Disability exclusion during the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) in Sri Lanka

Binendri Perera, Niro Kandasamy, Karen Soldatic

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities are beginning to emerge in the global south. This exploratory article begins to document and examine how the critical impacts of COVID-19 further restrict the mobility of persons with disabilities as they negotiate their survival through government restrictions and health measures. It draws on preliminary insights from two case studies of women with disabilities from diverse ethnic backgrounds whose experiences are situated within the broader social and economic implications facing persons with disabilities due to COVID-19 and its ensuing restrictions. Based on an analysis of government restrictions, we identified that persons with disabilities faced specific challenges such as the lack of access to essential services, and aggravated impacts of inability to engage in work, difficulty in the receipt of aid packages, and lack of access to education and information. Persons with disabilities also face a higher risk of poverty and exclusion that can undermine government public health protections aimed at reducing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, thus requiring additional and more targeted forms of assistance. These experiences are intensified by their existing positions within Sri Lankan society as disabled, gendered, rural, low-income earning individuals who are at greater risk of structural exclusion and ongoing marginalization at the local level. We locate our preliminary findings within a broader legal framework in order to open up the possibilities for advocacy on systemic change and real social inclusion that can have lasting effects on the everyday lives of persons with disabilities. The article argues that government responses to protect and uphold the dignity of the People, as stipulated in the Constitution, must include specific provisions for persons with disability to ensure their legal mobilization and advance universal disability rights.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)47-59
Number of pages13
JournalUniversity of Colombo Review (Series lll)
Volume1
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 2020

Open Access - Access Right Statement

© 2020 The Authors. This work is licenced under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Keywords

  • COVID-19 (disease)
  • Sri Lanka
  • people with disabilities
  • social isolation

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