07/06/2021
EFFECTS OF CORONA VIRUS ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
Amidst the uncertainty of how and when all Sierra Leoneans will get the coronavirus vaccine, is a great concern among disability organisations about inadequate government support and humanitarian assistance. Many believe that the needs and well-being of the most vulnerable in society such as people living with disabilities are not being met during this difficult time.
"The coronavirus poses a significant risk for people living with disabilities, particularly those with
mobility, hearing, visual and cognitive impairments who rely on humanitarian assistance for support," said Hawa Sombie, the public relations officer of Concern Development for Women and Children and a representative of Sierra Leone Union on Disability Issues (SLUDI). She explained that among the problems people with disabilities grappled with during the pandemic are segregation and isolation due to strict social distancing measures, disruptions to essential services they need, and depletion of the social and economic resources upon which they usually rely for their welfare. She said many people with disabilities are impoverished and lacked adequate financial resources, disability assistance from government and community support systems. In humanitarian emergencies like the Covid-19 pandemic, she added, they are often affected considerably.
"The virus added to what was already a challenging economic situation for people with disabilities and saw many struggling to obtain and sustain income and livelihoods. It put many at risk of poor nutrition," Ms Sombie commented. She noted that the government's response and humanitarian efforts have been inadequate in meeting the needs of people with disabilities and commended humanitarian organisations like Handicap International who provided food items to people with disabilities during the lockdown through her organisation.
The headmaster of the school for the Milton Magai School for the Blind, Sailu Turay noted that while
the school was able to contain the spread of the virus with stringent measures as per the government's lockdown policy, they faced many challenges sustaining food and medical supplies. He commended the government for providing some resources to ensure that the institution keeps running but noted that the government support has been inadequate. "Our sources of support and livelihoods have been greatly affected. We have several challenges, not just with COVID. Before the virus, we were already struggling to meet the needs of our residents in terms of food, transportation and medical care. He said the school relies on government and philanthropic support to get the financial resources it requires to meet the needs of its students and called for more help.
Both Salieu Turay and Hawa Sombie observed that along with the struggle to sustain livelihoods, many people with disabilities such as those with visual and hearing impairments have been unable to effectively obtain important information on the virus. This is because government authorities are failing to provide public education messages in the appropriate format to meet the unique needs of people with visual and hearing impairments. They observed that this prevents people with disabilities from accessing or understanding information about preventive measures as well as public assistance programs and services. Mr Turay said although the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre (NaCOVERC) conducted sensitisation campaigns at the school, the messages were not in the most accessible format. He commended private individuals like Dr Bintu Mansaray who he said developed a book on the coronavirus in Braille which the school uses to teach its students.
