Mitwalli Suzan, Kiwan Dina, Abdul-Samad Lina, Giacaman Rita
Institute of Community and Public Health, West Bank, Birzeit University, Birzeit, Palestine.
School of Education, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.
Front Psychol. 2022 Oct 11;13:955828. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.955828. eCollection 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic has enormous negative effects on people's lives. People with disabilities (PWDs) who have been made vulnerable and who tend to face significant barriers in accessing public services are likely to be affected even more. This study aims to shed light on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on PWDs with special attention to their ability to access public services in the West Bank region of the occupied Palestinian territory.
This qualitative study was conducted between March 2021 and October 2021. The study was divided into two phases. The first phase consisted of interviews with people with different disabilities, while the second phase targeted policymakers and stakeholders in discussion of the results of the first phase. A total of 16 interviews with people with different types of disabilities (7 males, 9 females) were conducted telephone. For the second phase, a total of 6 interviews were conducted with stakeholders most responsible for addressing the issue of disability and the needs of PWDs in the West Bank. Analytical memos were prepared for all interviews. Main themes and subthemes were identified by reading and re-reading memos and transcripts until themes and subthemes emerged.
All participants agreed that the COVID-19 pandemic had affected all aspects of life for all groups of people, including PWDs. The effects of the pandemic exacerbated the overall living conditions and access to basic services for PWDs. The results show that access to public transportation, public services, and to health services was all interrupted during the pandemic. This was compounded by deterioration of the financial situation for PWDs which further worsened their access. The stakeholders' interviews confirmed and explained the findings as mainly due to lack of prioritization of PWD's rights and needs.
The study emphasized that most of the reported barriers to accessing essential services were intensified during the pandemic. Furthermore, the results show that PWDs and their needs are not considered a priority by the Palestinian Authority, exacerbated by the Israeli occupation. Our findings underline the importance of including PWDs in any future crisis planning.
新冠疫情对人们的生活产生了巨大负面影响。弱势群体——残疾人在获取公共服务时往往面临重大障碍，他们可能受到的影响更大。本研究旨在揭示新冠疫情对巴勒斯坦被占领土约旦河西岸地区残疾人的影响，特别关注他们获取公共服务的能力。
本定性研究于2021年3月至2021年10月进行。该研究分为两个阶段。第一阶段包括对不同类型残疾人的访谈，而第二阶段则针对政策制定者和利益相关者，讨论第一阶段的结果。通过电话对16名不同类型的残疾人（7名男性，9名女性）进行了访谈。在第二阶段，共对西岸地区负责处理残疾问题和残疾人需求的利益相关者进行了6次访谈。为所有访谈准备了分析备忘录。通过反复阅读备忘录和访谈记录来确定主要主题和子主题，直到主题和子主题浮现。
所有参与者都认为，新冠疫情影响了包括残疾人在内的所有群体生活的方方面面。疫情的影响加剧了残疾人的整体生活条件和基本服务的获取。结果表明，在疫情期间，公共交通、公共服务和医疗服务的获取均被中断。残疾人财务状况的恶化使这一情况更加复杂，进一步加剧了他们获取服务的困难。利益相关者的访谈证实并解释了这些发现，主要原因是残疾人的权利和需求未得到优先考虑。
该研究强调，在疫情期间，大多数报告的获取基本服务的障碍都加剧了。此外，结果表明，巴勒斯坦权力机构并未将残疾人及其需求视为优先事项，以色列的占领则使情况更加恶化。我们的研究结果强调了在未来任何危机规划中纳入残疾人的重要性。
