Welcome to our world - please don't move anything

With the recent arrival of COVID-19 or Corona Virus to the shores of the United States, everyone is encouraged to stay away from large groups and to practice social distancing. Most social events, sporting events, and religious activities are canceled. I have found it interesting how upset my friends and others I know have been about not being able to go out to their choice of activity. I have listened to parents complain about their children having nothing to do and not being able to play with their friends. These are all valid concerns and I understand why this is frustrating for you.

BUT I must say welcome to the life of most people with a disability.

No, I am not being dramatic or joking. The majority of those with disabilities either cannot hold a job or cannot find one. They may also risk losing benefits they need to live independently, such as assistance with home care or personal care if they work. So not going to work is normal for someone with a disability.

You're upset about having nowhere to go but what if you couldn't just pick up and leave even if you had somewhere to go? You have no car to drive and have to depend on others for your basic needs. People are complaining about not being able to make their bills because they have been laid off due to the virus or are unable to go to work because they are not essential. This is a valid and stressful concern, however, this is an everyday concern for those living on a disability payment. Living on disability means that you are living in poverty and if you make additional money your benefits can be cut or eliminated depending on how much you make.

Hopefully, you are practicing social distancing to keep yourself and your family safe. When they announced this recommendation on the news my first thought was "that's my life every day". I have noticed ever since I was little that people distance from me. People hug me less and shake my hand less than my abled counterparts. They always step a few steps away from me.  A study in Britain found that half of the working-age disabled people reported being lonely. That is 3 million people. A study in 2018 by the KFF found that having a disability was a large factor in whether someone feels lonely and isolated. This was true in the US, Japan, and the UK. The same study found that having a disability means you are twice as likely to feel alone or lonely. Think about this for just a moment....you have been living the quarantine life for a few weeks but this could be your everyday life. The only people you come in contact with are medical personnel or people at the grocery store.  

It is sad and isolating for all of us. The stresses of this life can be overwhelming and create additional health concerns if sustained for a long period of time. It is my hope that this small taste of what life with a disability is like will change the abled communities perception of disability. Perhaps now we can talk about more programs to help people with disabilities work, travel, have access to transportation, and more social activities. When this is over don't forget that there are still others in a structural quarantine that need us to continue to work to breakdown the walls that surround them.