This story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.net/en/.

This story [1] was originally published on OpenDemocracy.net/en/.
License: Creative Commons 4.0 - Attributions/No Derivities/
international.
--------------------------------------------------------------

‘My world became very small’: People with disabilities on life in lockdown
By: []
Date: None

As the UK begins to reopen, the lifting of lockdown restrictions brings a mix of worry and relief for people with disabilities. The higher risk of death from COVID-19 – around three times greater than for non-disabled people, accounting for nearly 60% of deaths from the virus last year – and additional barriers to accessing support have left many people feeling like hidden victims of the pandemic. Here, disabled people and their carers share their experiences with openDemocracy.

Lara

Lara Ferguson, 22, is a psychology student currently on placement year at NHS England. She hopes to do a PhD on the science of mental illness. As a teenager, she was sectioned and developed anorexia, spending a number of years in and out of hospital. Before the pandemic hit, she was at her happiest – enjoying her course with a supportive group of friends. But, like more than half of all adults, lockdown had an impact on her mental health.

[1] Url: https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/opendemocracyuk/my-world-became-very-small-people-with-disabilities-on-life-in-lockdown/