Fighting for survival: persons with disabilities’ activism for the mediatisation of COVID-19 information

Abstract

Crises times have an uncanny way of giving salience to struggles for democracy. The new coronavirus – also known as COVID-19 – became a global public health issue that stirred other democratic concerns from persons living with disabilities who wanted access to health information for their survival. People living with various types of disabilities have special communication and information needs, some of which require specific technologies, formats and language. The pandemic got people concerned about their safety and survival. This article contextualises and critiques US, Britain and Zimbabwean activists representing persons living with disabilities’ reactions to the manner their public authorities availed COVID-19 health messages to disabled constituencies via mainstream television. It compares how suitable was televised content from US, Britain, Zimbabwean and New Zealand stations for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, before exploring complaints and lawsuits from the disability constituency pertaining to access to COVID-19 health information.

Ableism, Human Rights, and the COVID-19 Pandemic: Healthcare-Related Barriers Experienced by Deaf People in Aotearoa New Zealand

“…A dearth of literature has been dedicated to Deaf experiences with COVID-19 and even less has focused on Deaf people’s experiences with COVID-19 within the area of healthcare access. Rather, health-related studies have centred on the inadequacy of public health communication and COVID-19 messaging and vaccinations [ 12 , 20 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. At the heart of this inadequacy was the inconsistent or, in some cases, the absence of sign language and closed captioning [ 7 , 12 , 25 , 26 ].…”

“…Rather, health-related studies have centred on the inadequacy of public health communication and COVID-19 messaging and vaccinations [ 12 , 20 , 24 , 25 , 26 ]. At the heart of this inadequacy was the inconsistent or, in some cases, the absence of sign language and closed captioning [ 7 , 12 , 25 , 26 ]. Within this context, Dai and Hu (2022) documented the significant role of civil society in addressing a vacuum of public health messaging in China.…”

Supportive or Confining? The Impact of War Metaphors From the COVID-19 Pandemic on Persons With Disabilities in Mainland China

“…During epidemics, certain types of PWDs are unable to access communication and information platforms to acquire valuable information, which puts them in a more vulnerable position where they are more susceptible to virus attacks and impacts. This can be attributed to social, financial, and technological reasons ( 29 ). Affected by social mobilization in the context of war metaphors, relevant social organizations were encouraged to provide accurate and accessible health information about COVID-19 and methods of continuous self-protection for PWDs to compensate for the absence of government in this field.…”

“…In addition, information and communication remain important weapons in the fight against COVID-19. Accordingly, CRPD requires appropriate facilities for PWDs to obtain information and meet their communication and information needs by providing them with specific technologies, languages, and accessible formats ( 29 ).…”

Barriers and the Role of Assistive Technology to Access Education for Children with Visually Impaired During COVID-19 Times

“…It has aided children who have access to technology to continue with their education, but it has sparked concerns, particularly for children with blindness and visual impairment (BVI) who have special communication and information needs, many of which necessitate the use of specialized technology, language, and formats. 2 Because their major information-gathering sense is tactile-kinesthetic, they have a tough time accessing schooling.…”