The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated and brought to light many of the social injustices that exist within the structure of our society. Policies have been put in place all over the world to slow the transmission of the novel coronavirus, however, these have disproportionately and negatively impacted many marginalized populations. Mask policies in particular have created social and communication barriers for many individuals, yet these barriers are not new for individuals with disabilities, especially those who are deaf or hard of hearing. It is through the social construction of disability as disease,thriving capitalist ideologies, and unbalanced power dynamics that contribute to the social isolation of individuals with disabilities, while also structuring our society to favor able-bodied individuals. Mask policies have further contributed to social isolation for this population illustrating the need for structural change to facilitate individuals with disabilities’ equal participation within society (Edwards, 2020).
The lived experiences of individuals with disabilities are crucial to understanding the negative implications these policies have had throughout the pandemic. Hilary Edwards, like many others,describes lip-reading and facial cues as crucial to her participation in society as someone who has been deaf from a young age (Edwards, 2020). Mask policies have exacerbated communication barriers through the elimination of key methods often used by this population to communicate while in public, making simple tasks, such as going to the grocery store, more difficult (Edwards, 2020). COVID-19 has emphasized the way in which structures in our society act as barriers for individuals, whether they are social, systemic, or communication barriers, they stem from the way in which our society is structured and the way disability is viewed. As a society, we must recognize that, “limitations experienced by many deaf and hard of hearing people are not rooted in hearing loss, but in the barriers present in society”(Edwards, 2020). Before we ask ourselves how to create structural change, we must understand the roots to these barriers.
Throughout history, the medical model of disability has been pervasive, despite attempts to adopt a more socially aware understanding of how disability is experienced and viewed in society (Reynolds,2017). This has led to the societal view that disability should be considered a disease or something that must be cured, for these individuals to lead happy, full lives. It is through ableist structures and viewpoints, that favor able-bodied individuals, that disability is stigmatized and individuals are cast aside socially. Mask policies have reinforced this way of thinking about disability, as individuals are cast aside and unable to participate equally as other individuals during this time, further stigmatizing disability as something that is undesirable. Conrad and Barker illustrate that disease is often stigmatized which reflect the power dynamics in society, leading to consequences for those who live with the disease in their everyday life (2010). Mask policies have failed to recognize the implications for individuals with disability and it can be argued that this is rooted in the stigma surrounding disability as a disease. Alison Stine, who has been partially deaf since birth, describes her experiences during the pandemic as difficult,due to others being unwilling to try and communicate with her (2020). Stine’s experiences demonstrate the negative attitudes and stigma surrounding her disability, illustrating that mask policies have further created a divide in society between individuals with disabilities and those without, creating challenges for individuals with disabilities to fully participate in society.
[Image Source: Nhung Le. (2020). [Untitled image of a girl wearing a mask with hearing aids]. NBC News.https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/keeping-people-safe-covid-19-limits-deaf-people-s-access-ncna1207371]
When society views disability as something that is undesirable, individuals with disabilities are socially isolated and lack power in decisions that ultimately impact them and leave them unable to go about their daily lives in equal ways compared to their non-disabled counterparts (Kitchin, 1998). Kitchin touches on the way historically, spaces have been created in society to keep individuals with disabilities ‘in their place’, through the medicalization of disability (1998). Our society over time has medicalized disability, meaning that something we once viewed as a natural experience of uniqueness, becomes thought of as a medical issue that must be resolved (Conrad & Barker, 2010). Mask policies can then be viewed as another way in which we keep individuals with disabilities ‘in their place’ through an ‘us vs.them’ dichotomy that is already present in our society. Power is present throughout our society and it is through normalizing judgement, society’s view on what is normal and the consequences of deviation, that individuals with disability are continually lacking power and cast aside from others, preventing anintegrated society (Gutting, 2005).
Deaf or hard of hearing individuals have further experienced social isolation throughout history as capitalist ideologies, that favor productivity and profit, have deemed individuals with disabilities as inferior compared to their non-disabled counterparts (Kitchin, 1998). Mask policies have further perpetuated the idea that individuals with disabilities are unproductive members of society. Given the challenges experienced to communicate, individuals who are deaf may struggle to communicate with co-workers, hindering their ability to do their job effectively. Capitalist ideologies are ingrained in the way our society is structured and despite COVID-19 challenging many of these capitalist structures,individuals with disabilities suffer social isolation from mask policies, hindering their ability to be productive members of society, unless others are willing to take more time to communicate with them.
The challenges experienced by individuals with disabilities are not new, however, the current pandemic has provided an opportunity to further expose these inequalities that are rooted in the stigmatization of disability and capitalist ideologies, that further marginalize this population and create an ‘us vs. them’ dichotomy in society. Structural and social change is necessary to de-medicalize disability as a disease, while fostering positive associations of disabilities. Mask policies have exacerbated barriers for individuals with disabilities in society as they have continued to perpetuate negative societal views of disability, limiting individuals with disabilities from participating equally in society. The abolition of this dichotomy is essential for giving power and voice back to individuals with disabilities within decisions that can negatively or positively impact their experiences in our society.
References
Conrad, P. & Barker, K. (2010). The Social Construction of Illness: Key Insights and PolicyImplications. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 51(S), S69-S79.DOI:10.1177/002214651038349
Edwards, H. (2020, June 30). Masks curb COVID, but add barrier for deaf community.Healthing. https://www.healthing.ca/opinion/masks-curb-covid-but-add-another-barrier-for-deaf-community
Gutting, G. (2005). Crime and Punishment. Foucault: A Very Short Introduction (pp. 77-85).Oxford University Press. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.proxy.queensu.ca/lib/queen-ebooks/detail.action?docID=422593.
Kitchin, R. (1998). ‘Out of Place’, ‘Knowing One’s Place’: Space, power and the exclusion ofdisabled people. Disability & Society, 13(3), 343-356. DOI: 10.1080/09687599826678
Reynolds, J.M. (2017). “I’d rather be dead than disabled”-the ableist conflation and the meaningsof disability. Review of Communication, 17(3), 149-163.DO1:10.1080/15358593.2017.1331255
Stine, A. (2020). I’m partially deaf. When mask-wearing came along, I had to rebuild my world.The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/aug/20/deaf-people-mask-wearing-lipreading