Impact of COVID-19 on the Lives of the Visually Impaired

International Journal of Humanities and Social Science
© 2022 by SSRG - IJHSS Journal
Volume 9 Issue 3
Year of Publication : 2022
Authors : Ananya Arora
pdf
How to Cite?

Ananya Arora, "Impact of COVID-19 on the Lives of the Visually Impaired," SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 9,  no. 3, pp. 84-91, 2022. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V9I3P112

Abstract:

COVID-19 has harmed the lives of people with disabilities. People with visual disabilities have faced many challenges, from being at a higher risk of contracting the virus due to their dependence on touch to move around to experiencing loneliness and anxiousness about the unknown disease. The present study focuses on understanding the pandemic's effects and lockdown's effects on the lives of visually impaired people residing in the Blind Relief Association, New Delhi, India. The sample group consists of 13 adults between the ages group of 18-31 years. The research was conducted through interviews with visually impaired adults residing in Delhi. A thematic analysis was conducted to extract common themes and discuss them further. It was found that many people reported feeling scared or lonely during the pandemic and found it hard to stay at home. The main problems were also loss in income and disruption in studies. The pandemic poses a high risk to people with visual disabilities. Measures should be taken to ensure that they are aware of all the rules that must be followed and to reduce their stress and anxiety levels.

Keywords:

Anxiousness, COVID-19, Challenges, Lockdown, Visually impaired.

References:

