Binendri Perera, Niro Kandasamy, Karen Soldatic
1 University of Colombo Review 47.
Publication year: 2020

Disability Exclusion during the Coronavirus Pandemic(COVID-19) in Sri he effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on persons with disabilities are beginning to emerge in the global south. This exploratory article documents and examines how the critical impacts of COVID-19 further restrict the mobility of persons with disabilities as they negotiate their survival through government and health restrictions. It draws on preliminary insights from two case studies of women with disabilities from different ethnic backgrounds, whose experiences are situated within a broader set of implications for persons with disabilities facing COVID-19. Specific challenges were the lack of access to essential services, the aggravated impact of the inability to work, obtain aid packages, and access to education and information. These experiences were heightened by their position as disabled, gendered, rural, low-income individuals who are at greater risk because of structural exclusion. They face a higher rate of poverty and exclusion that undermines government public health protections aimed at reducing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. They require, therefore, additional and more targeted forms of assistance. Our preliminary findings are located 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.

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