silver linings

April 21, 2020 1:14 AM

Isolation has made the world more accessible for chronically ill people like me by Chloe Sargent [SBS Australia]

“While the world is adapting to a whole new set of rules and restrictions because of COVID-19, something unusually positive is happening for the disabled and chronically ill community.

Instead of feeling limited and restrained like everyone else, many members of my community, including myself, are instead feeling more a part of society and our local communities than we ever have before.”

...

“I hope you know these feelings aren’t without sensitivity and empathy; I want to clarify that I know this is a really difficult and scary time for everyone, and I of course acknowledge that this awful pandemic is hurting and killing people, as well as having devastating impacts on marginalised groups and general mental health. I suppose what I’m saying is that I hope the pandemic ends quickly and no one is in danger anymore, but I hope that once it’s over, that this big, bright, glorious world my community finally has access to isn’t taken away.”

posted by freethefeet (4 comments total)

An agoraphobic on lockdown.
posted by Segundus at 1:53 AM on April 21, 2020 [5 favorites]

This chimes a lot with my own experience of lockdown, thank you for posting it!
posted by Mauve at 2:07 AM on April 21, 2020 [1 favorite]

Thanks for sharing. I wish I could feel more positive about this as a chronically ill person, but I just keep thinking about the fighting I had to do to get accommodations like working from home. Another similar piece in the Guardian.
posted by ellieBOA at 8:28 AM on April 21, 2020 [8 favorites]

I think my absolute favorite part of this is being told that I can't understand how difficult this is for other people because I lived this way already.
posted by Ivan Fyodorovich at 11:35 PM on April 21, 2020 [2 favorites]