[1] “81 Million Jobs Lost as COVID-19 Creates Turmoil in Asia-Pacific Labour Markets,” International Labour Organization, 2020. [Online]. Available: www.ilo.org/asia/media-centre/news/WCMS_763819/lang--en/index.htm.
[2] Alisha Arora et al. "Understanding Coronaphobia,"Asian Journal of Psychiatry, vol. 54, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajp.2020.102384
[3] Banerjee Debanjan, and Mayank Rai, "Social Isolation in Covid-19: The Impact of Loneliness," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, vol. 66, no. 6, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1177/0020764020922269
[4] Boyle, Coleen A., et al. "The Public Health Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic for People with Disabilities," Disability and Health Journal, vol. 13, no. 3, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2020.100943.
[5] “Building Resilience to the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Role of Centres of Government,” OECD Policy Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19), 2020, [Online]. Availible: www.oecd.org/coronavirus/policy-responses/building-resilience-to-the-covid-19- pandemic-the-role-of-centres-of-government-883d2961.
[6] Emily Carlson et al., "The Role of Music in Everyday Life During the First Wave of the Coronavirus Pandemic: A Mixed-Methods Exploratory Study," Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 4, no. 12, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.647756
[7] “COVID-19 Vaccines & Boosters,” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2020. [Online] Available: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/faq.html.
[8] "COVID-19 Outbreak and Persons with Disabilities | United Nations Enable," United Nations, 2021. [Online] Available: www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/covid-19.html.
[9] “COVID-19 Pandemic Triggers 25% Increase in Prevalence of Anxiety and Depression Worldwide,” World Health Organization, 2022. [Online]. Available: www.who.int/news/item/02-03-2022-covid-19-pandemic-triggers-25-increase-in-prevalence-of-anxiety-and-depression-worldwide.
[10] "Debunking COVID-19 Myths," Mayo Clinic, 2022. [Online]. Available: www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/coronavirus/in-depth/coronavirus-myths/art-20485720.
[11] Mareike Ernst et al., "Loneliness before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis," American Psychologist, vol. 77, no. 5, pp. 660-677, 2022. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0001005
[12] Esmaeilzadeh, Pouyan, "Public Concerns and Burdens Associated with Face Mask-Wearing: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic," Progress in Disaster Science, vol. 13, 2022. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2022.100215
[13] Firmanda Tommy, "The Impact of COVID-19 on the Blind and Visually Impaired in Indonesia," AIDRAN, 2020, [Online]. Available: https://omeka.cloud.unimelb.edu.au/teaching-and-learning-in-a-pandemic/items/show/167.
[14] "Global Economy Could Lose over $4 Trillion Due to COVID-19 Impact on Tourism," UNCTAD, 2021, [Online]. Available: https://unctad.org/news/global-economy-could-lose-over-4-trillion-due-covid-19-impact-tourism
[15] Heller Morton, "Visually-Impaired Touch – Scholarpedia," Scholarpedia, 2012, [Online]. Available: www.scholarpedia.org/article/Visuallyimpaired_touch#:%7E:text=Blind%20individuals%20rely%20on%20their,increased%20skill %20as%20a%20consequence.
[16] Roger S. McIntyre, and Yena Lee, "Projected Increases in Suicide in Canada as a Consequence of COVID-19," Psychiatry Research, vol. 290, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113104
[17] K F Morse, Philip A Fine, and Kathryn J Friedlander, "Creativity and Leisure During COVID-19: Examining the Relationship Between Leisure Activities, Motivations, and Psychological Well-Being," Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 12, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.609967
[18] Nforgwei Malvina Anyinyong, and ÜmmüAltanBayraktar, "The Use of Social Media Platforms WhatsApp and Telegram as Educational Tools During COVID-19 in Cameroon", SSRG International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 48-55, 2022, Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23942703/IJHSS-V9I3P107
[19] Pineda Victor Santiago, and Jason Corburn. "Disability, Urban Health Equity, and the Coronavirus Pandemic: Promoting Cities for All," Journal of Urban Health, vol. 97, no. 3, pp. 336–41, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-020-00437-7
[20] Quallen, Brooklyn, The Need for Braille Education in India for the Visually Impaired, BORGEN, 2020. Ananya Arora / IJHSS, 9(3), 84-91, 2022 91
[21] Iza Gigauri, "Implications of COVID-19 for Human Resource Management", SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies, vol. 7, no. 11, pp. 25-33, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V7I11P104
[22] Antonio J. Rodríguez-Hidalgo et al., "Fear of COVID-19, Stress, and Anxiety in University Undergraduate Students: A Predictive Model for Depression," Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 11, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591797
[23] L.P.D.S. Pathirana, "Effect of COVID -19 and Strategic Response: A Review on Sri Lankan Construction Industry", SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies, vol. 7, no. 6, pp.65-69, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.14445/23939125/IJEMS-V7I6P110
[24] Ambika Selvaraj et al. "Effect of Pandemic Based Online Education on Teaching and Learning System," International Journal of Educational Development, vol. 85, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2021.102444
[25] Suraj S Senjam, "Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on People Living with Visual Disability," Indian Journal of Ophthalmology, vol. 68, no. 7, pp. 1367-1370, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.4103/ijo.IJO_1513_20
[26] Gianluca Serafini et al., "The Psychological Impact of COVID-19 on the Mental Health in the General Population," QJM: An International Journal of Medicine, vol. 113, no. 8, pp. 531–537, 2020. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1093/qjmed/hcaa201
[27] Tom Shakespeare et al. "Triple Jeopardy: Disabled People and the COVID-19 Pandemic," The Lancet, vol. 397, no. 10282, pp. 1331–33, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00625-5
[28] Robert H. Shmerling, MD, “Do Vitamin D, Zinc, and Other Supplements Help Prevent COVID-19 or Hasten Healing?,” Harvard Health, 2021, [Online] Available: www.health.harvard.edu/blog/do-vitamin-d-zinc-and-other-supplements-help-prevent-covid-19- or-hasten-healing-2021040522310. [29] Shukla Meenakshi et al., "The Effect of COVID-19 and Related Lockdown Phases on Young Peoples' Worries and Emotions: Novel Data from India," Frontiers in Public Health, vol. 9, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2021.645183
[30] Sparkes Indiana, et al., "Coronavirus and the Social Impacts on Disabled People in Great Britain," Office for National Statistics, 2021.
[31] Zhaohui Su, et al. "Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 Media Coverage: The Need for Effective Crisis Communication Practices," Globalization and health, vol. 17, no. 4, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-020-00654-4
[32] Suma Thomas et al. "Effect of High-Dose Zinc and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation vs Usual Care on Symptom Length and Reduction Among Ambulatory Patients With SARS-CoV-2 Infection," JAMA Network Open, vol. 4, no. 2, 2021. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.0369
[33] "WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard," World Health Organization, Covid19, 2022.