In order to prevent the so-called “corona depression,” which is understood as depression brought on by the prolonged need to ‘stay home’ associated with the new coronavirus, a meeting was held online for people with disabilities to talk about their worries.
Regarding a welfare facility for persons with disabilities in, Chiba Prefecture, where a mass infection occurred with approximately 120 new coronavirus cases found, the Prefectural government confirmed on the May 14 that recent COVID-19 tests, including those who were receiving treatment within the facility, came back negative.
The spread of the new coronavirus affects people with disabilities who are more likely to feel anxiety about unexpected daily changes. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has called for the continued operation of facilities for the disabled as “necessary to maintain their lives,” but the facility has great conflicts regarding the prevention of infection. 99 out of the 2,600 outpatient facilities in Hyogo prefecture are closed, and users are facing a disruption in their rhythm of life and a large decrease in their income.
The death last month of Kumiko Okae, 63, following a battle with breast cancer, has fueled anxiety after her office released a statement saying her COVID-19 symptoms may have become serious due to radiation therapy affecting her immune system.
As campuses shut and an increasing number of schools offer classes via the internet amid the coronavirus epidemic, a team of university professors has launched a website called ‘Accessible Online Lectures for Students with Visual Impairments’ to support online teaching for students with visual impairments.
The spread of the new coronavirus has brought about great changes in the working environment for people with intellectual disabilities who work in welfare work areas. While there are some people with disabilities who have seen a drastic decrease in work orders and are forced to work at home without assistance staff, there are also people with disabilities who work hard to contribute to the local community by making masks.
“As hearing-impaired individuals and their interpreters express and comprehend meanings through facial expressions as well as movements of the hands and mouth, masks covering most of the face make communication difficult.”
With the spread of the new coronavirus and the shortage ventilators and specialized hospital beds, people with disabilities are increasingly wary of “selecting lives.”
Increased calls for staying at home to prevent the spread of the virus has seen older people reduce both physical activity and interactions with friends, neighbors and others, raising the risk of falling into a state of physical or mental frailty.
Due to the spread of the new coronavirus, Ureshino City has recently distributed cloth masks to people with disabilities living in the city. The city distributed disposable masks from the city’s stockpiles in early April, but since the infection control measures have been prolonged, a new response was made
Barrier Free Japan