortunate enough to live in a household with people who are sighted and have been doing the grocery shopping, however if circumstances were different I would have joined countless others and used Instacart or Peapod to have things delivered. But in times like these, you’re competing with the population of able-bodied people who are also now relying on these services. I’ve seen some very entitled blind people posting on social media how they were upset about wait times for grocery delivery — which is something that everyone, everywhere, has to deal with. We’re in the middle of a pandemic. Patience has to be learned and accepted.
I’ve been outside quite a bit since the weather got nicer, but only for walks in the neighborhood or to sit on the patio. I’ve gone into a grocery store exactly once since the shutdown, and just today I got a pedicure for what felt like the first time in forever. Navigating these new changes with dividers and tape on the floor has been a bit of a challenge, but still doable.
I can understand how difficult it may be for someone who’s completely blind, or a guide dog user. Guide dogs don’t know what the social distancing markers on the floor mean.
No one knows how much longer the pandemic will last, or if we’ll have to keep barriers and tape up forever. I realize that the disability community isn’t the only group facing difficult times — we all are. But hopefully, things can get easier as time goes on.