The meanings of COVID-19 pandemic for people with disabilities in Japan: A qualitative analysis of diverse disability narratives

Abstract

This study examines what the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic means for people with disabilities in Japan. The target data were the narratives from a discussion on the pandemic at a residents’ meeting, presided over by the author. The data was qualitatively analyzed. Participants reported that their lives did not change as their daily activities were already limited before the outbreak of COVID-19. Online devices were convenient for them to communicate with others while staying home. However, they recognized difficulties like limited access to disability services and concerns about possible disasters. They resisted the notion of imposed vulnerability and emphasized the regularity of their lives. For them, the “new normal” was usual. The pandemic clarified their legitimacy. These meanings connected the rupture between the time before the outbreak of COVID-19 and during-pandemic periods, despite uncertainty in the narratives. The participants showed their sense of belonging to the disability community by describing their personal experiences as being connected to people with severe disabilities. Even mild lockdowns in Japan might get people without disabilities to realize the difficulties that people with disabilities have encountered before the outbreak of COVID-19. However, people without disabilities can forget the inconvenience they experienced after the pandemic.