I have been interviewed by several media outlets about Deafblindness and the Coronavirus in the last few weeks, and I am quoted a few times in this one from the New Yorker.
Who is “Worthy”? DeafBlind People Feel that Doctors Won’t Save them from the Coronavirus
I find myself wondering what the purpose and interest is in these articles. But I think it is like everything in our lives. People don’t realize Deafblind people exist. I can’t tell you how many times I tell people that I am Deafblind and that is why I need X accommodation and they are like… struck dead in their tracks in disbelief that people really exist in the world and have lives and jobs and kids, etc. while being Deafblind. So, hopefully these articles possibly make people stop and think about considering us in the decisions they make when they develop policies for this situation.
Also the most frightening aspect of this for all disabled people is this notion of eugenics oriented triage and the risk that we will not get access to the same health care as others. For Deafblind people, the problem of communicating in a health care setting where people may be unwilling to allow for interpreters, communication devices, touch-based communication and other methods leads to the fear that we will be cast aside and given no human consideration whatsoever. So hopefully these articles will allow for some creativity and imagination when it comes to our community and the realization (yes, I have to say this) that we are actually worthy of health care.
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